“Karina uses a strategy which is new, and we highly recommend her as a counselor. Because her way and structure of her sessions is just unique.” ..
“Karina trained me in mindfulness. She educated me on neurological changes that occur in the brain both related to the trauma and the resulting addiction behavior."
Therapy Styles
We employ a range of therapeutic styles, grounded in an Adlerian framework, but adapted for you in a personalized approach. Of course not all may be used but we draw from a rich palette, based on years of experience.
Individual In-Depth Therapy
You’ll have the opportunity to explore in-depth, in a highly personalized approach, how your upbringing shapes your selection of profession, relationships, safety and way of being in the world.
Separation or Divorce Recovery
This is one of the most challenging and often traumatic life transitions many of us face. We can help you explore and understand the events shaping your situation and decision-making concerns either before, during or after you may separate or divorce. And many of us have been there, so our guidance is from a place of personal knowledge and compassion.
Trauma-Based Approach
Personal stories are many, but you will likely uncover one key childhood event that has shaped your orientation towards life. The exploration of such an event, often unconscious and traumatic, can often be a revelation in your path to greater self-discovery. And we’ll be by your side helping walk this critical part of your healing process.
Attachment Styles
We’ll help you gain understanding about various attachment styles and the impact they have on all your relationships.
Mindfulness
With a strong foundation in research, mindfulness is one of the most popular approaches to stress management, emotional centredness and enhanced performance. We love mindfulness and can be caught doing it anywhere: online or in-person
Self-Regulating Techniques
Using the techniques of Body Scan and Mindfulness, you’ll explore the sensations wired in your nervous system, develop a heightened awareness of them and learn ways to self-regulate your emotions and conduct.
Emotional Regulation
Through the use of conversation, writing and drawing we’ll help you to gain deeper knowledge of your emotional repertoire. Then through breath work, physical exercises and lake flotation, you’ll learn to develop a broader set of emotional responses.
Narrative Therapy
As you visit themes in your work, you’ll have the opportunity to use journaling as a device to explore and develop insight about your life story. Our past clients have said they found this, surprisingly, to be a powerful healing tool. And you can easily continue this practice when you return home.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT techniques are very useful to help us uncover our perceptions and “private logic”. Through these exercises you’ll discover some of your preferred thought and belief patterns and look at ways that they might not serve you well. Then, you’ll have the opportunity to develop some new ones that can better support your goals for healing and for Recovery.
Motivational Counselling
We’ll focus on the positive in this approach with you. For example, what works well for you at home, in the community or at work. By reflecting on these aspects, instead of the negative, you’ll have the opportunity to further validate yourself as someone who can overcome their addictions or other challenges.
Latin Dance Moves
For those In-Person guests who wish to learn or polish what they know, Karina will show you the moves, dancing to the clave beat. Free yourself and enjoy her private lessons in Afro-Cuban and Dominican dance styles, AKA Salsa. Lots of laughter, exercise and fun to lighten your day!
Contact Movement for Couples
Whether indoors or outside overlooking the water at the Retreat, you can let yourself go free and dance up a storm to the clave beat. Release energies, have fun and come together anew with your partner.
Culturally Sensitive to BIPOC Clients
Karina and Maria are originally from Chile and the Dominican Republic respectively. As such they are personally highly aware of the need to understand and respect our clients’ racial, ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity for those who may identify as black, indigenous or people of colour (BIPOC).
“Karina specializes in Trauma therapy. She analyzed every piece of my life experience and trauma and gave feedback helping me to understand how the traumatic experiences actually rewired my brain, creating unconscious and conscious loops of thoughts and vivid memories that I couldn't control from clouding my brain every minute of the day.”
For Our In-Person
Recovery Guests:
We provide a coherent and engaging blend of the above evidence-based non 12-Step therapies to help you understand your addictions and related behaviors, as well as co-occurring mental health issues such as trauma, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder (including eating disorders). In doing so, we are able to help you address the underlying causes of your addiction to prepare you for a transformational journey to new beginnings, addictions-free.
“We are a family again, and learned because of Karina, how to communicate better, to express our feelings and not suppress anything.“
“Your sharing of your love and understanding of the healing aspect of the ocean has also been invaluable.”
In addition to the therapy styles mentioned above, we offer:
Ocean/Lake Therapy
An innovative Clave Therapy offering, led by Karina. We’re blessed with the beautiful deep blue fresh waters of Georgian Bay at our doorstep. During morning Beach time and on weekends, you’ll experience the restorative aroma of the lake air while you float in the healing water. Karina leads a unique sequence of activities that can help you release certain brain chemicals to lower anxiety, stress and bodily aches and pains. Did you know there’s a growing body of research documenting the powerful spiritual and physical benefits of being “in the blue”?
Art Therapy
Whether you feel you have a “talent” for art or not, doesn’t matter. We offer a selection of fun and creative activities using simple materials and methods for you to express yourself. And hey, if you do have an artistic bent, who knows, we might see you at the local crafts market hawking your wares;)
Group Work for Losers!
Are you serious? Yes we are. That humorous name for group work was created by a number of past guests when we were doing sessions together. Instead of just seriously focusing on all the hard stuff, we had a lot of laughter (and tears) as they shared their very painful stories. And these were folks who often had high-powered jobs with lots of stress…and seriousness… in their professional and personal lives. Together we’re able to laugh at ourselves, release many emotions, and support each other as we realize we’re not alone on the journey to recovery.
Healing Drum Circle
Remember when you were a kid? Release pent-up anger, feel joy, explore sound and rhythm, and share in the power of community. No experience necessary. None. You don’t even have to be able to count! Just feel the vibe while Graham coaches you on percussion instruments and a variety of drums. We learn to play the simple clave beat grooves, have a lot of fun, release our emotions and laugh. And we’ll even create our own “camp drumbeat”!
Exposure Therapy and Adventure Excursions
The Retreat, located on the Bruce Peninsula, has a lot of natural beauty to explore as it’s part of the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve. And there are a number of local towns with a variety of things to do and see as well as local shopping.
Through our wide range of interesting excursions, you’ll have the opportunity to choose, if you’re ready, to expose your triggers with activities in the community. On returning from an excursion, you’ll have the opportunity to see how well you’ve developed your own internal strength to cope better.
Relapse Prevention Program
During the last part of your stay, we’ll work together to create a customized set of tools designed to equip you with practical skills as well as life management plans to remain addictions-free in your return home.
“Karina recognized in me the therapeutic benefit of going to the beach at sunrise.”
“I remembered journaling each day, more and more from my childhood, suppressed feelings, which I needed to let go now, appeared. Feelings, which have not been there so clear before.“