Certified Relationship Therapist

Chanel’s counselling style is relaxed and person-led, therefore her sessions will feel conversational in nature as she strives to create a safe, comfortable space for you to explore your inner wisdom and uncover hidden parts of yourself. The privilege of being invited into the most vulnerable places of the soul and heart is something she honours, by meeting her clients where they are at with compassion, empathy, and a non-judgmental stance. Believing that couples therapy is a journey that takes courage, she works with individuals and couples to find strength in vulnerability, helping each person connect more deeply with themselves and those they love.

Relationships are fundamental to our wellbeing, and there is nothing more painful than feeling disconnected from our partner. She works with couples to help them regain harmony and a felt sense of connection that they’ve been looking for, but haven’t been able to find on their own. As an Emotionally Focused Therapist, she works to help couples understand each other more clearly, to recognize the unique patterns in the dance of their relationship and how they can move toward connection by changing the steps of their dance together. This is a collaborative process that utilizes the present moment to experience something new, a shift in perspective, a new way of communicating, so that couples are equipped to practice a new way of being and doing outside of therapy room where long-lasting change is achieved.

An integrative couples therapist, she also draws on mindfulness-based, client-centred, cognitive behavioural, and psychodynamic approaches, tailoring sessions to meet the unique needs and preferences of her clients. She has a particular interest in working with couples following an infidelity or other relationship rupture, couples seeking greater intimacy, diverse couples, individuals and couples impacted by trauma, grief and loss, and significant life transitions (eg. moving countries, ex-pat life, FIFO workers, etc.)

Alongside being a therapist, she continues to work in Africa, where she lived as an ex-pat, supporting schools to be places of safety and wellbeing. Her self-care strategies include walks in nature, regular yoga and nurturing her key relationships with her adult children, partner, family and friends from which she draws encouragement and strength.