Colette Poirier, MSW, RSW

Colette Poirier obtained a Bachelor of Social Work and a Master of Social Work from Dalhousie University and the Master of Arts from St. Mary’s University. She has worked in the social service sector for over 30 years with half of her career in a clinical counselling capacity. She has helped clients resolve concerns surrounding anxiety, depression, trauma, self-esteem, addictions, anger, stress, grief and loss, adjustment, parenting, relationship stress, separation and divorce.

Colette works with adults, teens (15 +), couples and families. She engages clients in a collaborative process to develop a deeper and compassionate awareness of the sources of distress and to restructure painful patterns of thoughts, emotions, behaviors and interactions. She fosters a posture of kindness and compassion toward self and others as a foundation for change.

Colette favors an integrative approach, drawing from Emotionally Focused Therapies, Internal Family Systems Therapy, Mindfulness-based therapies, Narrative Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral strategies to best meet the client’s needs or situation. Her work with couples and families is influenced by attachment theory as she endeavors to help build, repair and strengthen interpersonal bonds. She is continuously acquiring new methods and strategies to bring to the therapeutic encounter. With all clients she is motivated by the conviction that a better relationship with self and others is both possible and doable.