OUR TEAM

Skyler Todd, Counselling Intern (they/them)

*offering a Pay What You Can fee*

Hi there, my name is Skyler Todd (they/them). I am a Master of Counselling student fortunate to be supervised under Lauren Groves and Michelle Kennedy at Ignite Counselling & Wellness. A bit more about my positionality: I am a white, able-bodied, queer and genderqueer settler living on the traditional gathering place of the Cree, Blackfoot, Métis, Nakota Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, Ojibway/Saultaeaux/Anishinaabe, Inuit, and more. As a teacher turned therapist, I place high value on continually maintaining the orientation of a learner. As such I continue to commit myself to anti-colonialist and anti-oppressive ways of being, personally and professionally.

“As multi-beings, we carry with us many stories of our lives, and these stories become central to our self-understanding and relations with others” - Kenneth Plummer

My work as a therapist is guided by the belief that our stories are nested within broader social, cultural, economic, and political narratives that can diminish our personal ways of knowing and understanding the world. Within our time together, I aim to nurture a collaborative, transparent, and empathic space where we can be curious about the stories we tell. A space of possibility where we can wonder if there are more valuable stories that we could author. Guided by feminist and queer ethics of care, my intention is to cultivate a transformative relationship where we can co-construct counter-stories that center your personal values, identity, and worldview.

I appreciate clients’ openness to working with a counselling student and am eager to support clients in working through a range of issues including stress, anxiety, relationship struggles, depression, life transitions and more. I am particularly passionate about dismantling the boundaries of the gender/sex binary and promoting the gender health of all individuals, both trans* and cis alike. While I look forward to working with members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, I am also passionate about supporting their loved ones, specifically parents. I also have a special interest around queer fertility and family health.

In my not-so-spare time, I enjoy time spent walking outdoors – finding cool bugs and flowers with my toddler, playing board games, cuddling our pup, and you will always find me halfway through multiple non-fiction books. My partner and I are also currently making a documentary film about gender creative parenting.

Kristy Harcourt, RSW, MSW, Social Worker in Clinical Practice (she/her)

kristy@ignitewellness.ca

I enjoy working with people taking steps towards the lives they want - to live authentically, take up space, improve relationships, or understand loved ones and the world around them.

I am a fat, queer femme person and I deeply believe that all people deserve support to live rich and full lives, with the tools to overcome oppression. I have experience with issues related to Trans, Queer (2SLGBTQ) identities, Sexuality, HIV/AIDS, polyamory, sex work, adoption and recovery.

Depending on the person and their needs and goals, I draw from narrative therapy, acceptance & commitment therapy, sex therapy and other approaches. My practice is informed by feminism, queer and trans liberation, anti-racism and anti-oppression.

I’m interested in working with people from Edmonton and area but also from across Alberta. Having worked with people in large and small Alberta communities, I understand some of the particular dynamics living in a smaller community.

Heather Dunnigan, MC, Registered Provisional Psychologist (she/her)

heather@ignitewellness.ca - 780.701.3454

I am thrilled to be joining the Ignite Counselling & Wellness Services Collective as a provisionally registered psychologist, and I am available for a free 15-minute phone consultation, and I am offering 50-minute sessions for $140.

I believe there exists a natural drive within each of us to create a meaningful and contented life, and I view counselling as a brave step towards that goal. I focus my approach to therapy on feminist, culturally conscious, and health at every size (HAES) perspectives, while incorporating motivational interviewing and DBT skills and techniques.

My approach is to collaborate with clients and help identify, dismantle, and re-story the unhelpful messages we receive from ourselves, others, and society to create alternative narratives that embody strength, resiliency, and kindness. By discovering and voicing their needs, clients may be more empowered in developing more meaningful ways to view themselves, their experiences, and the world.

Supervision is an important aspect of my learning as a provisional psychologist, and therefore my supervisor may be present during our sessions as a co-therapist or observer, as well as consultation resource for me.

Michelle Kennedy, MC, Registered Psychologist (no pronouns)

michelle@ignitewellness.ca - 780.701.3454 ext 2

How we tell our stories tell the people around us a lot about who we are. But our stories aren’t always in our control; they are told to us and about us too. They are voices all around us telling us who we are and who we are ‘supposed’ to be - and this can cause significant distress. These voices come from friends, family, cultural and religious institutions, the medical system, our education, and any of the other relationships of significance in our lives. I want to spend our time together helping you creating the space to share your story in your voice. We can talk about death, love, depression, anxiety, suicide, and gender. Or anything else that’s causing you to feel stuck. I particularly love working with 2SLGBTQIA+, youth and others who face marginalization in their day to day lives. I value collaboration, commitment, humour, joy and love.

I approach counselling from a predominantly Narrative approach incorporating elements of solution focused therapy and glimmers of emotion focused therapy and other techniques as needed. All of these approaches are filtered through a feminist, anti-oppressive, and trauma informed lens.

I am pursuing additional training in sex therapy and family therapy in the coming months.

In my role as a sexual health educator I focus primarily on pleasure, sex positivity, consent, communication and safe(r) sex.

I used to do other things: playwriting, music reviews, theatre direction, dramaturgy, and tour managing.

Leah Katzman, M.A., Registered Psychologist (she/her)

leah@ignitewellness.ca

Welcome, I’m Leah. I’m a Registered Psychologist who has worked in non-profit organizations, residential treatment, private practice, and doing psychoeducational and psychological assessments.

Having sat on both sides of the metaphorical therapy couch, I truly understand the importance of the therapist-client relationship. A warm, accepting, and safe(r) space is my priority. I view individuals not as isolated units, but as social creatures existing in systems that influence our wellbeing. I am here to understand, acknowledge, and validate your experiences, while empowering you to feel skillful in facing day to day and major life challenges.

I’ve worked with people dealing with anxiety, depression, ADHD, personality disorders, low self-esteem, difficulty setting boundaries and being assertive, identity development and gender identity, parenting children with mental health challenges, and parent-teen conflict. My practice is guided by a trauma-informed, feminist perspective, and I integrate various strategies based on individual needs. I draw from areas including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), mindfulness, emotion focused therapy (EFT), and attachment theory. I recently began training in somatic psychotherapy, and in Fall 2020 I am taking a comprehensive EMDR training.

Struggling is hard work, and more common than our society lets on. Let’s lighten your load. Please contact me if you’d like to book a free 15-minute phone consult to ask any questions you might have and find out if we are a good fit.

Rachael Babcock, MC, Registered Psychologist (she/her)

rachael@ignitewellness.ca

I am a queer woman with a passion for working with 2SLGBTQ+ individuals. I am joining as a Provisionally Registered Psychologist and am available for a free 15-minute phone consultation.

Everyone that walks into the counselling room has the ability to create positive change. You are the expert on your own life and have the potential to grow and achieve your personal goals. It is my role as a counsellor to guide you to find and identify your own strengths and potential. I can offer insight and new skills to enhance the strengths you already possess while identifying and changing the things that may be holding you back. We can discuss anxiety, depression, gender, sexual orientation, self-esteem, boundaries, and anything else that may be a roadblock. My approach is empathic, straight-forward, with a splash of humour when appropriate (laughter heals too!).

My practice is guided through a feminist, queer, anti-oppressive, and social justice lens. My goal is to create a non-judgmental and safe environment for clients where they feel validated and understood.

I understand how hard it is to reach out for help and be overwhelmed with the choices in counsellors available. It is important that we are able to connect and create a collaborative relationship. Please take advantage of the free 15-minute phone consultation to connect with me and find out if we are a good fit.

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Lauren Groves, MC, Registered Psychologist (she/her)

lauren@ignitewellness.ca - 780.701.3454 ext 1

I aim to inspire change and ignite excitement and passion in my clients. I believe that everyone is the expert of their own lives and are capable of making positive changes. I view my role as a guide to assist people in tapping into their own wisdom and power. I approach my practice through a feminist therapy lens; which means I don’t believe counselling should be a mystery and actively work to develop a collaborative working relationship with my clients.

I have experience and enjoy working with issues related to body image, self-esteem, self-compassion, assertive communication and boundaries. I maintain a body positive, sex positive, poly, queer and trans friendly, safe(r) space within my practice.

I am proud to be a Certified Body Trust Provider!

What is Body Trust®?

Body Trust is a radical revisioning of what it means to occupy and care for your body. It is a pathway to acceptance of the body, an alternative dialogue to the conventional paradigm of food, body image, and weight concerns in our culture. Body Trust is paradigm shifting work that invites bravery and fierce body compassion.