Jenn Shields, MSW, RSW

I’m Jenn Shields (she/her), a Registered Social Worker whose passion for helping others comes from my own experiences with a skilled therapist. I know how confusing it can be to feel stuck, and like things can’t get better unless the people around you or your life circumstances change. I also know how hard it can be to reach out for help, especially if you are in the role of helping others.  

By engaging in my own Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) work, I was able to see firsthand how beneficial it is to process past experiences and to create a roadmap for the life you want moving forward. I now specialize in practicing this modality as a Certified EMDR Therapist so I can help others take control of their lives, too.

Although EMDR is my “home-base” therapy, I have extensive training in a range of modalities that I draw from so that your treatment plan is as unique as you are. I integrate Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Narrative Therapy, Parts Therapies (Internal Family Systems and Ego State Therapy), and Clinical Hypnosis to best serve my clients. 

My goal is to help my clients attain the most effective results in the shortest amount of time. I’m passionate about sharing my knowledge with the people I work with because I believe that good therapy is about more than showing empathy and understanding. Effective therapy includes practicing evidence-informed, experiential exercises that go beyond talk therapy. In this way, lasting change is created as new neural connections are formed in the brain throughout our experiential work together. Effective therapy also includes sharing crucial skills so that you can apply what you learn in sessions across a range of situations in your life, so you don’t have to be in therapy forever.

Beliefs that guide my practice

• Humans are wired for connection 

• Building healthy relationships is crucial to the well-being

• Relationships require self-reflection, skills, and work 

• We are naturally oriented towards happiness and healing 

• Much of our beliefs and behaviours are guided by the unconscious mind

• Past experiences influence the present

• Emotional regulation is a skill that can be taught, practiced, and solidified

Goal-focused

My approach to therapy starts by exploring what you’d like to be different in your life. I can help if you are: 

• In a situation that you’d like to see resolved, but you feel stuck and don’t know how to move forward

• Feeling lonely and disconnected from a sense of community

• Feeling anxious/worried, or depressed/uninspired

• Engaged in coping that at the moment causes relief, but in the long-term may be harmful 

• In a relationship that no longer serves you

• Finding it difficult to set boundaries with family members, friends, or at work

• Wanting to feel more joyful, grounded, or relaxed

• Curious about how your experiences in your family of origin have shaped your view of yourself and the world

Create lasting change

I often work with people who have tried traditional talk-therapy modalities with little to no success. My services are unique because I have extensive training in ground-breaking therapeutic modalities that go beyond talk therapy, including: 

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)  

• Ego State Therapy

• Hypnosis

• Yoga and Breathwork 

When traditional therapy does not seem to work, it’s normal to feel defeated and hopeless. Many clients can feel this way when we start to work together, but soon begin to reach their goals through the use of evidence-based, experiential techniques.