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"The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as a I am,

then I can change" - Carl Rogers

Welcome

If you are feeling like life’s challenges are stressing you out, and getting in the way of you being the person you want to be, then you have come to the right place. KONECT COUNSELLING SERVICES can support you to a place of calm and help enact lasting change so you can know yourself as peaceful, complete, whole, and safe.

My Services

What is Counselling?

Counselling can help you identify and overcome the causes of your negative patterns, depression, and anxiety, and to create lasting change in the way you experience your life and relationships. Life throws many surprises at us, and while we cannot predict the outcome of any situation, we can take control of how we respond to certain situations. In counselling, you learn about acceptance and how to exert your power of choice over whatever life may throw your way. Discover how to:

Nurture relationships with yourself, friends, coworkers, and loved ones
Cope with stress, anxiety, and depression
Be mindful of enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning in life
Improve your love life by learning to develop intimacy and trust
Overcome addiction and self-destructive habits
Improve self-esteem and self-image

Learn to focus on what matters most across the three big life domains – self, relationships, and work. Use the necessary tools to facilitate change and maintain a flourishing and sustainable holistic life balance.

I integrate strength-based techniques to help clients achieve powerful change. Modalities I use include Client Centered Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, and Family Systems Therapy. I am also trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) interventions, Child and Adolescent Development, Trauma and Crisis, Cultural Diversity, Disordered Eating and Addiction.

Taking a goal-orientated approach places focus on a client’s present and future circumstances rather than past experiences. The therapy types I use help clients to envision their future, and offer skills, resources, and abilities needed to achieve that vision successfully.

I work with individuals who are experiencing:

anxiety
depression
self-esteem issues
trauma & loss
substance use issues
disordered eating
relationship difficulties
separation & divorce
issues with life transition

Exclusive Services for Dancers

As someone who has lived the intensity of professional dance from the inside, I understand the unique psychological landscape dancers and dance families navigate. The pursuit of artistic excellence creates specific challenges that general counselling approaches often miss - the perfectionism that drives both brilliance and burnout, the complex relationship with bodies that must be both instruments and homes, the pressure of competitive environments where comparison is constant, and the identity questions that arise when injury or transition changes everything.

The services below address the specific mental health needs of dancers and their families, drawing from both clinical expertise and lived experience in the dance world. Whether you're a dancer working through performance anxiety, a parent supporting your child's training, or a family finding balance around intensive dance commitment, counselling provides tools and frameworks that honor the real demands of dance while protecting long-term wellbeing.

Click each section to learn more about how counselling support can help.

For Dancers

PERFORMANCE STRESS AND ANXIETY: The pressure of auditions, competitions, and performances can create overwhelming anxiety that affects both artistry and wellbeing. Counselling provides tools for managing performance nerves, developing mental resilience, and maintaining artistic expression under pressure. We work on separating healthy preparation from debilitating perfectionism, and building sustainable practices for long-term artistic career health. DISORDERED EATING AND BODY IMAGE: The dance world's emphasis on aesthetics can create dangerous relationships with food and body. Counselling addresses these patterns while honoring the real demands of the art form - helping dancers develop sustainable nutrition practices, realistic body awareness, and freedom from the comparison trap that steals joy from movement itself. INJURY TRAUMA AND RECOVERY ANXIETY: Physical injury in dance carries unique psychological weight - the fear of losing ability, identity disruption, and the complicated grief of a body that can't do what it once could. Counselling supports dancers through acute injury crisis, rehabilitation anxiety, and the identity work of adapting to changed physical capacity. This includes processing the trauma of sudden injury and developing resilience for the reality that dance careers involve physical limits. COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT STRESS: The intensity of competitive dance environments - constant evaluation, comparison with peers, pressure from teachers and parents - creates chronic stress that affects mental health and artistic development. Counselling helps dancers develop healthy boundaries, maintain perspective, and build internal worth that isn't dependent on external validation or ranking.

For Parents of Dancers

DANCE EDUCATION GUIDANCE: Parents navigating their child's dance education often face complex decisions about training intensity, financial investment, and balancing artistic pursuit with overall wellbeing. Psychoeducation for parents provides understanding of healthy dance training progressions, red flags for concerning environments, and frameworks for supporting young dancers without creating unhealthy pressure. FAMILY SYSTEMS IN DANCE CONTEXT: When one family member pursues intensive dance training, it affects the entire family system. Counselling supports parents in maintaining family balance, addressing siblings' needs, managing financial stress, and creating sustainable family rhythms that honor both the dancer's commitment and everyone else's wellbeing.

Why Cousnelling Matters in Dance

The dance world has historically normalized certain patterns - perfectionism, pain tolerance, self-sacrifice - that can create lasting psychological harm. Professional counselling support helps dancers and families recognize the difference between healthy discipline and harmful patterns, develop sustainable practices, and address issues before they become crises. Early intervention prevents the escalation of disordered eating, manages performance anxiety before it becomes debilitating, and supports identity development that extends beyond dance itself. Having lived both the intensity of professional dance and the journey of psychological healing, I offer a unique understanding of these challenges from the inside out.

A Little About Me
Geraldine Potter MA, RCC, CCC

My journey into mental health has been shaped by diverse experiences across cultures, disciplines, and the full spectrum of human challenge. What I've learned is that healing isn't about fixing problems - it's about helping clients develop an internal atmosphere that can address imbalances and create conditions for genuine flourishing. This work moves beyond managing individual symptoms to establishing total equilibrium: health, a quiet mind, and growth.

As I pursued my studies in psychology, I became actively involved with organizations dedicated to healing, including Women Against Violence Against Women, Edgewood Treatment Centre, Vancouver Island Mental Health, and Nanaimo Family Life Association (where I co-facilitated training for volunteer counsellors). These experiences enriched my understanding of mental health across diverse populations and contexts.

Today, I work in private practice with clients dealing with anxiety, depression, complex trauma, addiction recovery, disordered eating, grief, relationship issues, stress management, and life changes. My approach is person-centred and solution-focused, integrating family systems therapy and cognitive behavioural techniques, depending on each client's unique needs. Sessions emphasize practical problem-solving skills that promote stability, genuine self-expression, and independence.

I also bring specialized expertise from an unconventional background: before pursuing psychology, I spent 15+ years as a professional dancer, choreographer, and teacher, working with A-list companies in Europe and Canada and producing major productions on national and international stages. These experiences give me unique insight into perfectionism, performance pressure, disordered eating, and high-achievement environments - knowledge that enriches my work with all clients, not only those in artistic fields.

I bring the same core philosophy to every client relationship: we're working together to create internal conditions where you can thrive - in your work, your relationships, and your relationship with yourself.

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS

I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and a Master of Arts degree in counselling psychology. I am a registered clinical counsellor with the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (RCC) and a certified clinical counsellor with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCC). I am also a registered counsellor with the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), the Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP), and a service provider for the Autism Funding Unit. I can direct bill to FNHA, CVAP, and the Autism Funding Unit.

My dance credentials include graduation from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's Professional Division, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School's Professional Division Teacher's Certificate, and France's National State Teaching Certificate. I have served as adjudicator for festivals including: CND Hauts-de-France (Regional Confederation of Dance), the BC Festival of the Performing Arts, Dance Alberta, and Dance Manitoba and continue to bring my combined expertise to support dancers in their artistic and personal development.

ADDITIONAL CERTIFICATION, AND SPECIALIZED TRAINING

Specialized Training:

CBT Intensive Training - Dr. Leslie Sokol
CBT Training for Children and Adolescents - Dr. David Pratt
CBT for Self-Esteem in Youth - Dr. Leslie Sokol
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Couples - Dr. Leslie Sokol
CBT Solutions to Resolve Insomnia in Clients with Anxiety, PTSD, and Depression - Dr. Colleen Carney
CBT Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD - Foundations Training: Advanced Psychological Care for OCD and Related
Narcissistic Relationships, Emotional Abuse & Gaslighting - Dr. Lindsay Gibson, Dr. Gregory Lester, and Dr. Alan Goodwin
Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders and PTSD - Ottawa, BC - Dr. Caitlin Claggett Woods
IFS Therapy - Family Systems Model Across Clinical Applications
Understanding eating disorders (Through BCACC)
Working with children: Getting comfortable with different levels of risk (Through BCACC)
Families, family breakdown, and the Law (Through BCACC)

San'yas Indigenous Cultural Safety - Core training
First Nations Approaches to Healing Trauma
Trauma-Informed Clinical Strategies for Equity, Inclusivity and Client Empowerment: Social Justice, Ethics & Diversity in Therapy

Certifications:

C-DBT - Certified Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Professional

Training and Certification in Progress:

ADHD Clinical Services Provider Certification
Complex Trauma Certification - Level 1 & 2 (CCTP/CCTP-II)

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FAQs

What Can I Expect for the First Session?

You can expect a 50-minute meeting consisting of gentle exploration at your own pace. The first few sessions are often guided by conversations aimed at developing a good understanding of who you are, the challenges you might be experiencing, and your wishes or goals. You (or your caregiver(s)) might be asked to share information to aid in assessment and the development of a counselling plan. Although it can be difficult to identify specific goals at first, a conversation about your wishes can help guide the type of counselling we engage in together.

Do you offer online or in-person sessions?

I offer video sessions to clients, allowing you to attend from the comfort of your home. I also offer in-person sessions at my private office.

What are your fees?

50-minutes - $160

Fees at Konect Counselling Services are based on standards and recommendations of the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC).

Do you offer a sliding scale?

I reserve a limited number of spots for a sliding scale rate based on financial need. Please contact me to discuss your situation.

Will My Contact with You Be Confidential?

Confidentiality is a legal construct that prevents the disclosure of therapy-related information. Counsellor confidentiality gives the client the assurance that they can share whatever they want with KONECT. Nonetheless, there are several critical limits to confidentiality in counselling. We will go over these at our first session.

What Is Your Cancellation Policy?

As per private therapy practice standards, a full 48-hour notice is requested for cancelling all counselling appointments. If you cancel or reschedule with less than 48 hours before your appointment time, or if you miss an appointment, you will be billed the full cost of your appointment.

How Long Will I (Or My Youth) Be In Therapy?

Everyone is different. Some individuals might feel ready to leave therapy after 12 to 20 sessions, while others may stay in therapy for months or years. Therapy length, sessions, and duration depends on many factors such as one's goals, connection with the counsellor, developmental history, symptoms and symptom history, level of impairment, motivation level, and many others.

“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do”

- Brene Brown

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