Gifted Minds was founded to provide individual counselling and parental coaching that’s just a little exceptional. It begins on the foundational understanding that we don’t all have the same brains and nervous systems, much less experiences that have “trained” us all to react to the world similarly. This way, our needs in counselling and psychotherapy will be unique to each of us.
Taking a Sensitive & Compassionate Approach
It can be a scary first step to approach a mental health professional for the first time. Or, some people may find their first experience involuntary–when they’re sent to see the school counsellor!
Gifted Minds offers a safe space–one dedicated to the well-being of your child, adolescent, or yourself, without using harsh judgment or shame. And where neurodiversity may be involved, it’s even more important for a counsellor and therapist to remain open, curious, flexible, attentive, and informed–and free of negative assumptions.
What Gifted Minds Can Provide
Child & Adolescent Counselling for:
- Anxiety / Depression
- School Stress or Refusal
- Anger / Tantrums / Meltdowns
- Academic Motivation
- Focus / Attention Challenges
- Time Management
- Social skills
- Self-Regulation
Adult / Individual Counselling & Therapy for:
- Anxiety / Depression
- Stress & Burnout
- Parental Coaching
- Counselling for late diagnoses of ASD or ADHD
- Complex / Relational Trauma
- Negative Self-Talk & Rumination
Who Am I?
My name is Janet and I have a Master of Counselling with a focus on Child & Youth-Centred Therapy. Before going into full-time counselling, I spent time in different fields: I worked in publishing and was a Technology columnist for Think+ Science (a science magazine for Southeast Asian teens) and the editor for Big Magazine–a literary magazine for 8- to 11-year-olds. I also worked in after-school enrichment and museum-based education, coaching young people in creative writing and engaging them with puzzles, mazes, and self-reflective exercises.
I’ve always been a multipotentialite who has spent time in many creative and learning spaces, and this has given me an edge for spotting high-ability, gifted, and other neurodiverse children and adults. My tools have also come from community work–including time spent volunteering with MCCYS for the Well-Being Circles, with EQUAL for equine-assisted learning, and from providing counselling and psychoeducation within the local arts community.
If you feel I might be the right counsellor or therapist for you, please get in touch.
