Book a Kelowna Counselling appointment

Education and Training

Shelley values her clients and is continually taking courses to enhance her skills to better serve them and meet their individual needs.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) Therapy

Shortly before Shelley graduated from the University of British Columbia – Okanagan campus with a Master’s degree in Social Work, her nephew was in a tragic car accident. After the accident he met with several counsellors to help him through this difficult time, but none of them provided the support he required. Coincidentally, she was researching counselling modalities to determine a counselling specialty and due to his experiences, she recognized a need for well trained trauma counsellors. After many inquiries and investigation, Shelley learned about EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing), a trauma therapy the World Health Organization recommends for children, adolescents and adults with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), acute stress and bereavement. Watch this video to learn more about EMDR Therapy:

In 2011, Shelley became trained as an EMDR Therapist and continues taking courses to broaden her knowledge in this complicated and delicate area of therapy. Some of the more recent courses she has taken that makes her a skilled trauma therapist are:

  • EMDR Toolbox by Jim Knipe
  • Intensive Trauma Treatment by Bessel van der Kolk
  • Ego State Workshop by Robin Shapiro
  • EMDR and Ego State Therapy Across Dissociative Continuum by Sandra Paulsen
  • EMDR Interweaves by Ana Gomez
  • Polyvagal Theory by Stephen Porges
  • Flash Technique by Philip Mansbridge

DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)

Shelley uses DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) an evidence-based psychotherapy which is a type of CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy) and is an Acceptance-Based Behavior Therapy (ABBT) that emphasizes mindfulness, dialectical thinking and acceptance of experiences as they are in this moment. Marsha Linehan designed DBT as a therapy to help people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. There is evidence that DBT is useful treating mood disorders, suicidal ideation, self-harming behaviors, anxiety, trauma recovery and several other mental health symptoms. DBT is a skills-based therapy teaching skills in the following four areas:

  1. Distress tolerance
  2. Interpersonal Relationships
  3. Mindfulness
  4. Emotional Regulation

Dr. Linehan believes DBT works because it’s “validating therapy” where the counsellor works within the relationship with her client skillfully using positive regard developed between them to reinforce the development of skills. Shelley has completed many DBT trainings, but most recently (2018) she completed DBT Skills taught by Marsha Linehan through the Behavioural Tech Research To learn more about DBT watch the following two videos.