Our Team
Megan Farnel
I believe…
I believe that the world, including our mental health, is shaped by stories. As individuals, I feel there is nothing more powerful than the moments when we claim ownership over our stories, share them with trusted individuals, and recognize our own agency and power to change them. I am particularly invested in what I call whole stories for whole people; health and wellness involves a series of intersecting systems that I feel are best addressed in concert.
As a mental health professional, I believe it is my role to hold space for and honour the stories of every client with whom I am privileged to work. While I believe that all people can make their stories more aligned with their values and goals, I do not believe that everyone can or should have the same story. Rather than trying to make each person’s narrative fit a single mold or template, I aim to provide treatment that centres where each individual has been, and where they wish to be.
Part of honouring the uniqueness of everyone’s journey means recognizing, validating, and celebrating the diversity of our lived experiences. I believe that my clients are the experts in their own lives. In order to be effective, therapy must be responsive to the personal and sociocultural elements that shape their understanding of what mental health and wellness look and feel like.
My approach…
I approach all therapy from a trauma-informed and strengths-based perspective. I believe that all individuals have the capacity to create meaningful change in their lives, and I employ an eclectic range of theories and modalities to support those efforts. I am particularly interested in narrative, emotion-focused, Alderian, and existential approaches, though I also draw on some strategies from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT).
Ultimately, every treatment plan I generate is a collaborative effort between myself and the individuals with whom I work. Not every strategy or theory will resonate with every client, and it is essential that the chosen approach ‘fits’ the individual. I welcome and will solicit feedback from clients to ensure they are getting the most that they can out of our work together.
My background…
I obtained my first two degrees in English, with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. After teaching and working in these fields for close to a decade, and seeing how often mental health issues served as a barrier to students, I became interested in supporting the mental wellness of my community more directly. I then entered Yorkville’s Masters of Arts in Counselling Psychology program, where I have finished my coursework and am now working toward the completion of my practicum.
I am also certified as a Fertility Doula through Doula School Canada. In this role I work to support individuals and families who are trying, and often struggling, to grow their families. These journeys can be long and trying ones filled with grief, loss, and trauma, and I do have a long-term interest in joining this work to my role as a counsellor by providing reproductive mental health care.