25 years Experience | Karla Kamerman Counselling

I grew up surrounded by lots of people. A big famiy, church, good friends, and community were the contexts within which I formed an appreciation for connection as vital to wellbeing--and sometimes that included homemade doughnuts:). Generosity toward others was part of the DNA of my family life. With all its blessings, it also came with exposure to people where the needs were bigger than the crowds. And frankly, sometimes we were out of our depth. Healthy boundaries were a welcomed protective measure. Little did I know that an appreciation for psychological and spiritual wellbeing were being formed in me. Even as a young girl, I came to understand that people need not be defined by their stuggle; the problem is the problem. This helps reduce shame and guilt, leaving room for hope and agency and inviting curiosity: along with margins for change. I'm thankful these years propelled my ambition to discover specialized skills for people in need--for more than two decades of work as a therapist, and thousands of hours of clinical work.

Working with Me

I like to use the garden metaphor as a way to illustrate the experience of therapy. As your therapist, I support your ability to grow and thrive. Much like a gardener, I help identify where you need space, better boundaries, nourishment (self-care, compassion), or pruning and weeding (removing negative patterns). I optimize the conditions for growth by offering insights, tools and interventions. As you change and grow, I help clear the obstacles and provide the appropriate resources. I might assess the health of the ecosystem (mindset), and look at the unhelpful patterns that contribute to the challenges much like a gardener might consider the health of the soil. The interventions are like a trellis that provides stability without over-control. If you are growing in a tangled, unhealthy direction, I help redirect so that growth is more likely to make room for fulfilment of goals, dreams, a sense of peace, freedom or joy. I will help you understand what is sustaining you and what needs to change to improve your connection to your people and life.

My 25 years of experience and training as a psychotherapist has produced an eclectic, compassionate approach that includes a variety of modalities (CBT, DBT, Gottman Method, ACT, ADHD services) and tools that are readily accessible to your unique story. I love to work with people in the helping profession (teachers, nurses, parents, caregivers) that tend to overfunction, people-please and generally put everyone else first to their own detriment; as a result you feel resentment and overwhelm.

When working with couples, my goal is to help you find room for courage, vulnerability and hope for change. You will come to understand you are not defined by your issues--the lack of skills in communication, lack of follow through, the angry outburst (the problem), the problem is the problem. I will help reduce the blame stories and help you see the issues as challenges you will work on together. I'll encourage curiousity, investigation, understanding, so you know how to make change. While in couple therapy, many of the tools we use will come from the Gottman Method Model which includes very accessible and tangible tools that are solution focused. I want to help you reduce defensiveness, criticism and stonewalling so you find more joy and meaningful connection in your relationship.

About Me

LET'S MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER