INDIVIDUAL, COUPLE & FAMILY THERAPIST
J
Vancouver, BC ● (250) 552-0025
ay Brotherton MA
"We all can feel stuck or out of balance from time to time. When we are suffering or want to work towards change in our lives, it takes courage to share what’s on our minds and in our hearts – this can lead to acknowledgement, relief, healing, inspiration, motivation, development, accomplishment and, ultimately, transformation. In my role as a counsellor, I feel quite privileged to offer clients the time and space necessary to learn how to ease into these more productive, more harmonious and healthier ways of living, loving, connecting and being."
About Me
Working with children, youth, adults, elders, couples, parents and families in the fields of mental health, education and recreation since 1995, I'm honoured to continue journeying alongside others on their paths back to wholeness and wellness. As an individual, couple and family therapist, I view counselling as a powerful tool for personal transformation and social cohesion as clients seek to bring about healing and change in themselves and in their relationships.
I am a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) in good standing with the Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) and have a Master of Arts in “Spiritual Care & Psychotherapy”.
Specialisations
Romantic & Family
Relationships
With enthusiasm, openness, sensitivity and compassion, Jay facilitates a genuine dialogue of caring connectivity, understanding, reciprocity and mutual acknowledgement between romantic partners and family members. This often leads into an exploration of communication styles, active listening skills and consequently the ways in which we can sometimes unintentionally miscommunicate, mis-interpret or invalidate as well as be misinterpreted or invalidated.
Grief &
Loss
Death, dying, aging, abuse, estranged family members, failed partnerships, major illnesses, physical injuries, job cessation and social injustices high-light just some of the many significant losses most of us will eventually endure over the course of a lifetimes. Jay aims to help clients move from a place of devastation to peace-ful integration of these very painful events/ situations while also helping each client to discover and honour their own authentic grieving style.
Indigenous
Persons
Jay has been building trusting relationships with indigenous Canadians for the last 7 years, recognising the immense resilience of Canada's First Nations, Inuit and Métis populations as well as the compassion, respect and sensitivity all persons deserve. He currently offers counsel-ling through the First Nation Health Authority (FNHA). If you are First Nations, Inuit or Métis, you may qualify for FNHA mental health benefits with Jay and can contact him directly.
Men's Issues
Despite how the world may otherwise view them, Jay believes in men's inherent goodness and earnestness, recognising that men desire wholeness, feel deeply about their lives and care deeply about others. So, whether it's pursuing work/life balance or bettering relationships, Jay appreciates how important it is for men wanting to integrate all aspects of who they are and for men wanting to explore the potential for stronger, more intentional bonds.
Parenting
As a registered early childhood educator (RECE, in good standing with the College of Early Childhood Educators (CECE), as a youth recreation facilitator and in his current role as a family therapist, Jay has routinely worked with parents/ guardians on a variety of topics, from behaviour management with toddlers to post-secondary options for teens. He especially enjoys discussing multi-generational communication strategies, exploring not just how to talk to kids so that they will listen but how to listen to kids so that they will talk.
LGBT2S Persons
Jay understands well the specific issues that lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and two-spirit folks face, which is often in addition to regular life struggles experienced by the general population. And so, he is quick to acknowledge the ongoing challenges of having to navigate these added (yet under-estimated) stressors while creating a safe/ non-judgemental space for LGBTQ2S persons to unload. Lastly, Jay is careful to highlight the specialness of every LGBTQ2S client's gifts as well as applaud their determination to continue to lead lives of congruency, self-acceptance and inspiration.
Whole-Self Care
Jay works diligently with clients to nurture, express and exercise all aspects of self regularly in their lives, understanding that balance is achieved quite differently from one person to another and approaching self-care as an ongoing, ‘whole’-istic lifestyle orientation.
Self-Assertiveness
Acknowledging how conscious and unconscious emotions reflect our deepest needs, Jay assists individuals in acknowledging and then effectively voicing these emotions/ needs in order to promote a sense of self-validation, congruence, authenticity and self-advocacy in their lives.
Anxiety & Depression
Informed by personal meditative practice, by mindfulness approaches, by his yoga teacher training (YTT)/ certification and by further yogic studies, Jay recognises the benefits of quieting, concentrating and centering the mind. He teaches various grounding and relaxation techniques to guide clients to exist beyond depressing, obsessive or anxious thoughts that can overwhelm us.