Therapsil and Psychedelic Therapy

I have been so grateful to spend the last week with the organization Therapsil, a not for profit agency seeking to expand access to psychedelic assisted therapy (primarily for folks at end of life and more broadly for people experiencing mental health, substance use and trauma-related concerns).

Through my process this week I am working to become a credentialed associate with Therapsil, certified to work with clients engaging in legal psychedelic treatments. As we know psilocibyn is currently controlled under the Canadian Controlled Substances Act however some exemptions can be made and clinical trials are becoming more available to Canadians seeking to access this treatment resource.

At this time I am glad to support people seeking integration of psychedelic experiences and will continue to post updates on Therapsil’s progress advancing legal access.

New Project Underway!

I am so pleased to share that I will be working alongside the Nanaimo Community Action Team and Island Health to develop and advance a new public service campaign. In My Chair is a campaign aimed at equipping customer service providers including barbers, tattoo artists, servers, drivers, personal trainers and others who may be engaged with customers involved with substances and/or impacted by substance use. With the enduring toxic drug crisis contributing to such catastrophic loss of life, this campaign seeks to broaden our system of care be supporting compassionate, informed, and stigma-free conversations that really meet people where they are at.

Please email stephaniemccunecounselling@gmail.com for more information and stay posted for updates.

Wisdom of Trauma March 10th Nanaimo

I look forward to watching this important film with the Nanaimo community March 10th. Dr. Gabor Mate brings viewers into multiple ways of knowing and understanding trauma that invite reflections on broader societal structures, individual adaptations and responses to suffering, and opportunities for holding compassion. I am humbled to join the panel discussion following the screening and am glad to share in what dialogue ensues.

Tickets are available and proceeds benefit Youth 20/20 Can and Volunteer Nanaimo

“Trauma is not what happens to you. Trauma is what happens inside you, as a result of what happens to you.” — Gabor Maté

The screening is on March 10, 2023, at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre. Doors will open at 5 PM, and the event will start at 5:30 PM.

Tickets are 10 and can be purchased by visiting https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-wisdom-of-trauma-movie-screening-panel-discussion-tickets-529730336697

Wisdom of Trauma Trailer

Navigating Change

"You cannot swim for new horizons until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore"   - William Faulkner

I am very excited to shift my counselling and consulting practice under the banner of my own name. I look forward to continuing to support people and walking alongside my clients.

Change can be brilliantly invigorating, promising new adventures, experiences, and life transitions. AND change can be incredibly scary, presenting uncertainty, instability, confusion, and chaos. Change is often not one or the other--both the exhilaration of something new can go hand in hand with the fear of not knowing what’s to come. We are always engaged in a change process.  Whether we are shifting with the changing seasons, welcoming a new family member, starting a new career, adjusting to the loss of a loved one, committing to a new eating or exercise regime, ending a relationship, leaving a familiar home, or processing a diagnosis. Regardless of what changes we face, human beings demonstrate tremendous resiliency in our ongoing and endless efforts to shift, adjust, and adapt.

As I engage in this new change and continue to support people in their own change process, I share some of the work of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute. The resource below offers many tangible ways to invite the body to rest and regulate so as to foster internal states of resilience during times of change.

Think of a time when you were very proud of the various ways you handled change and moved beyond what you thought was your capacity to shift and adjust.

What was happening? Who was involved? What was it that allowed you to overcome this difficult change? What have you come to value the most about your own ability to navigate the major changes you have encountered in your life’s journey so far?