Lara Williston

Where I Can Help

People come to me for counselling and support with their relationships, or to address anxiety, depression and trauma. I work with individuals and couples. I have a passion for supporting people who have experienced something called attachment trauma. That’s a term for the deep hurt that can happen when the people you depend on, whether caregivers when you were young or partners as adults, weren’t able to give you the safety and closeness you needed. These experiences can shape how you feel about yourself and how you connect with others. It’s a joy of mine to help people discover that healing and repair really are possible when it comes to attachment trauma.

My Approach To Counselling

Some folks have had the experience of telling their story in therapy over and over, without much changing. My approach is to move past the retelling, toward what’s happening inside you right now. That includes the feelings, needs and body sensations that are easy to push aside or miss. Here are the approaches I use most:
● Somatic attachment therapy pays attention to your body as well as your mind. Your body may hold onto stress and old hurts, especially from early relationships. By noticing what’s happening physically, like tension, a tight chest or a sinking feeling, you can work with those experiences in a gentle, grounded way.
● Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) helps you understand and make peace with your emotions, including the ones you may have learned to hide or ignore. Your feelings carry important information about what you need. With couples therapy, EFT helps partners understand what’s really going on underneath the arguments, so they can feel closer and more secure with each other.
● Internal Family Systems (IFS) is based on the idea that we all have different “parts” of ourselves. Maybe one part of you wants to open up while another part wants to keep everyone at arm’s length. Rather than fighting those parts, I help you get to know them with curiosity and kindness, so you can feel more whole and at peace inside.

My Path In Life & To Becoming a Mental Health Professional

I’m a first-generation Canadian. My family came here after escaping political persecution in Chile in the 1970’s. My younger years included enduring bullying and hanging out with a rough crowd. Some people might have called me a rebellious teenager, but really I was carrying a lot of pain, confusion and fear. I experienced substance use and alcohol struggles as a youth and young adult. My life could have gone in a very different direction if I hadn’t had the support system I did. I don’t share that lightly. I share it because I know firsthand that where you are now doesn’t have be where you stay. I’m also a lifelong 2SLGBTQIA+ ally, and that commitment is close to
home for me and my family. My path to becoming a therapist was not a straight line. Early on, my goal was to work in medicine, but after some time I realized it wasn’t for me. I moved around, living in England and New Zealand, searching for meaning and a career where I could help people. I understood that wellness was important and I tried different approaches before finding my way to becoming a therapist. First training and working as a person trainer, and then for years I was a Registered Massage Therapist. Although these professions did provide a certain type of care, to me they just didn’t get to the heart of where struggles began. The quiet solitude that many people felt during the pandemic helped me to have the space and clarity to see that becoming a therapist was the obvious next step in my life. Looking back, I think this was always my path and as soon as I knew, I started going to school to learn, the rest as they say, is history .

My Own Experience With Therapy

I went in and out of therapy through my twenties and thirties. For a long time, it didn’t feel like it was helping, and I didn’t have the words or experience to know that a therapist just wasn’t the right fit for me. Then I finally found a therapist who I really resonated and for the first time, I truly felt understood. I remember thinking, “Oh, this is what therapy is supposed to feel like.” Those experiences shape how I work with you. I know how vulnerable it can feel to ask for help, and I take that trust seriously.

What’s possible

Starting therapy means you are open to new possibilities in your life. When therapy goes well, you’re able to know yourself on a deeper level. It can also mean feeling more connected to the people you love and the world around you. It might feel a little scary, but it’s also exciting! Whenever you’re ready, I look forward to meeting you.