Kurtiss Trowbridge Counselling MA

Description

The decision to seek support from a counselor is often not an easy one. Typically it is made when an individual faces some form of conflict or challenge that has gotten to a point where they no longer feel as though they can continue to manage it alone. Even once the decision has been made to seek support, individuals can experience a great deal of fear or unease around going into speak with someone about vulnerable emotions or situations. Kurtiss recognizes the strength and courage that it takes for one to reach out to another to ask for help. It is because of this recognition that Kurtiss works from a framework of empowerment to help clients uncover their own inherent strengths and abilities. In most cases, the solution to our troubles lies within, however the journey to uncovering these solution is one that many people struggle to walk alone.
Kurtiss has many years of experience working with individuals who are facing a multitude of issues, including depression and anxiety, grief and loss, life transitions and relationship challenges. He has worked closely with members of the LGBTQ community as well as those who are navigating the complexities of an HIV diagnosis. As an openly gay man who is active in his community, he is sensitive to the unique experiences of his clients, and strives to work from an anti-oppressive framework. Through many years of working with agencies such as David Kelly Counseling Services providing counseling to the LGBTQ community, as well as facilitating groups with AIDS Committee of Toronto, he has come to recognize the role that discrimination may play in the lives of clients, as well as the various ways that discrimination shapes a person's identity and may further complicate their struggles. Kurtiss is a highly intuitive counselor who is able to make clients feel at ease. He is able to listen attentively, without judgement, and is able to connect what clients are saying with how they are feeling. He also believes that humour is an essential part of life and endeavours to bring laughter into his session whenever possible and appropriate. Often, when clients first come in to see a counselor they are seeking answers to the question of why: “Why do I feel the way I do?”, “Why can’t I just be happy?” Kurtiss takes an existential viewpoint on life’s difficulties; in that suffering is part of the human experience. Despite this recognition, this does not mean that we must suffer alone, or suffer needlessly. Nor does this inevitability mean that we are not deserving of feeling happiness or joy in our lives. Kurtiss works to establish a strong therapeutic relationship with his clients where they can come to feel that they can trust him to hold their difficult emotions and experiences. Through this, clients gain a deeper awareness as to how the focus can shift from seeking answers to why, into more hopeful questions of “how”; such as “How do I continue on despite these difficulties”, or “How do these emotions serve me, and how do I move on from them?” Kurtiss completed a Masters of Counselling Psychology degree from Yorkville University and holds an active status as a member of the Ontario Association of Consultants, Counsellors, Psychometrists, and Psychotherapists (OACCPP). Coming from a Distress Centre background, Kurtiss has developed his active listening abilities and is attuned to signs of risk that may be present within his clients. He utilizes an integrative framework and draws on techniques from various frameworks such as narrative therapy, mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy.