Hello, I am Autumn (RCC#19849)! 

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I have been professionally immersed in mental health since 2010. I light up and am inspired when thinking about how we can bring the benefits of nature and mental health to urban environments. Both also have complex histories of exclusive access based on economic and cultural backgrounds that inform my current practice. Both have also been dismissed and overlooked.

 

As a Registered Clinical Counsellor, clinical research is deeply rooted in my therapeutic practices. As a person with a systems/connection seeking brain, I also see how research is an aspect that informs clinical practices and that no single piece of research can fully comprehend any human being and the multitude of influences that lead to their every (in)action and (in)decision.  In addition to clinical scope and systems thinking, my childhood, which led to my fondness for nature and love of community connection, also informs how I show up as a counsellor. 

 

As a child I grew up foraging with my family to supplement the food stamps we were given.  I have some of the richest memories of these times harvesting nettles, fiddleheads, berries/fruits, mushrooms, digging clams, and crabbing.  From a young age I noticed that when we were in nature the stress and the pressures of the world tended be relieved momentarily.  The lessons of reciprocity, foraging guidelines passed on for ages of how we take and what we take, and gifts from the different seasons have stayed in my heart and mind. When I was in nature as a child it seemed easier to breathe, stretch, move and grow. As an adult I know the science behind why this and I still experience these benefits with awe and great gratitude.

 

As many people know have struggled in poverty know, community and resource sharing is often a big part of survival. Being able to share your harvest in exchange for supplies or skills that you might need to keep your transportation and/or home functional. These thoughts of connection to nature, each other and the more-than-human world followed me throughout my losses and gains in life. When I started working in the DTES I was drawn to community garden and community kitchen activities to connect with the more than human parts of the world while increasing confidence, dignity, and access to quality nourishment in community.

 

This led to focusing my clinical career on creating meaningful change on the individual level that ripples throughout the community in a connective way.  My clinical mentors included Marie José Dhease, founder of the Centre for Expressive Therapy, as well the Vancouver School for Narrative Therapy and Human Nature Counselling’s Nature-Based Therapy teachings.  

 

Beyond the clinical world I also tend to lean heavily on the systemic analysis perspectives based on clinical research as well as the complementing addition of social permaculture teachings from an array of sources that give me hope in a time of much ecogrief, climate anxiety, polycrisis, eco-distress, climate despair, the under utilized sustainability practices and the multitude of other climate/eco emotions we are experiencing.  

 

While in the past I have posted a long list of clinical training, I am finding that this does not honour the teachings I have received from many individuals and communities that I cherish and respect. This includes the First Nations and Indigenous voices that I have been honoured (and humbled) to share time with, those I shared time with in a professional capacity and trusted me with their vulnerabilities, histories and authentic selves, and  those in personal capacities whom have taught me so much of what it means to navigate life with all its grief, growth, connection, isolation and turmoil. 

 

While my clinical degrees greatly inform my practice so do the many books, journal articles, podcasts and conversations I engage with eagerly on a regular basis. If it is important to you to have a record of my formal education, which I also understand the need to view such things when trusting someone with your vulnerability, you can find a copy of my resume here.​

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You can also visit my profiles at Psychology Today, BC Association of Clinical Counsellors, Counselling BC or Climate Psychology Alliance North America

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I look forward to sharing space with you.