Therapy with Others is a Different Journey

The Nature of Shared Healing

Therapy involving more than one person in a session introduces a unique dynamic. The space must hold multiple perspectives, competing needs, shared histories, and relationship tensions. All while fostering safety and mutual growth. In these spaces, personal emotions and shared dynamics intersect. Often in complex, layered ways, but also profoundly healing.

What affects one member of a family or group can ripple outward, impacting everyone else. My approach is grounded in a core belief, that we are not isolated individuals, but deeply relational beings. Drawing from the symbolism of the Enso and the wave, I see each person as a whole, evolving self within a larger system of influence and experience. Change doesn’t happen in a vacuum — it moves outward, like a ripple across the water.

This is the philosophy that shapes my practice:

Connection built on mutual respect and curiosity

Empathy that sees each person as layered, evolving, and worthy of space

Insight informed by both lived experience and therapeutic training

Whether it’s navigating family systems or building group connection, these sessions are about collective progress. 

Family Therapy

Understanding the Work

Family therapy provides a structured, neutral space to explore relationship patterns, improve communication, and address ongoing conflict or disconnection. It is especially helpful for families navigating transitions (e.g., parenting, adolescence, divorce, caregiving), dealing with mental health stressors, or wanting to reconnect in a healthier way.

What Happens in Session

Sessions may include the full family, sub-groups, or individuals — depending on the focus. Expect to explore shared roles, emotional reactions, family beliefs, and behavioral patterns. The goal is not to assign blame, but to better understand each person’s experience and reshape how the family functions as a system.

Duration & Complexity

Due to the relational nature of this work, sessions durations are often longer (up to 120 minutes). Frequency and required number of sessions depends on goals and dynamics, but families typically require more time to implement and stabilise new ways of relating.

What’s Expected:

• Respect for all voices in the room
• Willingness to listen, reflect, and participate
• A commitment to change both inside and outside the session
• Zero tolerance for verbal, emotional and mental or physical abuse.

Note: This principle applies to both in therapy and at home. Collective Therapy is a space of safety, not further harm. 

Group Therapy

Group therapy offers the power of shared experience. It’s a space where people gather not to compete or compare, but to witness, reflect, and support each other’s growth. In a group, your story is heard not in isolation, but in resonance that is mirrored back through others who may be walking similar paths.

ThirdWave Counselling's approach to our group offerings are thoughtfully designed and facilitated with warmth, emotional safety, and a sense of structure. Each group is tailored to support specific themes, always guided by clear agreements around respect, confidentiality, and inclusion.

Focus Themes Offered:

Men’s Work – emotional honesty, personal integrity, and redefining masculinity.

Grief & Loss – naming loss, navigating transitions, and creating space for healing.

Anxiety Support – building calm through shared tools and perspective.

Veteran Transition & Identity – reclaiming meaning, adjusting to civilian life, and connecting with purpose.

Community Psychoeducation – practical mental health tools in a group learning environment.

Workplace Restoration – enhancing performance and morale by building human connection, emotional intelligence, and trust within teams.

Structure and Themes

Sessions are usually 90 -120 minutes, depending on the size of the group and the theme. Groups may be open (rolling entry) or closed (set duration with consistent members). Themes can include:

• Self-expression and boundaries
• Emotional literacy and regulation
• Shared identity work (e.g., veteran, multicultural, men’s support)
• Values-based living and behaviour change
• Stress resilience and recovery from burnout

What’s Expected in Group Spaces

• Confidentiality and mutual respect
• Emotional honesty without aggression
• Curiosity over criticism
• Zero tolerance for harassment, bigotry, or intimidation

Note: Zero Tolerance Princple - ThirdWave is bound to report any discloure of verbal, emotional and mental or physical abuse. Collective Therapy is a space of safety, not further harm. 

A Shared Path Forward

Shared Insight. Collective Growth. Real Connection. 

Whether it's processing grief, navigating anxiety, exploring identity, or learning new relational skills, group work provides a unique form of healing. You see yourself in others, hear language for things you’ve struggled to name, and discover that growth doesn’t require perfection — just presence, curiosity, and shared intention.

Is This Right for You?

Family therapy can be especially helpful when relational patterns feel tangled or strained, and you’re seeking to rebuild trust, improve communication, or reconnect in a more meaningful way.If individual therapy sometimes feels isolating, group settings offer the validation, accountability, and fresh perspective that come from working alongside others navigating similar paths — while also providing a safe space to practice new interpersonal and emotional skills developed in individual therapy.

If your aim is healing relationships, learning with others, or simply feeling less alone in your struggle — this space was made to hold more than one story at a time.

Still curious if it’s the right fit? Let’s talk. Reach out for a free consultation and we’ll explore what support might best suit your needs.