Andrea Wiebe MSW, RSW, CC-PMH, CC-BRT

I know first hand how becoming a parent changes you – and fathers are not immune to mental health challenges during this time either. Whether this is your first pregnancy/child or a subsequent one, or even if you are in later stages of parenting, we can never fully anticipate the toll parenting can take on our mental health. For some, experiences of grief, loss and trauma shape our early parenting journey, and we might feel isolated, afraid, or even ashamed about the thoughts and feelings we are having. Parenting standards today encourage us to sacrifice everything for our children, and to do it all with a smile – so we suffer silently. My own struggles in parenting, including my lived reality of grief and loss, bring me to this work – and allow me deeply connect with other parents who are craving a place to bring all of their parenting experiences – the joyful, and the excruciating.

I am passionate about helping couples struggling to feel connected to one another, pregnant and parenting people facing new unexpected challenges in raising children and or mental health concerns, as well as people with past trauma, fighting to survive and create meaningful lives in an increasingly disconnected, individualistic and materialistic culture.

In my work with individuals, couples and families, my goal is to create a supportive environment where you can safely explore your emotional experiences around parenting and the impact this has on you and your important relationships, and offer the tools and resources you might benefit from to make the changes you desire. I have specialized postgraduate training in maternal mental health, and am trained in emotionally focused therapy (for individuals, couples and families), as well as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to name a few. My goal is to figure out what works best for each client and centre my approach around that.

In our time together, I seek to empower my clients to feel connected and secure with themselves and their partner; communicate effectively; gain confidence to navigate parenthood; problem solve in a safe and non-judgemental way; increase understanding of the connection between different parts of the self; live in the present moment; improve self-esteem; reduce stress; improve coping skills; feel increasingly hopeful; recover; heal; and, ultimately, live joyful and meaningful lives.