Michelle Beatch - Associate Therapist

M.A. Counselling Psychology
Registered Clinical Counsellor
(BC Association of Clinical Counsellors)

Bio | Treatment Philosophy | Education

Biography

Michelle has been working in the helping profession for over fifteen years. She has a Masters of Arts Degree in Counselling Psychology from Simon Fraser University, and is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the B.C. Association of Clinical Counsellors. Michelle has worked for a number of social service agencies in a variety of positions. She has worked for several years with children and families with special needs, and has experience counselling individuals, couples and families.

One of Michelle’s greatest passions is her family and their well-being. She is married with two children, and it is within these relationships where she claims she has experienced the greatest personal growth. She also enjoys running, yoga, meditation, reading and gardening. It is through her own personal experiences of adversity and the challenges of juggling self-care, family, work, friends and interests that has inspired her to support others in defining and working towards their goals and living to their full potential, both individually and interpersonally.

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Treatment Philosophy

It is my goal and responsibility as a counsellor to provide a safe and supportive environment, where individuals, couples and families feel that they can express their concerns and work towards greater mental and emotional health. I define my role as a counsellor, as a collaborator in the process of change and growth. My counselling approach is primarily based on Emotion Focused Therapy and Mindfulness.

Emotion Focused Therapy
Leslie Greenberg and Susan Johnson developed Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) in the early 1980’s, and is an effective approach for individual, couples and family counselling. Over 20 years of research has provided considerable empirical support for EFT for couples, which has indicated that over 70 % of couples experience a movement from distress to recovery and 90% report considerable improvement in their relationships.

Emotion Focused Therapy for couples is founded on humanistic experiential therapy, systems theory and adult attachment theory. EFT focuses on supporting couples in marital distress by restructuring rigid emotional responses that have developed into negative patterns of interaction. Emotions are not merely expressed, but used as a means to change. The therapist follows each partner’s intrapsychic and interpersonal experience and is guided to being more open and sensitive to their partner’s needs, which provides the foundation for a secure bond and a greater sense of connectedness between partners.

“To be more fully connected is to be more fully oneself.”
- Salvador Minuchin

Mindfulness
The practice of mindfulness is rooted in Buddhist meditation. It is about living one’s life more consciously, and embracing the present moment, rather than being unconscious and caught up in our past or our future. It involves attending to our inner experience with openness and humility. Whether we are distressed, at peace, or overjoyed, we can learn to accept those moments for what they are rather than what we think they should be.    
 

“When we let go of wanting something else to happen in this moment, we are taking a profound step toward being able to encounter what is here now.”
- Jon Kabat-Zinn

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Education, Training & Professional Registrations

• Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with the B.C. Association of Clinical Counsellors
• Bachelor of Arts (BA) Major in Psychology, Minor in Counselling and Child Development from Simon Fraser University
• Master of Arts degree (MA) in Counselling Psychology from Simon Fraser University
• Canadian Counselling Association - Student Member
• Couples Therapy
• Four-day Externship in Emotionally Focused Therapy with Dr. Susan Johnson, Ed.D., C. Psych.
• Emotion Focused Therapy: Working with Individuals and Couples
  • Two-day workshop with Dr. Leslie Greenberg, Ph.D.
• Violence and Couples Therapy
  • Assessment of violence in the context of couples counselling with Kathy McLellan, MSW, RSW
• Couples Counselling

  • Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples with Dr. Janny Thompson, Ph.D., Certified EFT. - One-day Workshop.

• Anxiety
  • Assessment of anxiety disorders, and the application of cognitive-behavioural interventions with Dr. Janny Thompson, Ph.D. - One-day Workshop.

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