About Carolyn

Carolyn is the founder of Ascend Counselling & Wellness and brings over 20 years of experience supporting individuals through life's challenges.

Her approach is warm, collaborative, and trauma-informed. She creates a space where you can slow down, gain clarity, and move toward meaningful, lasting change.

Carolyn has extensive clinical experience across various mental health agencies, hospital setting & counselling services. She is a Registered Social Worker (RSW) providing psychotherapy with Master's degrees in both Counselling Psychology and Social Work.

She has a particular interest in supporting University Students and young adults as they navigate stress, anxiety, and life transitions.

Outside of her work, she enjoys camping and spending time in nature with her husband of 23 years, their three teenagers , and their dog.

Areas of Focus

Carolyn specializes in working with adults 18+ navigating:

Anxiety and chronic worry
Stress and burnout
Emotional regulation and overwhelm
Patterns such as perfectionism, overthinking, or difficulty slowing down
Low mood and loss of motivation
Self-esteem, self-worth, and identity concerns
Boundary setting, people-pleasing, and assertiveness
Life balance and feeling overwhelmed
Relationship challenges and communication
Parenting challenges and family dynamics
Women’s issues (role strain, mental load, identity)
Life transitions, major decision, or feeling "stuck"
Grief and loss

Treatment Approach

Carolyn's approach is client-centred and trauma- informed, grounded in evidence based approaches tailored to each individual. She integrates Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Solution Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy & Somatic approaches to support meaningful and lasting change.

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Counselling 2001

Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology 2005

Master of Social Work 2020

Professional Membership

Registered Social Worker (RSW)

Ontario College of Social Workers (OCSWSSW)

Member with the Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW)

Insurance Coverage

For Insurance purposes, upon payment an official Registered Social Worker (RSW) receipt with registration number will be provided which can be submitted to your insurance company for reimbursement.

*Direct Billing is available through Sunlife, Telus, Greenshield & select insurance providers. Feel free to inquire about your specific coverage.

Fees

The fee for one-hour individual sessions is $160.

The Ascend Counselling & Wellness office is located within the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. It is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit.

I have the unearned privilege of being a settler on this territory.