Sharlene Petigara

About Sharlene

…Sharlene is currently taking new clients…

My practice is here to help you to have honest conversations that start to uncover the areas in your life where you feel stuck or at a loss. Clients find that after only a few sessions they’re able to slow down difficult moments, identify what’s going on within them, and grow a sense of self-leadership in which there’s much more possibility and choice in how they live than it seemed.

Some reasons to try therapy are:

– If you’ve gone through something traumatic or distressing, and want to understand and lessen its impacts on your life

– If you want to feel less self-blame and move toward a more generous view of yourself

– If you’re feeling hurt or frustrated with others and are looking for ways to have closer relationships while keeping your sense of integrity

– If you want to heal from past hurts and connect with others and yourself in a way that feels safer

– If you have difficulty making decisions and want to move from a place of doubt to self-trust

– If you want to explore transitions in identities or life paths in a nonjudgmental and reassuring environment

– If it seems that life has thrown you enough curveballs that you want to feel the sense of self you had before

I help my clients to tune into what strengths are already there that can be expanded upon, and also to what skills have historically helped them to get by that may not be useful anymore. What often comes out of our conversations is a felt shift in perspective, in which things seem less overwhelming, and there’s more of a sense of choice in how to respond to the world. My clients often find themselves connecting to a self that feels more authentic, and learning what it feels like to start to expand their capacity to cope with life’s stressors.

I provide a reflective and encouraging space where clients can process difficult experiences and feelings in a way that feels healthy. My clients consistently describe feeling lighter and more capable after our sessions.

I have ten years of experience in the field of mental health and trauma, partly from my previous career as a Social Worker. You can trust that I have a solid understanding of the issues that people can face, and that I am passionate about helping people achieve their goals and live a more fulfilling life. I am a Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment Certified Therapist, which means that I’ve taken all three levels and had supervision to use this TIST model.

You can call or email me to book a free 10 minute consultation to ensure that I am the right fit for you. I usually respond within 1-2 business days.

Email: [email protected] to book a consultation.

Specialized Training:

Advanced ADHD Certification Course: Strategies to Customize Treatment for Every Client

I am a Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment Certified Practitioner. This means that I have completed to highest Level 3 of the training with Dr. Janina Fisher

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) 5 Day Intensive Training, 50 hours, Dr. Esta Porter, Ph.D.

Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment, 42 hour, Level I, II & III, Dr. Janina Fisher, Ph.D., Academy of Therapy Wisdom

Narrative Therapy Training, Foundations Levels 1 & III Training, Vancouver School for Narrative Therapy;