About Barbara

Professionally

I qualified as a Physical Therapist in England in 1969 and have worked in Vancouver since 1975. Patients come to physio wanting relief from physical aches and pains; however, it is not possible to ignore their emotional experience and fears of not being able to function as they wish.

During the seventies and eighties I studied Cranial Sacral Therapy through the Upledger Institute. This gentle hands-on work is a highly effective method used for releasing tension patterns in the body as a whole and includes an appreciation of the energetic and emotional experiences of the client.

As I grew, I deepened my understanding of the importance of not only ‘fixing’ my clients’ bodies but increasingly focused on addressing the ‘whole person’ – body, mind, and spirit - and consequently my interest in psychology, personal growth and healing has grown.

In 1984 I finished my degree completion in physiotherapy at the University of British Columbia. Eventually I was drawn back to post graduate studies and in 1994 I completed a Master's degree in Counselling Psychology and opened my practice as a Registered Clinical Counsellor. Since then I have continued both my academic studies in psychology and my own personal growth with over five years of training in the Bodynamic System.

The Bodynamic System is a body-focused psychotherapy, developed through the work of a group of Danish therapists led by Lisbeth Marcher. Bodynamic theory is based on a rich study of child development from the second trimester of pregnancy through age 12. In addition to this, I have also completed the Bodynamic intensive training in Shock Trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Studying in the field of trauma opened my awareness to the potential challenges of our time in the womb and birth – embodying our spirit is the first major life transition we all experience. So it became important for me to study further in the field of Infant Body Psychotherapy. I completed the Paediatric Cranial Sacral Training with Upledger Institute and also an intensive training with Sheila Murphy D.C in Portland, Oregon.

You can find out more about the way I work with infants, adults and post car accident trauma on my How I Work Page.

Personally

I started my own conscious journey into personal growth at the age of 28 following the loss of a relationship. Once I had most of the pain behind me I took a long hard look and realized that I didn’t know myself very well and I didn’t like the way I was ‘doing relationship’ – by giving away my own personal power.

Even though I had physically moved a great distance away from my family many years previously, I needed to reevaluate and let go of some of the beliefs and values I had grown up with that were no longer mine. These were my first steps to finding myself in a supportive counselling relationship and starting to become my own person.

Following that I participated for many years in personal growth workshops at The Haven on Gabriola Island in British Columbia and then returned again to both personal individual and group therapy, meeting the requirements for Bodynamic certification.

As I look back over the many transition points in my life I see how some of them passed so smoothly and others really caused me to look into myself to see what type of person I wanted to be and how I wanted to impact my world. My hope is that some of the wisdom I carry will be useful for my clients and also my students as I now move into a new transition and role as an educator in the Bodynamic System, and at Vancouver Community College.

Working as a counsellor is a creative process for me. I enjoy facilitating and being a witness to the personal growth of my clients and find joy in helping others find creative solutions to their problems and feel better about themselves.

Please call my voice mail - 604.838.6048 – to schedule a no-charge 15 minute telephone consultation. Let me know the best times to call you back to discuss your problems and explore how we can work together to solve them.

If there are privacy concerns to consider when I call back, please let me know how best to deal with them.

I look forward to talking with you.

For further information on my counselling practice, please visit My Services page.

Barbara Picton B.S.R., M.Ed., RCC.
Registered Clinical Counsellor (# 842)

671 F Market Hill (False Creek) Vancouver BC  V5Z 4B5 (Tuesday and Wednesday)
201-2678 West Broadway, Vancouver BC  V6K 2G3 (Thursday)

Voice mail: 604.838.6048
Email: barbara@barbarapicton.com