Laurel Mackay, MA

I am a survivor myself and understand how impactful the first disclosure and response can be in future healing. I want people to know that they can have support through this and there are people who understand and can be there with them as they re-claim their body and begin a new relationship with it. When I was 15 yrs old I experienced a sexual assault and spent many years re-creating that trauma without knowing what I was doing. I felt alone, worthless and scared to be in my body. I punished myself with disordered eating, self harm and binge drinking and this has affected every relationship I have ever had. When I started my Masters program, I was lucky to have a supervisor who specialized in trauma and Somatic Experiencing.  When we started learning more about how trauma impacts the nervous system and how survivors often live in a state of hypervigilance or hypovigilance due to a very small window of capacity, I was in awe. I had heard about this before but this time it actually changed my life. The veil of shame I had carried for 14 years was lifted and I began to understand why I kept experiencing more traumatic events, when I believed I should have been able to stop them.  I knew from that moment on, this would be the work that I do. 

I have had the privilege of working as a counsellor in schools for the past 13 yrs and I have seen how these systems are complicit in gender based violence, and I will continue to raise awareness and encourage people to challenge this if they have the capacity to do so.  I seek out training and collaboration with others in this field regularly, but I know in my heart the key to this work is connection through relationship. The folx I work with have choice in everything that we do. I am passionate about walking alongside you as you find your inner strength and wisdom to take steps forward and begin to re-discover what brings you joy. I have personally found that the practices of yoga and more specifically trauma informed asana, can support people in taking action to heal and recover. I am passionate about sharing this with as many people as possible and I am so grateful to work with Yoga Outreach and Nicole Marcia.

Trauma-informed practice is a strengths-based framework grounded in an understanding of and responsiveness to the impact of trauma. It emphasizes physical, psychological, and emotional safety for everyone, and creates opportunities for survivors to rebuild a sense of control and empowerment. By addressing the potential impacts of sexual violence, domestic violence, racism, colonialism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, ableism and misogyny that exist in our communities when I work with folx. I meet people where they are at and work with them as partners in their healing journey. I am not the expert.

I work with folx from the ground up and facilitate interoception as it is tolerable. We look at sleep, eating patterns, mental health, physical pain, and discuss how this can all be connected to trauma. I offer grounding techniques and tools early on so survivors can begin to take some control back.  

I work with survivors to see what they need and move at a pace that they choose. They have a choice in everything that we do together and a choice to end early or change what we are doing at any time. I check in with folx around lighting in the space and what modalities they would like to access. I explain everything we will do and check in frequently along the way.  Sharing psychoeducation around brain function and the nervous system can be helpful to support understanding when a survivor is triggered or dissociates in a session. If they have more information about what might be happening in their bodies it may feel safer.

I have experience working with Indigenous women and this summer I took the First Nations Health Authority's (FNHA) course on cultural safety in mental health and I am currently taking the second level of this training. I am a mental health provider and offer counselling through FNHA. I also have experience supporting folx in the trans community around access to equitable support. I am a part of a first responders circle in my community as we work to change the culture around gender based violence. I have over 500 hrs of training in sound healing and yoga and continue to learn as I use this in my personal life and work. 

I continuously work with teachers and mentors in the community and abroad through discussions, reading, trainings and workshops. Many of these teachers are BIPOC leaders whose work I want to support around social justice, equity, and trauma informed care.  I also offer training through Yoga Outreach to yoga teachers and other practitioners around how to support survivors from the language they use to the space they offer. This model Reclaiming the Body originates from the Trauma Center and was adapted by Nicole Marcia for us to share. I also have a supervision circle in my community in Victoria.

At the clinic we have a community care fund that folx can access, my fees are $150 per 50 minute session. I am certified through the CCPA so many folx can access my support through benefits and I am a FNHA provider as well.