Welcome to City Centre Counselling. I'm glad you're here.
I'm Allyson Honig
As a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) and with over 20 years of front-line experience supporting clients combined with my own personal challenges and successes in life, I bring insight, compassion, and real-life understanding into the counselling space.
Your Story
Many of us move through the world unaware of how much of our personal story - our beliefs about ourselves, our values, how we think and make decisions, our ability to cope, and how we relate to others – is shaped by our earlier life experiences and personal histories.
Often, growing up in a complicated family, experiencing a distressing life event, or trauma can leave us questioning ourselves and make it difficult to feel safe or to trust others. And we struggle.
We struggle in our intimate relationships. We struggle to parent effectively. We struggle with our friends and family. We struggle to feel satisfied, often feeling something is missing from our lives. Although the details of your life may be different, the feelings of frustration, confusion, loss and loneliness may be all too familiar.
The good news is these feelings aren't a sign of weakness or inadequacy, and nothing is wrong with you. Your human, we all struggle when our ability to accommodate something that has happened is deeply challenged.
At City Centre Counselling, I'm committed to create a welcoming and safe space so that, together, we can identify and work toward the changes you seek in your life, while providing you with the skills and tools to become more mindful, resilient, and compassionate towards yourself and others.
How I Can Help
My approach to counselling is simple. With warmth, curiosity, experience, and intention, I'll help you take a step back and look at the big picture; gaining perspective changes what you see.
I believe that "negative life events may shape us but they don't define us!"
Together we'll explore how your past influences your present situation, identify what is holding you back, as well, identify what is working and think in terms of how you want to grow. It's like your mental health 'to-do' list.
Do you want to become more patient and understanding... better able to set boundaries and say no... or become more proactive rather than reactive?
Once we've gained this insight, we'll co-create a plan and find ways that best support you to move toward your counselling goals, helping you to become who you would like, wish, and hope to be.
Given the diversity of each person's story, I use an integrative approach, drawing from several therapeutic modalities, which may include attachment theory, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), family systems therapy, emotion-focused therapy, dialectal behavioural therapy (DBT), narrative therapy, and positive or strength-based psychology.
In all cases, City Centre Counselling is trauma informed, culturally responsive, open, and affirmative, supportive to people of all genders, sexual orientations, backgrounds, ethnicities, and religious practices.
Give yourself permission to take care of you!
