Ben

We put a lot on ourselves, we try to fit ourselves into boxes or stretch ourselves beyond our limits. Be the perfect person, child, student, sibling, friend, employee, partner, spouse, and the list goes on and on. Sound familiar? It's exhausting isn't it? We're not perfect (we can't be!), and not only that but the world is so complex and hard to deal with! Embracing our contradictions is part of what makes us beautifully human. Let me offer you a reprieve, a chance to unburden yourself and find solace with where you are on your journey through this chaotic world we have, you have my ear, please share your story with me.

I'm here for you to tell me what you need, or even if you aren't sure what that is, then to figure that out. We'll sit down and we'll talk things out, and help you understand yourself much more deeply. And in that, in that understanding we find power and the tools to create the positive change you are looking for and deserve. I will do my best to help you as a teammate identify what is making life hard and not-so-great.

From there we work together (as a team) to get you where you want to go such that life begins to look great for you, that is my goal with all of my clients. This can be done with a number of different modalities I am familiar with depending on which is relevant to your specific needs. Some examples include: CBT, DBT, ACT, PE, and Gottman Couple's Therapy. Maybe counter intuitive but I hope to become obsolete.

Thank you for stopping here at Upstream to look for counselling services. And I want to commend the drive it takes to begin looking for help, and the strength demonstrated in taking this first step of looking around. Let's ride this momentum together and get a conversation rolling with a free 15-minute call to see how we connect. I would love to start getting to know your story.

I'm Ben! I grew up here in Kitchener Waterloo, specifically around Kitchener.

I was always geared toward a profession in software development. In fact I wanted to make video games as a kid. Eventually though after a couple co-op jobs through the University of Waterloo I realized that the profession was not for me. So I transferred from Mathematics into Psychology after a heck of a lot of deliberation.

That was probably one of the better decisions I have made in my life. I love what I do, and that I get to help people however they need, that each day and conversation looks different, and that I can feel and see the impact of what I do.

I take an approach that I think takes what I perceive as a good balance between the more emotional “feely” side of things as well as the more goal oriented, systematic “logic driven” approach. I find a lot of benefit and passion in blending the two.

Outside of the professional domain, a bit about me is an eclectic set of interests. I am a bit of an anime nerd, I find the art of animation fascinating as a story telling medium. I have fallen in love with playing intramural Dodgeball and enjoy exploring different fitness goals.

I am actually getting into volleyball recently at the time of writing this too! I have dabbled in wildlife photography, drawing/sketching, mushroom foraging, wood-burning, wood carving, and I am also learning piano as an adult! I also ferment my own foods; I've made fermented sauerkraut, hot sauce, jalapenos (great for charcuterie), hot honey, Kombucha, and mustard!

Anxiety / Depression
Shame
Trauma Work
Men's Issues
Self Actualization
Aimlessness/Directionlessness
Couple's Therapy/ Relationship issues
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology (MACP)
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Minor in Mathematics
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)/ RP(Q)
CRPO Registration #12581
Level 1 Gottman Couple's Therapy Training
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)