I became a mom in 2017 to a beautiful baby boy, Jackson. He entered the world in a traumatic way (a c-section after 24 hours of horror-story labor) and our health journey started shortly after. I’m intimately familiar with the medical system, and have enough research into his health issues that I feel like I should have an honorary medical degree at this point. The past 7 years have been full of specialists (immunologist, gastroenterologist, dermatologist, infectious disease and more), blood work, traveling for more specialized services, working with countless natural and holistic practitioners, tests - and that’s just the medical side. It’s also been full of trauma, PTSD, drop to the floor prayers, anxiety, deep depression, billions of tears, fear and anger. But much like the human experience, I’ve also moved through joy, happiness, gratefulness, love and connection through this journey. I’ve found people I never would have met without this experience (like Kyla!). I’ve found patience, acceptance, trust and truthfully, myself. I also found my way back to God through it, which has been foundational for how I get through the dark days.

I received my Masters of Counselling Psychology in 2016, and started practicing as a psychotherapist immediately after. Before that, I spent 5 years as a classroom teacher and school psychologist. I worked in two school divisions and privately, but once my son was born, my husband and I decided to start a private practice so we could alternate being home with him to take care of him and his needs. In 2020, I founded New Earth Therapy in Saskatoon, SK, and grew our team into a collaborative, integrative team of practitioners (check out the practice at www.newearththerapy.ca).

As a mental health professional, I knew I needed support for my own experiences. A friend suggested Somatic Experiencing, and it changed my personal and professional life. I also knew I needed to process through talking , as well, and although I found a few therapists who were good, none understood the complexities of being a medical mom. So I leaned heavily into my own knowledge and experience as a therapist, and registered for Somatic Experiencing training. Many years later, SE has helped me tremendously, but as all mom’s know, the difficulties that go with raising a medical child don’t just disappear. I still move through them daily, but now I do so from a more regulated nervous system (trust me - some days are still very dark).

While pregnant with my second in 2024, I woke up one night at 3am and realized - there’s no mental health support out there specifically for medical moms. Here I am, with the training and experience, so why not me? So here we are today.