About Carol Yu Crockford
Registered Therapeutic Counsellor, Coquitlam
Carol’s approach in counselling is a combination of Gestalt Therapy (Existential Therapy oriented), IBAT (Integrated Body Awareness Therapy), and CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy). She also constantly updates her knowledge by reviewing the latest research in neuroscience and integrates it into her therapeutic work.
Carol is an immigrant from a collective culture. She has personal experience in cultural repression and marginalization, gender repression, divorce, separation from her child, loss and grief, and clinical depression. She has a resilient and persistent spirit. Through her study to become a counsellor therapist, she removed many stumbling blocks, expanded her awareness, and recovered from depression. She learned the true meaning of home, friends, community, and connection. She appreciates life as it truly is and sees beauty and strength in all the people that are pulled to her.
Carol runs a weekly (Mood Disorders Association of BC (MDABC) peer support group in the Tri-Cities area as a volunteer. She delivered a youth workshop on mindfulness as a volunteer for the Crisis Centre. She is also a teacher and loves working and connecting with children.
How it works in the therapy room
Therapy is a collaborative process which requires both the counsellor and the client to pull their own weight. Establishing a positive rapport with the client is the key to success. From setting up goals to assessing progress, the therapist constantly works on the relationship with the clients. Because all psychological injuries occur within relationships, they can only be healed within a relationship.
As a client, you decide what you want to work on and how deep you want to go. The therapist suggests what tools you might need at a certain point and respects your decisions in each step.
Once a certain level of trust has been built, the therapist focuses on helping you expand your awareness. That includes your awareness of your thoughts, feelings, sensations, and physical manifestations. Gradually, you will be able to notice certain undercurrents to your mental, emotional, and physical processes. This expanded awareness then provides opportunities for growth.
Therapy is about learning - about yourself and about new coping skills. During the therapeutic process, the therapist will deliver new skills that the client needs - when they need it. To learn is to discover what is already there and what is possible. Everyone deserves to be understood and accepted. Everything we do, we do for a reason. Once we understand and accept ourselves without judgement, we are able to abandon our old behaviours and release the hidden creativity inside.