I started out as a young man in Saskatchewan trying to make his way in the world. Coming from a home with alcoholism, I didn’t have a family that gave me a good start. What it did give me was a sense that something was wrong.

What saved me in my teens was music. In it I found joy and mention of emotions and inner life lacking at home (Replacements, Husker Du, XTC)

I made my way to the big city where I finished university, but all the while I was affected by anxiety, depression, a sense of being not as good as others, as well as a deep sense of loneliness.

I felt lonely and lost, complicated by fear and anger.

I thought that perhaps I could leave this feeling behind by traveling around the world. So I made my way through Europe to Asia then to volunteer work in Costa Rica, work as a tour guide in South America, followed by visits to Cuba and most of Mexico. Along the way I gained some confidence and resilience, and fun stories, but in a letter to my parents from Taiwan, I admitted for the first time that there was something wrong with how I felt inside and saw the world.

Taking that risk to share what was really going on, changed my life. Taking responsibility for how I felt started me on a long journey towards change into a confident person with great relationships with others and myself.

I dove headfirst into therapy, yoga, meditation, ultimate frisbee, scuba diving and hundreds of books on the human condition and how to change. I especially loved group therapy, where people courageously shared their most intimate parts with a collection of trusted growth-seekers.

I feel fortunate that I always had an ember of an idea that I could move forward with some help. So I found a trained therapist. And then another. Therapy helped me realize just how much I had been holding back from others and that it was ok to let people know my true thoughts and feelings. Slowly, I was able to process old shame, grief, fear, and anger. My mood and relationships got better, especially the relationship with myself.

It wasn’t until I discovered Gestalt Therapy that the chronic sense of loneliness I had felt my entire life disappeared.

I believe I had to go through all those experiences to get me to a place where helping people through their own challenges to move forward along their path is what I’m meant to do.

My career choices have always been about making things better, so I became a therapist because of how they have made my life so much better.

Now I’d like to do this for you.