Celebrating Women in Psychotherapy and Counselling

#PsychotherapyIsHealing | #MentalHealthSupport | #BreakTheStigma | #MentalHealthProfessionals | #GirlPowerEffect

DEBORAH ALTON

Psychotherapist

Owner of Reflection Centre - Psychotherapy & Counselling

What is your role in professional psychotherapy and counselling?

I founded the Reflection Centre in Barrie, Ontario, which operates as a private practice and serves as a Simcoe County Collaborative Practice board member. I am also involved with AFCC (Association of Family and Conciliation Courts) and serve as the programming director for Seasons Centre for Grieving Children.  In my role, I am a clinical supervisor providing training to social workers and psychotherapists. As a group facilitator, I offer therapeutic services to children, adolescents, and adults over intervals of three to ten months. I specialize in working with couples, individuals, and families, conducting assessments, mediation, reintegration therapy, consultations, court testimony, and parenting coordination. I train lawyers and mental health professionals and have presented at various workshops. My overarching goal is to deliver child-focused services, reduce conflict among parents, and enhance the overall well-being of families.

Why did you choose this profession?

Thirty-nine years ago, when I first began, I would have said I always wanted to help people, which was the best understanding of this profession I had at the time. However, through my own therapy over the years, I came to realize that, unconsciously, I chose this work because I needed to heal myself. I was a victim of violence in my family home and suffered sexual abuse while in a foster home. Later, I found myself in an abusive relationship with a man who verbally, psychologically, and physically abused me. I can honestly say that I wasn't aware of this until I began my therapy, at which point I made the connection to why I wanted to become a therapist. Through therapy I required the opportunity to learn, grow, and heal. I also wanted to assist other women, children, and adolescents in their growth and healing. Thus, my personal therapy ultimately led me to leave my previous probation and parole officer career and pursue this profession.

 How does your current work serve to empower women and girls?

It is essential for women and girls to have a safe space where they can be vulnerable, speak their truth, and shed their layers. There are so many layers of trauma because, unfortunately, many of the women I work with have experienced trauma. I would say that most of them carry significant trauma and often don’t even recognize it as such; they frequently assert, "No, I had a pretty good life". It wasn't safe for me to be my authentic self because I was too frightened of losing attachment. What I often discover in this work resonates with what Dr. Gabor Maté discusses regarding the competing needs of attachment and authenticity. It might involve expressing my thoughts, sharing my feelings, and asking for what I need.  We have come a long way, but we carry all our ancestors with us. To me, therapy and personal growth work are vital for us to truly live our fullest lives and reconnect with our core energy, which embodies aliveness and an understanding of our worth and value. It entails having a voice and establishing boundaries.

Website for further information: https://reflectioncentre.com/ 

Interviewed by Latisha Campbell-Small

Indigenous Social Work Student, Laurentian University