Hello!

​

I should start by introducing myself. My name is Ivy Booth, I use the pronouns "she/her", and I look forward to getting to know you!

Born and raised in Alberta, I attended the University of Alberta for my undergraduate degree in Psychology (BSc), then Athabasca University's Master of Counselling (MC) program. Following my bachelors degree, I moved abroad to South Korea, where I worked for the South Korean Ministry of Education and the private sector as an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher for over five years across multiple age groups ranging from elementary school to adult education. I completed my internship and practicum working with Seoul Counseling Center in Korea, and still work with them as a resident counselor now.

I would say I'm more of a homebody and coffee lover, but I have been known to shake things up and do extreme sports like skydiving, bungee jumping, and braving the Seoul subway system during rushhour.

How I Base My Practice...

​​

In general, I think people want to live healthy, happy lives, but they get held back by old patterns (or these patterns aren't as helpful as they once were) and on things they have learned in the past. Like the name of this practice, we take these old patterns and memories and put them in little boxes in our mind to guide us, or keep them until we're willing or able to unpack them.

​

It’s my opinion that we make our own environment as much as it makes us. People can be motivated by their biology, what they think they need and want, or events, people, and society around them, but it is still that person’s conscious, or occasionally unconscious, interpretation of what these interactions mean that changes how they react and respond. In order to grow and develop as individuals, we need to become more self-aware of how we interpret the world around us, and change unconscious methods into more conscious ones--or unpacking and organizing our little boxes!

​

To me, open communication, maintaining a safe space, and developing self-understanding are some of the most important parts of my counselling sessions. I believe everyone should have a chance to speak and be truly heard, and that this dynamic is more powerful than people give it credit for. Since everyone has different feelings and needs, I think counselling needs to be individually tailored when possible as well. Who we identify as (gender, culture, sexual orientation, etc.) makes us special and needs to be considered in this process, too. Following these beliefs and my desire to collaboratively work with you, I think we should be able to discover some strategies to begin sorting through your little boxes.