Jill Taggart

I believe my clients might say that I am very empathic, listen carefully and I am non-judgmental, but also not afraid to challenge them. I think they would also say that I asked the questions that enabled them to find the answers within themselves, and that I was caring and supportive throughout their process.

Helping clients reach their counselling goals is my number one priority. Hearing how simple strategies have made a big impact on their lives reinforces the benefits of the counselling relationship. I have watched clients move through difficult life situations with a new sense of direction and confidence, and those moments are joyful to witness!

I use a variety of approaches to meet the needs of my clients. For those who would like to explore their earlier family relationships, I would use an attachment-based systemic approach. For those who would like to explore the impact of trauma, I might use EMDR or Somatic interventions. For those who have specific goals to meet, I might employ briefer models of therapy such as Motivational Interviewing, Coaching or Solution Focused Brief Therapy. My overall guiding principal is that the client directs the course of therapy depending on their goals, and I meet the client wherever they might be in that process.

I love learning, and continue to teach Masters level counselling students. I am Associate Faculty at City University of Seattle (Vancouver campus) for the Master of Counselling and Master of Education in School Counselling programs. I also supervise Masters level interns from a number of different universities at OneSky Counselling Services. Mentoring and guiding the next generation of therapists is a great passion of mine! It is my way of giving back for the privileges I have received.