Barbara Balshaw-Dow
Associate Therapist
Master's of Social Work (MSW/RSW)
REGISTERED WITH MANITOBA BLUE CROSS, First Nations & Inuit Health Branch, SunLife
Areas of Focus: trauma & negative adverse life events, anxiety, depression, grief & loss, relationships, workplace challenges/trauma, couples and family therapy.
Primary Therapeutic Modalities: Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focussed Therapy, mindfulness & breathwork.
My passion and purpose are to support mental health and wellness, assisting people to live in purpose, and to help them find ways to be present to experience happiness. I view therapy as an opportunity to talk to a trained professional to help make sense of difficult feelings and emotions, and to find ways to resolve or cope with complicated situations or issues. Through the therapy process, we can recognize unhelpful patterns and behaviours and find ways to change them.
In our work together, I want to hear your story, your current and past experiences, and what may have helped or not helped in the past. Together, we develop strategies to do things differently and move forward. In an empathic space free of judgement, clients often find and create ways to cope with current issues.
Clients who I work with often:
Are facing challenges in their lives that they want to sort out, approach directly or put behind them.
Have experienced negative adverse events or trauma that may be impacting their lives today.
Are in transition, seeking new opportunities, relationships, employment or career changes.
Are experiencing emotions such as sadness, anxiety or emotional ups and downs.
About Me
I have a been a Social Worker for over 31 years, in various roles from supporting families to managing staff in the health and social service sector. In recent years, I moved into working in private therapy practice, which has provided an opportunity to work directly with people wanting to make changes in their lives.
Growing up in a family affected by alcoholism, I have personally experienced how a family can move to recovery from this challenge, and I bring this understanding to my work. I have been married for 34 years and have adult sons’ and two whoodle dogs. Exercise and yoga are important parts of my own wellness routine, along with travel and planting small gardens in the summer.
Availability @ Wall Street Location
(for In-Person & Online, unless otherwise specified)