Hello, I'm Bern. I'm so glad you're here.

My life has been, and continues to be, a deep journey of healing; a gentle unfolding of shedding old beliefs, moving through loss, and learning to live with authenticity and compassion. At the heart of it all, I'm a mum to three beautiful children: two earth side, and one in the stars. My family and I carry the grief of losing our son, the identical twin of our eldest, at 30 weeks in utero. This loss, and others I've lived through, has brought unexpected and profound meaning to my life, and softened me in ways I couldn't have imagined.

My husband and I have been together for over twenty years. Our relationship has had its highs and lows, its moments of clarity and its moments of redirection, but at the heart of it, we keep choosing each other. We hold up a mirror for one another often, and that means our connection continually invites us to grow, to look inward, and to see ourselves more clearly. Sometimes that's confronting. It's always, ultimately, tender and transformative.

For many years I worked in hospitality, and it shaped me in ways I still carry with me today. I owned a cafe for a time, and it became something more than a place to grab a coffee — locals would come in and, over time, it became a kind of informal support system, a place where people felt safe enough to share what they were going through and find a little resonance with others doing the same. I also learned how to be with all different kinds of people, meeting each person as they were, without judgement. Those skills, presence, listening, and the ability to meet people exactly where they are, have become the foundation of how I show up in my therapeutic work now.

My own healing journey began when debilitating anxiety brought me to a standstill, an internal reckoning, born from long-unprocessed trauma I had spent years quietly avoiding. I didn't just avoid it, I numbed it, I had my vices, and I tried to run from the anxiety, until eventually, it caught up with me. In that tender, critical time, I found a therapist who introduced me to compassionate counselling, sand play therapy, art therapy, gestalt therapy, and talk therapy. Part of my healing involved revisiting artwork I'd made as a teenager, and it became a powerful gateway into self-discovery, emotional processing, and ultimately, coming home to myself.

It was a turning point that shifted the entire course of my life.

Along the way, I have been guided by a deeply wise soul, a true earth angel, who helped me connect with something greater than myself, and align my awareness with truth and love.

Today, I blend my lived experience with professional training to hold a compassionate, creative space for others. Through an integrated arts therapy approach, I support people in expressing their emotions, exploring their stories, and reconnecting with their inner strength. I know, from my own life, how easy it is to lose your sense of self in the wake of trauma and grief. I also understand the quiet, powerful ways we can find ourselves again. One of the truest lessons I've learned is that our perception is shaped by what we've lived through. When we gently shift our focus and learn to accept ourselves in our entirety, we begin to transform our reality.

This work is rooted in a simple belief close to my heart: that being truly heard and witnessed is where healing begins. Wherever you are on your path, I'd be honoured to walk it with you, gently, one step at a time, through the transformative power of creative inquiry.