find
your
way
home
somatic / imaginal / soulful
Counselling psychotherapy in the Comox Valley
and online throughout British Columbia.
[ Counselling Philosophy ]
INNER HOME —
I believe that we each contain an inner home of love and knowing, but that our ability to fully meet ourselves in this way is often hidden behind our experiences of pain, survival, and suffering.
SOMATIC —
In body-led counselling, discerning how our emotions inhabit us physically is the jumping off point for deeper exploratory work. Somatic therapy shows us how we can begin to open up to our inner world of implicit knowing, to learn to touch and love the mystery that lies at the heart of our being.
IMAGINAL —
As a therapeutic tool, our imagination allows us to experience and perceive that which exists beyond our immediate awareness. Imagination is the language the unknown uses to call back to the known. It’s the bridge between ‘what is’ and what could be.
SOULFUL —
The focus of my counselling practice, whether explicit or implicit, is caring for the soul. One of the main ways the soul can get our attention is through complaint, because the urgent cry of pain is often easier to hear than the still-small voice within. This is how the soul might land us in counselling, where we can find help to listen to and through the complaints, to translate their message.
[ Caring for the Soul in Counselling ]
The very words that name the counselling vocation “point to the soul”—the etymology of the word psyche is soul, and the etymology of the word therapist is servant or attendant, and thus etymologically a psychotherapist is a “servant or attendant of the soul.”
Imagination is the language of the soul, because imagination is how we experience and perceive what exists beyond our rational cognition. We must suspend our disbelief towards our own beyond-rational modes of knowing in order to experience the soul, in order to work with our own intuition.
The body houses the soul—but is also intertwined with the soul, as much as our experience of being alive is entwined with the experience of having a body. This means the body can help us experience the soul.
[ About Joslyn ]
My initiation into the world of somatic therapy was entirely by accident.
I spent my Master’s Degree in Counselling pursuing Jungian and Existential psychotherapeutic approaches, depth-oriented pursuits of the unconscious. I wanted to work with spiritual poverty in the realm of mental health. And I wanted counselling to resemble its etymological origins: psychotherapy means “healing of the soul.”
I did not consider myself an embodied person.
Then I began studying under a Somatic Counsellor, and my worldview (and my experience of life as a human) blew open. As it turns out, my body is communicating with me all the time (and yours is too).
In fact, I believe that our body, once we learn to listen to it, communicates to us from the unconscious, teaches us to discern our felt sense. Our felt sense uses the body because the body feels, the body senses.
I can no longer fathom an approach to counselling that does not include this dimension of our experience.
Masters of Psychotherapy and Spirituality
✻
Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC)
✻
Masters of Psychotherapy and Spirituality ✻ Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC) ✻
[ Client Stories ]
"As a counsellor, Joslyn has been an illuminating, steadying, and transformative force in my life for over two years. Each appointment is a portal. Joslyn is the invitation and the doorway––gently calling me inward, to a place that (with waning surprise) I realize is knowing, grounded, and calm. What started as a process of discovery has become a process of remembering. With Joslyn, I’ve gone from mapping out this interior world for the first time, to feeling at home there, and learning how to drop in at any time––aligning to what is good and true at the centre of myself. This work brings clarity, confidence, and a greater sense of play and wonder to my life. I am so grateful."
- E
"Working with Joslyn has truly changed the way I see myself and the world around me. Her compassionate, warm, and grounded presence made me feel safe to share and explore parts of myself that had felt stuck and out of alignment. Joslyn's somatic approach of using the imagination and body awareness has helped calm my nervous system, connect with big emotions, and recognize the difference between fear and intuition. I genuinely look forward to our sessions and trust that she is there to guide me wherever the journey takes us."
- M
"Unlike traditional therapy I’ve experienced in the past, I sought out the body-led somatic therapy offered by Joslyn. This approach has allowed me to access my inner world from an “inside-out” vs an "outside-in" perspective, engaging the creative, spiritual, and curious parts of myself while helping me to become better attuned to my body and nervous system. With Joslyn's safe and non-judgmental guidance, I've finally been able to journey inward at my own pace to approach long-standing pain points. I've benefitted from increasing self-compassion and a stronger sense of self, improving the feelings of agency I have over my life."
- L
[ Get in Touch ]
Wherever you’re at on your journey, I'd love to meet you there.
Fill out this form and I’ll get in touch to set up a time for us to chat.