New Counselling Practice in Toronto
Counselling Toronto
Guidance counselling empowers clients to make life enrichment goals
In deciding on what direction to take this piece, I thought back to the advice of a kind-voiced woman I had spoken to over the phone. Ironically, or perhaps rightly so, this article is about her.
Sharleen McDowall broke the rules to help me write this piece.
"When you're in school they teach that you're not supposed to give advice"
But that didn't stop her from making a few suggestions on how I could organize my story to put something readable together from the jumbled up notes I had scribbled into my journal.
Sharleen is a counsellor/psychotherapist and she helps people deal with the problems they face in everyday life. It's odd how often we like to think that we are good Samaritans, doing our best to try to do the right things in life. But at the end of the day it's hard to make that idea anything more than an idea, anything more than a thought we just like to place in our heads. Most of us take little action to go along with the feeling we get from touting ourselves as philanthropists. When you speak to someone who is as committed to helping people better their lives as Sharleen is, you can tell they get a certain joy out of it. Not only that, but you can hear it in their voice, and you can hear it in Sharleen's voice that she truly wants to do her best to help as much people as she can.
Sharleen began university taking computer science and business administration, receiving the type of education that would open doors to work in the corporate business world. However, little of what she was learning was interesting her, not only as a student, but as a person looking towards their future. Sharleen needed to decide what it was she truly wanted to do. She had always enjoyed helping people and considered a career in counselling, where she'd be able to interact with different people and guide them in bettering their lives. So Sharleen changed programs to help her get where she wanted to be. She began to major in psychology where she felt on track, and heading in the right direction. Sharleen received a Specialized Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and continued on to receive a Masters in Counselling Psychology
Sharleen has dedicated many hours of her time helping people in this city who need it. She has worked in a homeless shelter providing counselling and advocacy help people to to turn their lives around. In addition, Sharleen has over five years experience working with women trying to escape abusive relationships and domestic violence. Sharleen describes the process of helping these women as a re-building process. Sharleen said she tried not to tell woman what to do with their lives. She says she didn't want to take the decision away from them. Rather, she gave them the knowledge to guide and empower them to ultimately make the decision for themselves on what they wanted from life.
Currently, Sharleen is focusing as much time as possible into her practice, Counselling Toronto a.k.a. McDowall Counselling Consulting Group, while continuing her education and completing a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Sharleen said her ultimate goal in is to become a Registered Psychologist and have a successful private practice and she isn't far from obtaining it. In the meantime, Sharleen is provides individual, couples and family counselling services as a counsellor/psychotherapist in the Yonge & Davisville area in Toronto and in Brampton. She has experience working with clients who are suffering from depression, anxiety, phobias grief, trauma, anger, midlife crisis, parent-child conflict and addictions to mention a few.
I asked Sharleen about her theoretical orientation and her philosophy about counselling and she indicated that she was trained in Adlerian psychology but considers her theoretical approach eclectic in order to satisfy the needs of her clients. She explained that some clients want short-term solution focused counselling while others want long term psychotherapy therefore she does not believe in subscribing to one specific therapeutic approach. Her therapy is client-focused and tailors her treatment approach based on the unique needs of the client.
And about the whole giving advice thing, Sharleen said it isn't really her place to tell any of her clients exactly what to do, but she understands that people are looking for help. People want answers in life. "So I don't really give advice, it's more about guidance."
Sharleen also believes that people should seek help if they need it.
"Society tends stigmatize people who seek counselling and think that they are weak when in fact, it's the other way around. I think when people seek help with their problems they are strong because they have the courage to look at them self and make changes to improve their life"
Sharleen put it best; "sometimes people just need that objective ear…"
Sharleen founded Counselling Toronto a.k.a. McDowall Counselling and Consulting Group two years ago with the intention to fulfill her passion to help others who are struggling in their life. Her dedication and commitment to the field of psychology was apparent when I spoke to her and based on her accomplishments, she will fulfil her dream of becoming a Registered Psychologist and will have a successful counselling and consulting practice.
Services provided by Counselling Toronto
Call: 416-731-2737
www.counsellingtoronto.com
