Peter Stewart- Associate Therapist
Registered Professional Counsellor
(Canadian Professional Counsellors Association)
Bio | Treatment
Philosophy | Education
Biography
Peter is one of the most recent members to join the CoreQuest counselling team. For Peter, this is a next step in a life calling that has its origins long before he completed his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology some 20 years ago. It was in the midst of personal struggle following the break-up of a long-term relationship in 2000 that Peter came to be reminded of his early passion to support others. Peter’s struggle reminded and affirmed for him that there is no more rewarding, fulfilling, and important life work than to support others in their own life journey. He then came to reassess his successful public relations career as Location Manager in film production. What was at first a relationship breakdown was transformed into a personal breakthrough when Peter followed his inner passion and enrolled in the counsellor Practitioner’s Training Program at Clearmind International Institute in Langley, BC. Now a graduate of the Clearmind program and Certified Professional Counsellor with the Canadian Professional Counselling Association, Peter is delighted to have the opportunity to support others as a counselling professional.
Peter enjoys the natural beauty of the outdoors with friends through hiking, cycling, and photography. An active practice in Aboriginal sweat lodges brings Peter inner stillness and focus, and a bodily knowing of oneness, wholeness, and connection with all of Creation far beyond what can be put into words.
Treatment Philosophy
Each time clients seek my professional support I am honoured and humbled by their trust. My number one goal is to provide a safe and supportive environment where individuals, couples, and families can clearly experience being heard while they share their current struggle and walk towards expanded well-being. As a client-focused therapist, I have the opportunity to support people in integrating their current experience and illuminate the path they are on, honouring them there.
Bowen Family Systems theory is the primary counselling modality I employ. Systems theory considers the individual as part of functional emotional units – the most influential being our family of origin. It is here, in our early childhood experience that we develop our view of others, our world, and ourselves. So powerful is this early learning that we continually strive to reconstruct and reapply the emotional family functioning we knew so well onto each new situation we meet. While the content will vary, the basic emotional dynamics we seek to recreate will be the same. Through being supported to consider our assumptions and being offered new tools to support our growing self-awareness, we can become empowered and also recognize the strengths of our family unit – what functions within the dysfunction – and make lasting shifts in emotional functioning and well-being.
All of the many theoretical models of counselling I have studied are Humanistic – the individual is considered as a whole and complete human who can experience tremendous struggle and life challenge. At the same time, we possess all the inner resources we need to work through our difficulties. Among the numerous counselling applications I have studied, I value Gestalt therapy’s focus on awareness in the moment and energetic presence in the session. Through techniques such as learning to pay attention to non-verbal bodily behaviour, the individual can be supported to become more aware of their own direct, immediate experience. The Neuro-Linguistic Programming model of counselling supports us in reconsidering our assumptions by looking at the meaning we attach to events, and reframing perceived shortcomings into feedback for learning. In this way, we can learn to view a situation in terms of potential choices rather than a lack of possible options. Ultimately, when we are compassionately supported to consider the meaning we attach to our actions, we can come to discover deeper meaning and purpose in life.
Education, Training & Professional Registrations
- Registered Professional Counsellor (R.P.C.) with the Canadian Professional Counsellors Association
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Major in Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON
- Diploma Transpersonal Counselling Psychology, Clearmind International Institute, Langley, BC
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