Why TIST?

Olivia originally trained in multiple styles of therapy (feminist, narrative, Adlerian, brief solution-focused, humanistic, and Gestalt), and she still incorporates the best elements of each of these approaches into her work. But every year, she kept doing more training, looking for a method that was highly effective, highly empowering, and truly transformative for a wide range of issues. She found that 10 years ago in TIST (then called Structural Dissociation Theory).

What is TIST?

This approach doesn't just help, it's designed to actually let a person rewire their brain and nervous system, for much longer lasting relief, so clients don't just reduce their symptoms, they can actually learn how to thrive and be self-supporting (rather than forever dependent on therapy).

It was developed by Janina Fisher, a trauma specialist who'd spent decades using everything from talk therapy to processing techniques (such as EMDR and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, which she co-founded) to try to help clients who experienced the most challenging symptoms imaginable. She found that most trauma therapies were too difficult to tolerate, and some caused actual harm. So she kept working until she'd developed something that could truly stabilize and help her patients. 

What if my problem isn't trauma?

You don't have to identify as a trauma survivor to benefit from this approach. Olivia has spent the last decade adapting these methods for use in very high-functioning, even high-achieving populations, as a tool for both self-improvement and symptom relief.

So whether you identify as a lucky person trying to grow and learn, a trauma survivor, or someone with small-t trauma who'd like to feel better and stronger, this method, as Olivia has adapted it, can work for you.

• Certified in TIST (Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment) Level III, 2025

• Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC), Reg. #12677 (soon to be a member of the college of psychotherapists); member in good standing with the BCACC

• Trans competency training & supervision at the Catherine White Holman Wellness Centre, overseen by Vikki Reynolds, 2014-2015

• Principles and Challenges of Trauma Treatment with Dr. Janina Fisher (trauma specialist & co-founder Sensorimotor Psychotherapy), Level I (2015-6) & Level II (2016-17)

• Master in Counselling (with honors), City University, 2012

• Internship at the Adler Centre, 2011-2012

• BA Wellesley College (cum laude), 1998