"The more we give our inner voice a platform to be our guide, the more we generate feelings of inner worth and trust that we are enough." ~ Leigh

Pause. Feel. Tune in. Welcome the triggers and feel into alignment with your true self. Your heart knows the way. I strongly believe that when we can go inward and create space to know and turn towards our true self, that this provides the ultimate platform for healing to take place. In my work with each client, I strive to provide a safe space that fosters this intuitive ability for growth and healing. One that brings you closer to your authentic self. At the same time, I hold high regard for the energetic presence that I bring to each session. This involves an empathic, trauma-informed and non-judgemental approach that is accepting and genuine with each client.

This counselling journey is particularly for those who feel at the whim of their emotions~ disconnected, lost, alone, anxious, overwhelmed, uncertain, sad or depressed, and stressed. There are often experiences of self-doubt, self-criticism, and a strong desire to feel better to feel good enough. Patterns of using food (perhaps unknowingly) to cope and feel better may also exist.

I provide counselling to adults (age 18 and over) wanting to address difficulties related, but not limited to:
Life Transitions
Motherhood, parenting
Relationship to Self (self-esteem, self-worth)
Interpersonal Relationships (partners, children, family members, colleagues ect.)
Mood & Anxiety
Stress
Emotional Eating
Health & Nutrition

It is important to highlight that I do not work with any clients who are seeking treatment for a diagnosed eating disorder. This is not to say that if a client has an eating disorder history that we cannot work together. It means that at the time of our first meeting, clients must have already completed therapy or a treatment program specific to their eating disorder, and have been in the maintenance phase of recovery for at least one year. I am also happy to have a brief consultation if there are specific questions in this regard.

I am a client-centred therapist. I see each client as the expert of their own experiences, and honour the strengths that each client carries within them. I work with conscious intention to see and hear you where you are today as we move collaboratively through therapy and draw from various therapeutic approaches.

I uniquely offer holistic nutrition services alongside use of best-practice modalities, including acceptance and commitment (ACT), solution-focused (SFT), emotion-focused (EFT), cognitive-behavioural (CBT), dialectical-behavioural (DBT), motivational interviewing (MI), and mindful emotional eating (MEE) therapies. I believe that it is important to understand what is at the root of our problems, and integrate nutrition to support and enhance biological, mental, emotional and spiritual wellness. Through this complimentary approach, I aim to guide clients home to themselves so they may feel a greater sense of inner connection and alignment, and live from a place of ease, confidence, and trust.

If you have landed here you are taking steps to love yourself boldly and to find what feels good. I look forward to meeting you soon!

I welcome you to connect with me to book a free consultation to find out if working together is the right fit for you, or to book your initial session! I welcome you to learn more about me and the work that I do here: https://www.leighberryco.com.

Trust your body to know what it needs to feel nourished.

We all want to do "the right thing" when it comes to healthy eating, but this can leave us controlling way too much and trusting not enough. We restrict, we obsess, we behave "good" all day following all of the "rules," plus maybe get a workout in just so we can feel less guilty about rewarding ourselves with some kind of “treat” at the end of a hard day. If this sounds like you, I promise you are not alone. Whether you experience preoccupations around dieting and food, body image, or turn towards food as means to cope with big emotions, in either case we seek the same thing. We want to feel better. And how you have been coping until now has been a means towards this goal.

This journey is for those who are ready to ditch the strict rules and negative self-talk around food. For those ready to say goodbye to emotional eating habits, or other behaviours surrounding food that are no longer serving them. We will create a nutrition plan that works for you because it feels good. Each client will receive an extensive health history review of dietary and lifestyle habits, a diet log, and individualized dietary, supplementation and lifestyle recommendations to address the primary concerns identified.

I believe it is important to understand what is at the root of our problems. I believe that we are all biochemically individual and unique. That what works for one person, may not work for another, and that we cannot fix or control our way to healthy eating or living for that matter. I believe that the body carries a lot of wisdom when it comes to its ability to communicate with us, including how it feels in relation to the food we eat.

In my work with clients, I strive to create a space that welcomes curiosity rather than rigidity around food. That fosters exploration of one’s relationship with food and builds trust in oneself to know what feels good. I work collaboratively with clients to educate about how to eat to support stress and balance mood, while also learning how to align with foods that work for them through exploring gentle elimination protocols. From a spiritual or energetic lens, I also guide clients to learn how they can use food to grow their connection to Self and actually raise their vibrational frequency.

I uniquely offer counselling services alongside holistic nutrition and strongly recommend that one-one or group therapy is explored to better integrate the wellness experience and optimize growth and healing. However, since everyone’s needs and experiences vary, I am happy to discuss receiving holistic nutrition services only during an individual consultation.

It is important to highlight that I do not work with any clients who are seeking treatment for a diagnosed eating disorder. This is not to say that if a client has an eating disorder history, or experiences a preoccupation with food and body, or disordered eating symptoms that we cannot work together. It means that I do not provide therapy specific to eating disorder treatment. I am available to discuss any questions or concerns in this regard during a client consultation.

Through this complimentary approach, I aim to guide clients home to themselves so they may feel a greater sense of inner connection and alignment, and live from a place of ease, confidence, and trust. If you have landed here, celebrate your curiosity. You are taking steps to love yourself boldly and find what feels good. I look forward to meeting you soon!

I welcome you to book a free consultation to find out if working together is the right fit for you! I welcome you to learn more about the work that I do here: https://www.leighberryco.com. To read more about my approach when it comes to holistic nutrition visit this post: https://www.leighberryco.com/ottawa-selfhelp-nutrition-blog/ditchrules-andrigidity-aroundfood