Meet Our Therapist Brenda
Here at Canopy Cove Counselling, our therapists are amazing! We have a great team dedicated to helping kids, teens, college students, women, men, couples and families learn more about managing their anxiety, depression, anger, grief, trauma , relationship challenges and parenting stress. We’re committed to tailoring our approach to you!
It can be overwhelming to chose a therapist for your child, teen, or therapy for yourself. To help you in your search, we’re focusing on one of our therapists, Brenda, to help you get to know her better.
We are excited to announce Brenda has openings to support you, your child or teen.
This week we’re focusing on counselling with our Child, Adolescent, Adult, Trauma Therapist, Brenda Anderson
What does a counselling session with Brenda look like?
Brenda states “I most love creating relationships with people. I am always honoured to be a part of peoples therapeutic experiences. I believe I am engaging and can create a warm, safe environment.”
“When I work with kids and youth, I 'light up' for them. I create the session around their interests and engage at their level, often on the floor, all while I am trying to create a space for them to share openly. I create opportunities for engagement, showing an interest in their interest and do this in ways that make sense for the client (sitting on the floor, building Lego etc) in my work with kids.”
“With adults, I do my best to be a calming force, but also 'real' in my approach. My hope is to provide people both an opportunity to talk about their difficult experiences in a safe place, but that it also improves their life in some way. Often clients have experienced life long pain and suffering in isolation, so being able to sit with them, being a safe space, I hope provides a positive experience that they can take into their future.”
“In therapy with me, I hope some possibilities for change can include improved mood, reduced anxiety, improved communication skills, stronger, healthier relationships, more confidence, increased resilience and improved self advocacy.”
What approach to counselling does Brenda use?
As a child, teen, adult and trauma therapist, Brenda reports “I believe the therapeutic relationship between client and therapist is the most important part of therapy. I can offer all sorts of therapy approaches, but what I believe really matters is the trusting relationship between myself and my clients are significant. Being present, empathetic and creating secure attachments in therapy are vital to creating change. My therapy approach is dependent on my client and their needs. I am very passionate about EMDR and utilizing that in my practice to allow for reprocessing of traumatic events thereby allowing individuals to process trauma in a safe environment. This approach is valuable with traumatic events as well as anxiety and depression. I love all kinds of play therapy in my work with kids and youth including sand play, art based approaches and game play. I am also trained in the Circle of Security parenting program that I believe has been invaluable to my work with kids and families. I am very attachment focused, so my therapy follows that philosophy.”
Why did Brenda decide to become a therapist?
Brenda recalls, "I have been passionate about the helping field since I was growing up in a rural community in Central Alberta. I spent time volunteering at the local hospital and gained an appreciation for social work. My dream has been to serve others and I have been lucky to work with a broad range of people throughout my career. Completing my MSW in clinical specialization was a long term goal that I worked towards while raising my young children. I always knew that becoming a therapist would be my destination as I hope to share both my knowledge, personal and professional experience while I walk alongside people in their therapy journey.”
What are some of Brenda’s favourite things?
Brenda enjoys “gardening, being in nature, kayaking, camping, and watching movies”. She says “ I love dogs and have a giant Berner/Shepherd dog baby; my best friend lives in Vienna and I hope to travel there this year, I have two wonderful children and a loving husband; I am one of 6 children; I am terrified of heights.” Brenda’s favourite colour is black and her favourite snack is fruit, chips, cheese (every kind of cheese!).
How do I connect with Brenda for anxiety, grief, depression, parenting stress, addiction, or trauma therapy for myself or my child/ teen?
The first step is to either schedule a free 15 minute call to ask any questions you may have, or you can book an appointment with Brenda here.