About Me
Shelby Crawford, MSW RSW
Welcome to Dandelion Counselling. Thank you for considering me to be a part of supporting you on your new or continuing counselling journey. I am a registered social worker providing psychotherapy who is passionate about mental health and wellness. I utilize a holistic and eclectic approach because I recognize that no single modality meets everyone’s needs in a meaningful way. I value creating a collaborative, therapeutic relationship and I meet clients where they are in the present moment whether they are seeking a safe, non-judgmental space to explore their thoughts, feelings and needs, or have specific goals that they want to address.
I hold a BASc, B.Ed., HBSW and MSW. I have worked in professional roles in mental health including clinical work (therapy), creating and facilitating mental health and psychoeducational workshops for clients and other professionals, providing case management and collaborating on multidisciplinary teams as well as post-secondary education. Working in adult mental health provided me with the opportunity to support individuals experiencing the effects of trauma, anxiety, depression and struggling with stress, life transitions, relationship difficulties, ADHD and self-esteem.
I am also passionate about working with children and youth and have previously worked within a highly specialized program that provided collaborative services and supports to children and youth with both mental health and school-based issues. This role required collaboration between the medical system, the family unit and the school board as well as any other community programs and supports involved.
My roles within the medical system, adult mental health, children's mental health and family work have provided me with the opportunity to observe firsthand some of the many gaps in our service systems compounded with further mental health challenges that are continuing to be recognized in our growing community. It was also the nature of these roles that continued to ignite my passion for identifying and providing meaningful services that meets the needs of individuals, couples, and families in the community.
My experience includes trauma-based therapies such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), as well as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), motivational interviewing, narrative therapy techniques, collaborative problem solving and positive parenting strategies.
I have a passion for working with individuals in all walks of life and welcome working with adults, couples, youth and children.
Mental health problems don’t define who you are. They are something you experience. You walk in the rain and you feel the rain, but, importantly,
you are not the rain.” — Matt Haig
Practice Approaches and Therapeutic Modalities
My primary approach to practicing with individuals is open, honest communication and transparency. I believe in the importance of a collaborative approach to counselling and this means checking in with you along the way, reviewing the purpose of proposed strategies, listening and understanding to what works for you and ongoing discussions regarding potential next steps.
I also believe that counselling is not a one-size-fits all approach. I will often provide visuals or handouts of material and strategies discussed and when working with children and youth I recognize the importance of adapting strategies to meet individual needs including practical tools that can be used at home.
Psychologist, Dr. Ross Greene states "kids do well when they can". I believe that people do well when they can. Whether you are experiencing internal or external barriers or a combination of both, my role is to work alongside you to help identify barriers, further develop and strengthen insights that will lead to change and develop and implement coping skills and problem solving strategies.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
The central principle of CBT is that our thoughts, emotions, physical reactions and behaviours are part of a unified system. Using CBT-based approaches the therapist will support the client in developing the skills to explore, explain and modify unhelpful patterns of thoughts and behaviours that are the basis of psychological distress.
CBT is a well validated treatment modality and one of the most extensively utilized and researched forms of therapy.
CBT has shown to be effective with a number of psychological problems including, but not limited to:
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Insomnia
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
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Panic Disorder
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Chronic Pain
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Self-Esteem
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Anxiety
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Stress
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Anger Management
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR therapy is designed to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in the brain. EMDR therapy is a phased, focused approach to treating trauma and other symptoms by reconnecting the traumatized person in a safe and measured way to the images, self-thoughts, emotions, and body sensations associated with the trauma, and allowing the natural healing powers of the brain to move toward adaptive resolution.
It is based on the idea that symptoms occur when trauma and other negative or challenging experiences overwhelm the brain’s natural ability to heal, and that the healing process can be facilitated and completed through bilateral stimulation while the client is re-experiencing the trauma in the context of the safe environment of the therapist’s office (dual awareness).
Relationship
Counselling
A primary approach to couples counselling is the Gottman Method Couples Therapy.
This method supports couples in learning to disarm conflicting verbal communication; increase intimacy, respect, and affection; remove barriers that create a feeling of stagnancy; and create a heightened sense of empathy and understanding within the context of the relationship.
The major aim of couples counselling is increasing your knowledge about yourself, your partner and the patterns of interaction between you.
Therapy becomes effective as you apply new knowledge to break ineffective patterns and develop better ones.
It’s not what you say, it is how you say it and it’s what they hear.
Counselling with
Children and Adolescents
Although Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is often a primary modality utilized with children and youth to support strengthening emotional regulation, healthy communication and problem solving skills, it is the approach that optimizes success.
Children do not often benefit from a strictly talk-based therapy approach. A hands on, play-based and skill focused approach allows children to be successful while meeting their learning and developmental needs in an environment that feels safe.
The expectation that children will learn and employ strategies talked about once or twice in therapy often sets them up for failure. It is important that counselling strategies with children and youth employs a scaffolding approach that involves the key caregiver figures in their lives.