William Bratt, MA, CCC
Through my therapeutic practice, I engage in respectful, non-blaming approaches to counselling, and regard people as the experts in their own lives. People often seek out therapists when their lives start to feel like they are saturated with problems. Rather than understanding problems as fundamentally tied to the people experiencing them, I believe that problems are...well...problems! In other words, I think of problems as separate from people and I assume that people have many skills, competencies, beliefs, values, commitments and abilities that serve them in changing the influence of problems in their lives.
I also believe and recognize that problems are not creatures from outer space. By that I mean the stories that we and others tell about our lives (problems or not) are centered around social, cultural and political contexts. I believe that people create meaning in their lives from the stories that are available in these contexts, and therefore our lives are multi-storied. Through this perspective, I have come to understand that the multi-storied quality of our lives allows for a great many therapeutic possibilities.
When I meet people, I often think of the possibilities for the direction of therapy like routes on a map. On this map, there are many paths to choose from. With every step on the therapeutic journey, new and different elements of the landscape emerge. With each new step that I take with the person consulting me, we open more avenues for change. Through therapy, you can choose where you want to go, what you consider important or vital to the life you want to live and what you might leave behind.
Collaboration also serves an important role in my therapeutic work. The people I consult with play a significant part in mapping the direction of the therapeutic journey. When I engage in therapeutic conversations with people, they are interactive and always collaborative. I am very much concerned with understanding what is of interest to the people consulting with me and how the therapeutic conversation is suiting their preferences.
With respect to my professional background, I hold a Master's degree in Counselling Psychology from the University of Victoria, and am a certified member in good standing with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. I am also a registered service provider with BC's Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP). I have advanced training in Narrative Therapy, and I have extensive experience working with trauma survivors and victims of sexual, physical and emotional abuse. I am interested in consulting with men, women, youth and persons who identify as LGBTQ to address any variety of problems.
If you are interested in seeing if my style and approach is a good fit for you, I am happy to offer a free 30 minute consultation for you to get a sense of whether we might work well together.