Karen Slater

BFA, CTP Diploma, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)

"it is a joy to be hidden, and a disaster not to be found."

Donald Winnicott

My Practice

My practice primarily draws upon the psychodynamic framework of psychotherapy. Psychodynamic therapy stems from the belief that we are governed by unconscious processes that have profound influences over our daily lives. When working with me, we will attempt to bring what has gone unspoken into consciousness and make sense of that which is known so that you can achieve meaningful and lasting change.

I am particularly interested in the way your experience manifests itself in your body. It is not uncommon for me to ask not only after your emotional and intellectual experience, but also your physical experience.

I am always resistant to saying what pathologies ("mental illnesses") I work with, as I find although certain traumas and diagnostic categories have similarities across the board, each individual's response can be quite unique. I have had training working with trauma, and have found that I have been the most useful for individuals who have experienced complex and cumulative traumas including: child abuse, sexual assault, suicidal ideation, dissociation, and PTSD.

I also have experience working with grief, men, experiences of loneliness, sexuality, chronic pain and people with hypochondriacal thoughts.

I am currently only accepting in-person clients. If you are interested in reaching out for an initial session to see if we might be a good fit, you may reach me at:

kslater@thecollaborative.ca

Grief

Although grief can certainly occur after the loss of a loved one, some grief is less obvious.

Grief can be evoked through abandonment, loss of employment, or a sense that one's life is not what it should have been - to name a few.

Trauma

I have worked with people who have experienced child abuse, sexual assault, PTSD, suicidal ideation, self harm, and dissociation.

Men

It may seem odd to include such a diverse group of people under one heading. I feel it is important as there is still stigma for many men associated with seeking help.

According to Statistics Canada, the suicide rate for men was three times higher than women in 2019.

"when it comes to talking about trauma, we always walk the delicate line between too much and not enough, between what is too explicit and what is secretive, what is traumatizing and what is repressed and thus remains in its raw, wordless form. We are usually caught in that binary between the two extremes because when it comes to trauma, regulation is always a challenge."

Galit Atlas

When is Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Recommended?

There are many different types of therapy out there. If any of the below statements apply to you, it might be worth giving it a try.

Persistant, Treatment-Resistant Issues

Perhaps you have tried CBT, DBT, etc. and have discovered some good coping strategies, but you feel you have not yet addressed the root of the problem.

Repeating Patterns of Behaviour that aren't Serving You

Perhaps you continually find yourself in relationships that are unsatisfying, or you notice friendships always seem to end in explosive ways and you're beginning to have a curiosity as to why that may be.

A Desire to Live more Expansively

Perhaps you have a feeling that you are not fully engaging with life, or that somehow something has become dulled over time.

Disproportionate Emotional Responses

Perhaps you find yourself weeping inexplicably during certain TV commercials, or you become filled with rage every time someone cuts you off in traffic. Sometimes these responses are logical reactions to the events occurring around us , sometimes they may be a hint that something is begging you to notice it.

My Training

CTP Diploma

I am a graduate of the training programme at the Centre for Training in Psychotherapy. CTP is an intensive training programme, designed to be completed in a minimum of six years. The first three years are designed to give the students a solid theoretical base covering a wide variety of clinical thought, as well as a strong focus on the ethical and moral obligations of the therapist. Alongside this theoretical approach is an equally strong focus on personal therapy. All students must have completed at least 80 hours of their own therapy before entering the programme. By the time CTP students are working with clients they've also engaged in at least 300 hours of intensive group therapy. By the time students are working with clients they have a strong sense of the vulnerabilities and challenges that come with deep personal work, as well as a great appreciation for how transformational the process of therapy can be.

Selected Training:

Foundations in Psychotherapy
- Sigmund Freud
- Sandor Ferenczi
- Attachment Theory
- Melanie Klein
- Pierre Janet and Trauma
- Intersubjectivity
Transference and Countertransference
Erotics of Sexuality
Dreams
D.W. Winnicott
Trauma
Risk Assessment

Inspiration

A list of books, podcasts, and shows that I am currently engaged with

Couples Therapy

Real-life couples therapy filmed and presented on Crave, with psychoanalyst Orna Gurlnik

Emotional Inheritance

A book by Galit Atlas about the rippling impacts of generational trauma and how that trauma can be passed down even (or perhaps especially) when it has never been spoken about.

Ordinary Unhappiness

A podcast self described as being about "psychoanalysis, politics, pop culture, and the ways we suffer now."

When the Sun Bursts

A book by Christopher Bolas about his vast experience working analytically with schizophrenic patients.

Three Associating

A look behind closed doors into the supervision process between a therapist and their supervisor

The Enigma of Desire

Another book by Galit Atlas - she manages to describe something enigmatic as only Galit can do.

Contact

kslater@thecollaborative.ca

206 Ontario St, Suite 210

Stratford Ontario

N5A 3H4

Please note : email communication should be used for non-urgent administrative purposes only.

If you are in crisis, please contact your local crisis line, or proceed to the nearest emergency department.

Email will be monitored during business hours, Monday-Friday

Rebecca Cuthbert

Maggie Blake

Consulting

(Coming Soon)

"Theories are not simply forms of perception. When practiced they become ethical decisions."

Christopher Bollas