• Abandonment 
• Abuse
• Addiction
• Anger management 
• Anxiety, worry, fear (generalized anxiety disorder, hypochondria, phobias, panic attacks, social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder)
• Assertiveness and confidence 
• Body image
• Boundaries
• Caretaking 
• Control issues
• Coping skills 
• Cutting/self-harm
• Depression
• Emotional wellness

• Addictions
• Childbearing issues including infertility 
• Communication
• Conflict
• Discernment counselling
• Divorce
• Emotional intimacy
• Family of origin issues
• Infidelity, affair recovery 
• Parenting 
• Pre-marital counselling/marriage preparation 
• Separation
• Sexual issues
• Trust issues 

For couples therapy I am trained in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy and the Gottman Method, both highly effective. I also have post-graduate training in sex therapy.

For couples impacted by addiction, I am a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist and a Certified Multiple Addiction Therapist. 

• Abuse – physical, verbal, emotional, sexual, spiritual
• Accidents, injuries
• Adverse childhood experiences
•      unstable/unsafe environment
•      separation from parent
•      serious illness, medical procedures
•      physical, emotional and sexual abuse
•      domestic violence
•      physical and/or emotional neglect
•      mental illness and addictions
• Betrayal trauma
• Bullying
• Domestic violence
• Life-threatening illness
• Medical trauma
• Near death experience
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Racism 
• Sexual trauma - childhood sexual abuse, adult sexual abuse, assault and rape
• Vicarious and secondary trauma 

"We now understand that trauma’s imprint is both psychological and somatic: long after the events are over, the body continues to respond as if danger were ever-present." Janina Fisher 

"The reality is post-traumatic growth happens more than post-traumatic stress." David Kessler 

Whether your addiction is to alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, food, gambling, internet, gaming, pornography, prescription medications, sex, shopping, work or something else, recovery is possible. 

To decide if you need help for a possible pornography/sex addiction, you may take this Sexual Addiction Screening Test: https://psychology-tools.com/test/sast

As a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT) and a Certified Multiple Addiction Therapist (CMAT), I provide assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for addicts and their partners. 

            For more information:

  https://sexhelp.com/educate/

            Is My Partner a Sex Addict?

  https://sexhelp.com/educate/#partner

            Does My Child Have a Problem?

  https://sexhelp.com/educate/#child

"The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it is human connection." Johann Hari 

“Not why the addiction but why the pain.” Dr. Gabor Mate

“Addiction is not a choice that anybody makes; it’s not a moral failure. What it actually is: it’s a response to human suffering.”  Dr. Gabor Mate

"Sobriety and recovery are never accidental. They are gifts we continue to receive only if we maintain and strengthen them." Dr. Patrick Carnes

• Caregiver stress
• Chronic illness
• Chronic pain 
• Disability
• End of life 
• Issues with the healthcare system 
• Medical/health anxiety

"The brain and body systems that process emotions are intimately connected with the hormonal apparatus, the nervous system, and in particular the immune system. Emotional stress, especially of the hidden kind that people are not aware of, undermines immunity, disrupts the body’s physiological milieu and can prepare the ground for disease. There is strong evidence to suggest that in nearly all chronic conditions, from cancer, ALS, or multiple sclerosis to autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease or Alzheimer’s, hidden stress is a major predisposing factor."  Dr. Gabor Mate

"If you knew how unreasonably sick people suffer from reasonable causes of distress, you would take more pains about all these things.” Florence Nightingale

"The body tells the story in symptoms that the mind can't find words to express." Dr. Leslie Korn

"Integrative medicine is the judicious application of both conventional and evidence-based natural therapies." Dr. Andrew Weil  

• Psychosexual assessment
• Treatment using the Good Lives Model  https://www.goodlivesmodel.com/information.shtml

I can work with you if you have sex offending behaviors or have been charged or convicted. When needed, I can work with your probation officer. 

WORKSHOPS AND WEBINARS on a variety of health topics can be designed to meet the needs of your group and community. Please contact Anu to discuss the nature of your educational needs. 

Here are some educational events:

• Discover how the relationship with your own parents has affected your couple relationship. Learn how to have conflict without destroying your relationship and practical ways to increase emotional connection in your couple relationship.
  
  This workshop is for couples who are planning on getting married, for couples who have been married a short or a long time, for couples who are happily married but wanting to deepen their relationship, and for couples experiencing problems. 
  

Adjusting to Life with a New Baby

• Ninety percent of brain development happens in the first three years of life. Two-thirds of couples experience a decline in their relationship satisfaction in the first three years after the birth of their baby (research by Dr. John Gottman). 

• This workshop is for expectant parents and parents who have a child under the age of three years. The focus is on how to meet the needs of your child while at the same time meeting the needs of your couple relationship.

• Learn about the effects of postpartum depression and anxiety, insecure attachment, traumatic birth experiences, eating disorders, and childhood sexual abuse on mothers, babies, and breastfeeding. Practical strategies for addressing psychological issues will be presented.
  
  This seminar is for healthcare professionals and others who work with new families. It has been used for continuing education credits for healthcare providers. 

Healing Difficult Birth Experiences

• Giving birth is an important life event. Overwhelming, unexpected and emergency situations while giving birth, as well as having a birth that was different than planned or dreamed of, leaves many parents with feelings of trauma and/or loss.  This may have been preceded by challenges during pregnancy and followed by postpartum complications (including baby's stay in neonatal intensive care and breastfeeding difficulties/loss). This workshop will help parents integrate the experience into their lives, grieve the losses, alleviate the negative impact and foster attachment, as well as help prepare for a possible future pregnancy and birth.  

• This workshop is for parents who have experienced difficulties during birth.   

Vicarious Trauma and Compassion Fatigue:  Prevention and Recovery

• Understand the impact of vicarious and secondary trauma. Evaluate your personal risk factors. Develop strategies for resilience and self-care. Recognize signs and symptoms of secondary post-traumatic stress and compassion fatigue. Treatment and recovery will be presented. 

This workshop is for helping professionals and first responders (as well as students preparing for these professions).