Joy Friesen

Joy has over ten years of experience supporting children, adolescents, adults, and families. She can help you develop coping skills to better manage your anxiety and also provides support for those experiencing challenges of psychosis. She can also help you adjust to life transitions such as a loss, a new job, new school, or new responsibilities. She can help you reframe your thoughts, see your own worth and skills, and regain control of your life by shifting to a solution-focused mindset.

Joy also supports people to strengthen relationships with themselves and each other. She can help you address feelings of being unheard, unappreciated, or disconnected, and support you to develop healthy communication skills. Joy is warm, caring, and non-judgmental. She believes that you are the expert of your own life. Joy will help you develop resilience, as she believes it is one of the best tools for mental health. 

Joy identifies as a person of colour and is passionate about advocating for social justice, marginalization, and oppression. Joy uses trauma-informed motivational interviewing, as well as cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, internal family systems therapy, solution-focused therapy, and mindfulness in sessions.

Joy grew up in a country where mental health is not acknowledged. Joy saw some of her family members struggle with mental illness but didn’t receive support. Joy wants to break that pattern in her own family and beyond by shifting from shame to empowerment. She may not be able to change the past but she is ready to influence the future.