Andrew McKenzie, RCC
Counselling and Consulting
Relationally-Informed Therapy, Based Upon Respect for Your Unique Experience and Development as an Individual
Specializing in Adoption and Parenting Support.
A designation of BC Association of Clinical Counsellors
About
You are not alone. I'm here to listen, empathize, and build strategies with you towards growth and healing.
I come to my clinical work with insight and knowledge gained through experiences both as an adoptive and birth parent, as well as over a decade of supporting children living with complex needs in the British Columbia public school system. I provide counselling services through a lens of practice which values and promotes respect for the most genuine parts of the self, through an attuned focus on the therapeutic relationships I form with my clients. I view mental health through a developmental lens, acknowledging that many forms of current distress or suffering are rooted in past experiences which we often did not have any control over (especially as children). As a clinician who practices EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy, I work collaboratively with clients to identify early memories and experiences which may be causing current challenges, or preventing personal growth. I also draw from orientations such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy) in the work I do with clients. I combine all of these therapies in different ways through the lens of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT), which lays out a sequence to put therapeutic activities in, and focusses on working with the part of the brain where the greatest need is first.
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I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (RCC# 16543)
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It is a privilege and an honour to live and work in the unceded traditional territories of the Halalt, Lyackson, Meluxulh (Malahat), Puneluxutth’ (Penelakut), Quw’utsun, Stz-uminus, Ts’uubaa-asatx nation, and the traditional keepers of their land
As humans beings, we are not meant to navigate suffering and distress by ourselves. Our brains are neurobiologically wired to develop, heal, and thrive within relationships. This is the foundational philosophy from which I work to collaboratively build therapeutic experiences with my clients.
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As a clinician who practices EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy, I work collaboratively with clients to identify early memories and experiences which may be causing current challenges, or preventing personal growth. I also draw from orientations such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy) in the work I do with clients. I combine all of these therapies in different ways through the lens of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT), which lays out a sequence to put therapeutic activities in, and focusses on working with the part of the brain where the greatest need is first.
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*Read more about EMDR Therapy in the Blog section of this website
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I offer counselling for:
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Parenting
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Adoption
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Anxiety
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Dysregulation
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Depression
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PTSD/ Trauma
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Stress and Burnout
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Self-Insight
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Confidence and Self-Esteem
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Relationship Issues
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Grief
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Whatever your unique needs may be
Adoption and Parenting Support
($140/ 50 min. session)
"Parents don't make mistakes because they don't care, but because they care so deeply."
- Dr. T. Berry Brazelton
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As both an adoptive and birth parent, I combine lived experience with my educational background and current research, to provide support to families through a lens which examines and acknowledges the developmental process across the lifespan. By acknowledging parenting as process which is built upon trial and error with the best intentions for our children, I support parents to be gentle with themselves as they reflect upon what they are bringing into their relationships with their kids. This compassionate lens, which views all development as occurring within relationships and is grounded in the late Dr. T. Berry Brazelton's Touchpoints model of Development, is the foundation upon which I provide support for parents to make meaning of the experiences they have in the relationships with their children.
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More specific to Adoption, I support parents in gaining a deeper understanding of what it means developmentally and relationally for a child to join a family, both for the family and the child (all children have a critically important perspective, even as babies). Sometimes, due to adverse circumstances which a child may have experienced in some part of their life, strong survival-based patterns of response may emerge, which new adoptive parents may find both puzzling and challenging to navigate. By investigating and understanding more about the underlying function which these adaptations (eg. refusal and hyperactivity as classic examples) are fulfilling, both parents and other adults in the child's life can respond (vs. react) to the need in a way which acknowledges the "WHY" of this function/ behaviour, and helps adults to take it less personally. As a parent of lived and living experience, I also support parents in navigating the complex caregiving needs of children living with physical and developmental disabilities.
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Parenting is the most rewarding and challenging job we have as human beings, and we were not meant to do it alone. I am here to support you in navigating this journey with your family in a way which collaborates with you as the expert on your child.
As a seasoned presenter and workshop facilitator throughout many community and provincial systems of education, social work, health, and mental health, I can work with your team in learning new strategies and theory which will help you to support clients who live with the most complex needs. As a Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) and Brazelton Touchpoints trainer, I can both train and supervise your staff through a lens of developmental neuroscience and relational practice. These research-based models provide insight into understanding the impacts of trauma on the human brain, and ways in which we can practice more reflectively to better understand the needs of our clients, co-workers, and ourselves.
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I currently supervise and train several community, provincial and territorial teams, including being the co-lead facilitator/consultant in a Yukon territory-wide initiative to support all schools in becoming developmentally-responsive towards the regulation and learning needs of the most complex students.
Coverage for Counselling
Direct Billing Through:
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Medavie BLUE CROSS (Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) Member Card Accepted)
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Pacific Blue Cross
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​First Nations Health Authority
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Reimbursement Coverage:
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Many employer extended benefits packages cover counselling with a BCACC Registered Clinical Counsellor
