Desiree Simmons

Desiree has a Master of Education in Counselling Psychology and is registered as a Certified Canadian Counsellor with the Counselling and Psychotherapy Association of Canada since 2020. She has a background working in the field of child development and she has been working with the pediatric population through various work and volunteer roles since 2010.

 

“I call myself a philomath, someone who loves to learn and study, and I’ve always been very inquisitive, much like children! I don’t pretend to be an expert in anything when I meet with a young person…I always tell them that I have just as much to learn from them as they do from me and what we both don’t know, we will learn together. Depending on the client and their main concern, I explore different therapy approaches, but most often I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, and Narrative Therapy, each of which has an evidence base for supporting the youth population. I also try to keep each session different until we know what helps the client learn and engage best. Because the adolescent brain is still developing and conversation isn’t the only way to interact with a youth, I use a variety of creative activities, visuals, worksheets, and sometimes exercise like yoga, to really engage with them. Of course, I only do this if they are receptive to the activity because the key thing for any young person is having a sense of autonomy.” – Desiree