1. Free Initial Confidential Consultation

You may see me for a personal and private consultation for no fee. I love to offer this to people because neither of us will feel pressured or obligated to work together unless it seems like a good fit. I’ll meet with you in my office for between 30 and 55 minutes, depending on what you want and need.

You’ll want to know:

• If I understand your difficulty
•  That I can help you with it
• That my interest and caring for you is genuine
• Whether I answer your questions clearly
• That your feelings of safety could grow over time as you talk to me

I’ll want to know how able you are:

• To attend regular therapy sessions
• To follow through with work in between the sessions that we mutually agree upon 

You have the best chance of seeing if I am the person that’s right for you if you can tell me what you would like help with and have me respond directly to your unique needs and situation.

I have the best chance of knowing if you are a good fit for me if you tell me about what
is bothering you and what you want help with. Then I’ll know if I think that I can really
help.

At this consultation, if either one of us finds that we are not a good fit to work together, then I’ll suggest alternatives. You may want to try just a few sessions before you decide to continue. I freely refer to trusted colleagues and community agencies if that seems like a better solution for you. I have ideas for low cost supplements to therapy too.

Since my way of working is collaborative, meaning that I’m always checking with you to understand what feels right to you about anything that I am suggesting, and I only want you to accept what is right for you, there will never be pressure to continue if for any reason we are not a good match.  I’m happy when it’s good for both of us because you get relief and I get tremendous work satisfaction.

2. Individual Psychotherapy for Trauma

I work with people, living in the Greater Toronto Area, who have trauma in their recent or past history and are plagued with seemingly irresolvable feelings such as difficulty trusting, a terrible time relaxing, feeling settled or safe. There may be unrelenting anxiety, feeling numb and spacey. Often there are nightmares, difficulty sleeping, trouble concentrating and depression. 

Specialized help is needed for the aftermath of trauma. Traditional and conventional therapy methods such as ‘the talking cure,’ have not done well for those who need to resolve these symptoms. I use a talk-body-psychotherapy method that is based in ‘mindfulness,’ that is, compassionate observation of ongoing experience. While many who have suffered trauma experience their body as enemy territory, it’s only because the ‘ignition’ for the difficulty, for the symptoms, comes from stuck patterns of body experience. This then creates overwhelming emotions and bleak thoughts as well. 

Behind all these difficulties is a basic inability to relax. So this Mindfulness Based Talk Body Therapy is designed to build feelings of safety and security so that all aspects of living improve. We work with the present moment, never forcing or pushing, finding out what needs to happen, from the inside out.

3. Referrals to additional or alternate services

(i) . I frequently assist clients in making better use of services they already use, such as yoga, massage, martial arts and exercise by teaching them to attend differently to their present experience.

(ii) . Clients who would like to see me more often than they can afford may benefit from referrals to low cost programs for meditation or to OHIP covered programs for trauma run by the hospitals.

(iii) . I refer to colleagues for couple therapy, children’s therapy, and individual therapy. It can often help to discuss what is needed with me so that I can make an individualized recommendation.

Next go to: About Nancy Christie

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