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
Andrew McKenzie
Andrew McKenzie comes to his 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. Andrew provides 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 relationship he forms with clients. Andrew views 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, Andrew collaboratively works with clients to identify early memories and experiences which may be causing challenges in current functioning, or preventing personal growth. Andrew also draws from orientations such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy) in the work he does with clients. Andrew combines all of these modalities through the overarching lens of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT), which examines the most developmentally-appropriate order to place various therapeutic elements in.
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Andrew McKenzie is 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
Andrew provides 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 relationship he forms with clients.
​
As a clinician who practices EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy, Andrew collaboratively works with clients to identify early memories and experiences which may be causing challenges in current functioning, or preventing personal growth. Andrew also draws from orientations such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy) in the work he does with clients. Andrew combines all of these modalities through the overarching lens of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT), which examines the most developmentally-appropriate order to place various therapeutic elements in.
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, Andrew combines lived experience with his educational background and current research, to provide support to parents 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, Andrew supports parents to be gentle with themselves as they reflect upon what they are bringing into their relationships with their children. This compassionate lens, which views all development as occurring within relationships and is grounded in the late Dr. T. Berry's Berry Brazelton's Touchpoints model of Development, is the foundation upon which Andrew provides 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, Andrew supports 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 extreme and 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 respond to. 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.
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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. Andrew is here to support you in navigating this journey with you and 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, Andrew can work with your team in learning strategies and theory which can help to support our most vulnerable clients. As a Neurosequential Model (NMT) trainer, Andrew can help to train your staff through a lens of developmental neuroscience, in understanding the impacts of trauma on the human brain, and how we can practice more reflectively to better understand the needs of our clients, co-workers, and ourselves.
Coverage for Counselling
Direct Billing Through:
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Medavie BLUE CROSS
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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
