Two years ago, almost to the day, I met with Charlie for the first time. I was entering my third year of university and varsity athletics, and yet navigating an entirely new relationship with my physical and mental health due to COVID-19. Even with an extensive support network, I felt alone, overwhelmed, and scared, and unable to fully open up to those I normally turned to.
Immediately upon talking with Charlie, I felt a connection; he was warm, patient, and much kinder to me than I was to myself. Unlike my personal supports, he held an objective and professional perspective, and provided strategies to help me work through my challenges. For around nine months I met with Charlie weekly, as he guided me to greater understanding and self-compassion while I shaped a healthier path forward. He was never overbearing, yet did not hesitate to undertake a firmer role if things seemed to escalate rather than progress. Charlie's counsel was pivotal in bringing me where I am today, to a heightened awareness of my mental health and the tools I use to maintain it. However, it is the depth of his genuine care that I will always remember most. Thank you, Charlie.
I met Charlie when I was a Student-Athlete at Simon Fraser University, struggling with self image and issues around Sport Performance. I have worked with Charlie over the past three years, and in that timespan I went from student-athlete to student, and through many other evolutions of self in between. The growth and change I experienced would look very different if I had not been able to work with Charlie. As a counsellor, Charlie was a sounding board for my thoughts and ideas, as well as a safe place for my emotions to be expressed. I was given strategies to help target smaller daily obstacles such as anxiety and insomnia, but also was able to bring big picture concepts to the table and work through them layer by layer. All of which were met with patience , understanding, and without judgment.
I consistently felt heard. With Charlie I was able to understand my own self, and learn to observe my emotions and experiences from a lens of growth and compassion.
The time I have spent working with Charlie has been invaluable, and I will look back at this chapter with gratitude for the guidance in what at the time felt like overwhelming obstacles in my life