About Me
Psychologist. Intersectional feminist. Nice human.
I'm Carrie (she/her), and I’m a down-to-earth soul with a big heart for helping people and being part of community. I enjoy music and live shows, especially electronic dance and indie rock. In the summertime, I love riding my bike along the Bow River, attending music festivals with friends, and hanging out on a sunny patio. I find beauty in ordinary moments, like enjoying a cup of coffee on a quiet Saturday morning when life is still and unedited. Other times, I find myself taking in extraordinary moments like scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef. I embrace living in the moment, whether those moments are simply mundane or completely breathtaking.
Years after the Vietnam war, my family fled their home by boat in the late 1980s and found refuge in Hong Kong, where I was born. I spent my first few years of life in a refugee camp before immigrating to Canada.
I am an artist at heart. These days, I dabble with writing, photography, and zine-making. In my former cat life, I loved to draw, paint, and work with clay.
I have a way of being with people and a natural ability to put others at ease. I am warm, sensitive, and deeply in tune with the emotions of others. I see the good in people and have a knack for drawing out people’s intrinsic value and accepting people as they are.
“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”
I obtained my Master of Counselling with a specialization in Counselling Psychology from the University of Calgary. The program equipped me with theoretical knowledge of counselling practice as well as applied clinical experience through a supervised practicum. I completed course work in the areas of human development, cultural and social justice issues, health psychology, clinical interventions, research methodologies, and professional ethics. My practicum training included individual counselling with adults addressing issues such as anxiety, depression, grief and loss, self-esteem, and trauma. In addition, I co-facilitated group therapy with children and parents on mindfulness, emotion regulation, and improving interpersonal relationships. Lastly, I had the wonderful opportunity of doing child-centered play therapy with children, which expanded my knowledge and understanding of child development and attachment.
Education
Master of Counselling (MC)
University of Calgary, 2017
Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc)
University of Lethbridge, 2010
Professional Experience
Registered Psychologist 2018-Present
Private Practice
Specializing in individual therapy with adults for presenting issues such as depression, anxiety, relationship issues, stress, grief and loss, self-esteem, family of origin issues, and complex trauma.
Registered Provisional Psychologist 2019
CBI Health Group, Calgary Bridgeland
Provided individual and group therapy to adults in the Pain Management Program using Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Solution-Focused Therapy.
Addressed issues such as developing pain management strategies; mindfulness and relaxation skills; sleep hygiene; emotion regulation.
School-Based Mental Health Therapist 2018
Alberta Health Services, Rural Addiction and Mental Health
Provided individual therapy to children using child-centered play therapy, sand tray therapy, art therapy, cognitive-behavioural therapy, and narrative therapy.
Addressed issues related to childhood ADHD, anxiety, depression, self-harming, suicide ideation, family abuse, peer relationships, and disaster trauma.
Group Facilitator 2018
Body Project Collaborative
A dissonance-based body-acceptance program designed to help women resist cultural pressures to conform to the Appearance Ideal standard of female beauty and to reduce their pursuit of unrealistic bodies.
Research Coordinator 2017
University of Calgary, Calgary Eating Disorder Program, Alberta Children’s Hospital
Responsible for the coordination and administration of research projects focused on evaluating treatment for adolescents and young adults with eating disorders.
Developed research protocols, recruitment procedures, consent/assent forms, and several REDCap databases for the purpose of data collection and data analysis.
Clinical Counsellor - Practicum Student 2016-2017
YW Calgary, Counselling and Personal Development
Provided individual therapy to adults for issues related to domestic and family violence, addiction, trauma, depression, and anxiety.
Provided therapy to children using child-centered play therapy and sand tray therapy.
Co-facilitated group therapy for adults addressing abuse in intimate relationship; topics including healthy communication, expressing emotions, setting boundaries, and self-care.
Research Associate 2015-2017
Alberta Health Services, Seniors Health, Foothills Medical Centre
Elder-Friendly Approaches to the Surgical Environment (EASE) Study, which aimed to improve surgical outcomes for elderly patients receiving emergency abdominal surgery at the Foothills Medical Centre in collaboration with the University of Alberta Hospital.
Case Manager 2010-2014
YW Calgary, Counselling and Personal Development
Adult Addictions Counsellor – Practicum Student 2009
Goldbridge Rehabilitation Services, Residential Treatment Program
Youth Addictions Counsellor – Practicum Student 2009
Alberta Health Services, Addiction and Mental Health
