Meet Stephanie
In case you didn’t know, Broken Gold Counseling is expanding. At the end of last year, we welcomed Stephanie Card, MSW, RSW, to our practice. Stephanie brings decades of experience in mental health and is passionate about helping clients across diverse backgrounds. She works with neurodivergent clients, those experiencing stress from relationships, struggling with self-acceptance, and those who may be dealing with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Stephanie is working towards completing her Gottman Level 1 &2 training and will soon be offering couples counselling.
I sat down with Stephanie to ask her more about herself and her therapy style. Read on to get to know Stephanie better…
Welcome to Broken Gold Counseling, Stephanie! I am so excited for you to join the team. Why don’t you introduce yourself to our readers and share a little bit about yourself.
Thank you, Audra, for welcoming me to Broken Gold. I can’t wait to get started.
Like everyone, I have many roles and identities that shift and change overtime and it’s hard to sum up who I am in a little blurb. I spend time with my family, and close friends mostly cozied up having interesting conversations preferably with a cat on my lap (doggos are good too). I took up skiing during the 2020 season; totally self-taught and it shows 😊. I really enjoy walks/hikes in forested areas and feel comforted when the mountains are visible in the west.
What are your top 3 favorite things about being a therapist?
I like to witness people getting traction and making moves toward a life that serves them better.
Connecting with people learning their idiosyncrasies and getting to know their stories.
Novelty, even if the issue is well known to me, each person and circumstance, brings space for creativity and a unique relationship.
You use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as part of your work with clients. What do you like about this modality?
There is a lot to like about it. I am most draw to the flexibility, workability and acceptance of difficult or unpleasant thoughts and feelings. The model includes many activities that encourage positive behavioural changes (including private behaviours such as thought or feelings) that ultimately enhances a person’s connection to their values and desired life through skills development. Most importantly, for me, ACT acknowledges and encourages us to see ourselves as whole beings even when we are disconnected from our values.
If you could only eat one-snack for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The hummus from Jerusalem restaurant on saltine crackers. The hummus is smooth and creamy. It feels cool on the tongue and melts as you savour it. The saltines are crispy and salty and remind me of my grandma. I ask them every time when I pick it up what the secret is, they said it’s love, I suspect it is more oil, but I’ll never know for sure.
As social workers and therapists, we are required to regularly learn by staying up to date on new treatments and maintain our professional development. Can you share a couple of professional development activities that you are planning on completing in 2025?
I will be taking on EMDR training. Trauma abounds in our lives. I would like to offer some cutting-edge/evidence-based support for people. I love that it does not require the person to disclose every detail of the trauma and appears to be effective in providing some relief from somatic (body) symptoms. I will, of course, know more once I have taken the training.
If you can think about your dream client, what sort of characteristics do they bring to therapy?
I don’t have dream client, rather a dream relationship with my clients. Therapy is so dependent on mutual respect, trust and confidence that in my dreams we will craft that kind of relationship together over time. It is the most powerful tool in my toolbox. This would mean being able to be yourself, be vulnerable and assertive in our work. I would never expect this to happen immediately and enjoy the process of relationship building. I genuinely love it when people feel they can tell me when something didn’t work like they thought , wish I had approached something differently or any feedback regardless of how flattering or difficult it may be.
If you weren’t a therapist, and money didn’t matter, what would you do for a living?
A baker. Think about it. You would smell delicious, get to be a part of people’s special moments, move around all day, and get to be creative. Better yet, when I make mistakes, like we all do, I can eat them! I think it’s fun that we can take un-yummy ingredients combine them, add heat and voila, bread!
So, I hear that you like to spend some of your free time crafting. Can you share some of your latest creations?
I feel like the term “crafting” is too strong a description. When my kids were little, I loved finding silly activities like potato stamps, slime and cinnamon ornaments. I still like a little afternoon project, like learning to crochet a dishrag or glue pinecones together to make a gnome. Stay tuned, I’ll show and share.
Well, I, for one, cannot wait to see these craft projects. Who doesn’t love a pine coned gnome? Thanks, Stephanie!
Other things to know about Stephanie:
She sees clients virtually and in-person out of our Inglewood location
She does support those with disabilities with more cost-effective therapy through our Golden-Giving program.
She is currently accepting clients!
Book a consultation with Stephanie to see if she is the right fit for you!
