Counselling in Calgary - with Therapist Mike Williams

Counselling

‘Dr Christie is an absolute gem that you never knew you needed. I went to her to try acupuncture to help with sinusitis. She very quickly recognized there were underlying stresses affecting my wellbeing. She has a unique insight into what could be going on for you, and is passionate about helping you heal and move forward in the most positive of ways. Her energy is infectious and every time I leave her session, I feel calmer, more balanced and empowered to deal with what ever life throws my way. She provides you with the knowledge and tools to progress into all round balanced wellbeing for mind, body and soul. She will help you in ways that you never knew you needed and your life will be so much better for that. I cannot recommend her highly enough.’ – Emma G

We Focus on building you up

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

Emotion Focused Couples Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy

Mindfulness-Centered Somatic Psychotherapy

Eriksonian Approach to Clinical Hypnosis and Strategic Therapy

Solution Focused Therapy

Hakomi Psychotherapy

Hakomi is effective and appropriate in all kinds of therapeutic situations, such as with individuals, couples, families, groups, movement, and body-work. It is suitable for crisis work and psychological maintenance, and it finds its full potential in the processes of growth, both personal and transpersonal, when we are committed to moving beyond our limits.

A wise person once said – be kind, everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

It takes courage and effort to face everyday challenges from sorting through messy personal and relationship problems, to making a major life transition, to the silent struggle of fighting depression just to get out of bed in the morning.

The feedback I hear most often from people I’ve worked with tell me that I am “grounded” and “a good listener”. I think this is because I believe in meeting people where they are at and being real and authentic in my work. What matters most to you is the heart and soul of what our work together is all about. My job is to provide a safe and supportive space for you to explore these questions and use my training and expertise to provide an assessment and guide interventions for your specific needs. This is a collaborative process where we will work together to identify your goals and take steps toward improving your wellbeing.

I am a Registered Psychologist with 6 years of clinical practice in counselling and psychotherapy. I use a variety of models and techniques to address the complexity of needs that you may bring. I have experience helping people with a variety of concerns including but not limited to anxiety, depression, self-esteem, anger, child behaviour problems, grief and loss, relationship issues, life transitions, and adjusting to physical illness.

I draw from a cognitive behavioural perspective to identify thoughts and actions creating problems for you, test them out to decide which are useful or not and explore new ones to make life better and more manageable for you.

I also recognize that our experiences and relationships along the course of life can sometimes leave us feeling broken, stuck, or disconnected from ourselves and from others. I use a variety of developmental, mindfulness, and body-awareness practices in my work to address those parts of our experience that extend beyond learning new skills and changing habits of thinking. Through our work together, it is my intention that you will have a richer and more fulfilling understanding of yourself and quality of relationships with others in your life and everything you do.

I look forward to meeting with you and supporting you as you take the next steps on your life journey.

Michael Williams

Registered Psychologist, M.A.

Identify the areas to work on

Relationship Concerns

Family conflict

Couple Issues

Grief and Loss

Self-Esteem

Life Transitions

Stress Management

Anger Management

Conflict Resolution

Communication Skill Development

Attachment Related Concerns

Youth Behavioural Problems

Recovery from Trauma / Abuse / Neglect

Guilt / Shame

Sexuality

Mood Disorders (depression / anxiety)

Emotional Deregulation

Coping with Chronic Pain

THE HAKOMI METHOD

The Hakomi Method of Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy was created by the internationally renown therapist and author, Ron Kurtz, with the assistance of a core group of his colleagues. A synthesis of philosophies, techniques and approaches, Hakomi has its own artistry, form, and organic process. The method draws from general systems theory and body-centered therapies such as Reichian work, Bio-energetics, Gestalt, Psychomotor, Feldenkrais, Structural Bodywork, Ericksonian Hypnosis, Focusing, and Neurolinguistic Programming. Hakomi’s core principles of gentleness, compassion, mindfulness, and going with the grain, stem from Buddhism and Taoism. Over time, Hakomi has evolved into a complex, elegant and highly effective form of psychotherapy. Hakomi is the therapeutic expression of a specific set of Principles: Unity, Mind/Body/Spirit Holism, Organicity, Mindfulness and NonViolence. These tenets inform every aspect of the work. The clients can build a safe and therapeutic relationship with the high-quality, caring Hakomi therapists who are as dedicated to the full cognizance of their own processes as they are to understanding of others.

CORE MATERIAL

Hakomi helps people change core material. Core material is composed of deeply-held emotional attitudes, memories, images, neural patterns and beliefs. This material expresses itself through the styles, habits, behaviors and attitudes that shape us as individuals. Our feelings, bodies, perceptions and actions are continually guided by core material around themes such as safety, belonging, support, love, appreciation, independence, freedom, responsibility, openness, control, power, sexuality, and spirituality. Some of this material supports our being who we wish to be, while some of it — learned in response to difficult situations — continues to limit us. Hakomi allows the client to distinguish between the two and to willingly modify any material that restricts their wholeness.

THE METHOD

In pursuing this material, the Hakomi Method follows a certain general outline. The heart of the Method is the precise study of the client’s current experience, as a way to discover how their core material is organized. These experiences are either naturally occurring, or deliberately and gently evoked by having the client participate in carefully-designed experiments.

The basic method is three-fold:

1. We work to build a therapist-client relationship that maximizes safety, respect and the cooperation of the unconscious.

2. With a good working relationship established, we then help the client focus on and study how they organize experience. It is in the way each individual organizes experience that core material exerts influence and reveals itself.

To begin this study, we establish and use a distinct state of consciousness called Mindfulness. Mindfulness is characterized by relaxed volition, a gentle and sustained focus of attention inward, heightened sensitivity, and the ability to notice and name the contents of consciousness.
For example, the client might be asked to allow and carefully notice whatever responses happen inside them while making a certain gesture or while listening to a statement said by the therapist.

3. Once felt within the client’s being, the core material can then be studied, processed, and transformed.

UNIQUE STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

The experiences and core material of the client are processed through three different state-specific methods:

1. Assisting the release and satisfaction of strong emotions and bound energy;

2. Providing missing experiences for the Inner Child and other specific Self-States of being; and

3. Processing core beliefs in mindfulness, acquiring meaning of the experiences to help the client emerge with a new mode of being to practice in everyday life.

Christie Kim

Director, Integrative Therapist (R.Ac, CYT, RMT, CLT, ESTI, Hakomi Psychotherapy

Are you new here?

Contact us to customize your sessions with a combination of our Therapeutic Services for a pure Unwind Wholistic Experience.

Please note that your first session will be a minimum of 90 Mins.

Contact Details

Phone: 403-813-5951

Email: info@unwindcalgary.com

Business Hours

Monday – Thursday

(9am – 7pm)

Friday (9am – 6pm)

Saturday (10am – 5pm)

Sunday (10am – 3pm)