Hi! I'm Leaine
Hi! My name is Leaine Deschamps, and I am a Canadian Certified Counsellor. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree and a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology.
I am most interested in working in the space of women’s mental health. This encompasses anxiety, depression, and body image work. Although mental health support is important for all populations, I am passionate about women’s mental health issues and look at them through a feminist lens that includes cultural and social influences and intersectional issues.
I offer virtual sessions with Hopeful Horizons for residents of Alberta and invite you to learn more about me below and schedule a phone consultation if you have any questions.
How I Work as a Counsellor
I recognize the courage it takes to start counselling and my job is to make sure you feel safe and supported as you begin to heal and do this hard work. I value creating a compassionate, supportive and empowering space where you can explore, heal and grow.
I hope my clients feel respected, seen, and understood.
My work is grounded in evidence-based practice, which means that I use approaches that are backed by scientific research - we KNOW these approaches help people heal and feel better. These approaches include:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): to help explore and change (often unhelpful) beliefs about yourself and possible behavioural patterns that might be holding you back from meeting your goals.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): to build awareness and skills that can help you separate from difficult thoughts and move towards living the life you want.
- Internal Family Systems (IFS): to help us "dig deeper" by connecting with different parts of yourself to build compassion and self-acceptance.
- Person-Centered Therapy (PCT): to help collaborate as a team throughout the counselling process. I respect your experience, wisdom, and autonomy which we will use to guide our work.
Using an integrated approach means that your counselling experience is tailored to your needs and goals and we will pull from the above methods as they feel appropriate.
My goal is to support you in embracing your authentic self while cultivating meaningful empowered change.
Book a free, 20-minute phone consultation
Why I became a counsellor
I wanted to be a counsellor because life can be hard, and navigating the complexities of our inner worlds, challenges, to find and create healing can be difficult to do alone. I believe each person has the knowledge within them to heal and create meaningful change, and as a counsellor, I want to support this process at a client’s side, helping to navigate these paths.
I am passionate about women's mental health!
Our lives as women are continuously influenced by the world we live in and from an early age many of us learn what is expected of us in this role. This includes messaging about our bodies, our careers, our interests, and how we engage in relationships.
For some, these socially learned beliefs might not line up with who we know ourselves to be. There is a particular cultural emphasis on our bodies. That they should be a certain shape and size. That to find value, love, and acceptance, we first must look or be a certain way. This messaging undermines our ability to feel those very things that we long for. Instead, it can impact our sense of self and belonging in painful ways.
Naturally, as the adaptable and amazing individuals we are, we find ways to cope with the stresses and challenges of life. Some of these ways are helpful, and some are less so. Sometimes, coping with a stress of living in this world can influence our sense of self-worth where we have feelings of inadequacy and feel disconnected from ourselves and others. We can turn to other ways to manage our emotions through food, dieting, exercise, or negative self-talk, in an attempt to restore balance.
As a counsellor, I am dedicated to attuning to women’s mental health issues. I am sensitive to the social, cultural and biological factors that can affect mental health. To walk with you as you as you navigate challenges and barriers to mental and emotional wellness. My goal as a counsellor is to support a space that encourages connection to self and joins you on your own path to healing.
Offering Counselling for:
Depression
Anxiety and stress
Self-esteem
Body Image
Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders
Perfectionism
Relationship Concerns
Perimenopause/Menopause
Postpartum Mental Health
Trauma
Get Started Today!
Immediate openings for weekday and evening appointments!
Book a free 20-minute phone consultation or schedule a first appointment
A bit more personal...
Favourite self-care activity
My favourite self-care activity involves being in nature. I find the outdoors provides grounding and using mindfulness while also offering opportunities for creative exploration and playful fun. When I am unable to be outside for self-care, I enjoy connecting with friends and family over coffee and shared meals, and creating space for rest when needed.
Favourite psychology/self-help book
My favourite book at this time is anti-diet which looks at the social and cultural impacts from diet culture and unravelling the long-standing messaging that often encourages us to create unhelpful and sometimes harmful beliefs about our bodies, how we “should” eat, and the social and cultural rules we have internalized about how our bodies “should” look.
Favourite animal
My favourite animals are dogs. You are never lonely with a dog, and always have a friend that is ready for adventure
Favourite food
My favourite food is pasta. I enjoy making pasta from scratch and trying new recipes
Favourite music
I like all music. I enjoy listening to the lyrics of songs, and choose music that aligns with how I am feeling or inspires feelings I wish to have.
3 random facts about me
- I love crafting and want to learn to knit granny squares to make a handmade blanket
- I enjoy walking so much that I became a Nordic walking instructor and always have my walking poles with me just in case!
- If I eat a meal at a restaurant that I really enjoyed I always try to recreate it at home and figure out how it was done so I can make it again
Ready to find out more?
Schedule a free phone consultation or first appointment today!