Why 'YEG Family Counselling' is Stealth for a Rad Agency

It all started in 2020. YEG Family Counselling (YEG FC) emerged as a one-person private therapy practice set on bringing Registered Psychologist Amy Nydam's unique therapeutic skills to the masses. Seamlessly blending her boundless empathy, keen insights from a life well-lived, encyclopedic knowledge of Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), and a delightfully irreverent sense of humor, Amy dug in deep with her cadre of neurodivergent queers looking to tend to their complex and multifaceted relationships. Along the way, she united with a handful of clinicians with similar passions and complementary talents. Having been burned by--or struggling to find their place within--a field that so rarely seems to reflect the people it claims to serve, our clinicians found a safe haven in their shared values of anti-oppression, radical welcome, authenticity, and curiosity. Now, we're a multi-disciplinary team of clinicians who focus on attachment and neurobiology and go above and beyond for our clients.

Who We Are

If you've found us, it's probably because you--or your relationship, or your family--are just a little bit...different.

Just like you, YEG FC has also always been a bit different. Heck, it's baked right into our name! You see, when we use the word 'family,' we're referring to all of the people most important to you–whether biological or chosen. That includes polyamorous, blended families made up of metamours and platonic co-parents. Ace, aro, relationship anarchists just trying to figure themselves out amidst a complicated web of folks who sustain them. More ‘traditional families’ (whatever that means!) navigating their own unique blend of intergenerational neuro-spiciness. Trust us, we've seen it all, and there's room for everyone within these walls.

In this way, 'family' isn't just descriptive of the type of therapy we do, it's also an expression of our values. That's because, when we talk about family in this way, we're not letting things like 'biology' dictate who we invite into our inner circle. Instead, everyone involved is required to think deeply about what it means to be in relation to one another as whole, complex human beings. We're called to ask--and answer--difficult questions like: what are some of the privileges we enjoy because of certain relationships? What responsibilities to one another do those relationships create? How do we ensure everyone gets to enjoy the privileges of being in relationship equally, while also fulfilling those responsibilities to one another?

Our Ethos

We believe that every person has a tremendous capacity to cope, survive, and thrive. Sometimes it just takes a little help to get those things working  for, instead of against, us.

This means that, while we pride ourselves on being experts in the field of relational therapy, we recognize that the true expert on your life is you. This understanding is fundamental to our collective therapeutic approach, as we empower clients to have a significant voice in the counselling process. At YEG FC, you have the opportunity to influence how therapy unfolds, contributing to the creation of a collaborative space with your therapist where your thoughts, feelings, and experiences are valued and respected.

This environment is essential for supporting clients as they navigate the complexities of their past and present relationships. This includes the beliefs, somatic experiences, fear, and shame that sometimes come along with them. But relationships aren't all doom and gloom! Our clinicians also believe deeply in the power of relationships (both in therapy, and outside of it) to heal and create safety. Because of this, we focus on helping clients find clarity, acceptance, and wholeness in themselves and in their relationships, particularly those that are just a bit different because of who–and how–they love, or how their brains work.

Our Values

Rather than being united by a specific therapeutic modality, treating a particular malady, or seeing one type of client, all of the clinicians at YEG FC are connected by a set of shared values. Sure, there are treatments we all love (here's looking at you, Emotionally Focused Therapy!), struggles all of us have a more in-depth understanding of (did someone say AuDHD??), and some particular lived experiences that feel right at home with us (trans? fat? queer? come on in!). But similarities in knowledge and experience aren't what keeps all YEG FC clinicians providing a high calibre of therapeutic support. That...that's our values.

Radical Welcome

Radical welcome is about more than just fuzzy slippers, a warm beverage, and a puzzle greeting you as you enter our physical office–although we have all of that too! It’s about inviting you to take off the mask (we're not talking about your N95😉), drop your armor at the door, and bring your full self into the counselling room. These things have served you well, but you don’t need them in our space--all parts of you are welcome here.

We set up our space in this way because our top priority is that you feel safe and at ease. Research tells us that if you have a good alliance (which is just a fancy word for relationship) with your therapist, then change will almost certainly happen. Whether you are in therapy by yourself or with a loved one, your body, brain, and nervous system will begin to experience a new way of relating. This begins to create emotional and physiological changes that will help you to feel more connected to your partner, more at ease with yourself, and more understanding of your family members. Tapping into these feelings in the therapeutic space then prepares us to take this sense of connection, ease, and understanding into the broader world which, we hope, leads to healthier communities.

And it all starts with the way you feel when you walk in the door.

Anti-Oppression

As a clinic we recognize that healing needs to happen within ourselves, our relationships, and our communities. Our world is built on systems that disproportionately disadvantage and harm Indigenous, racialized, queer, femme, disabled, and neurodivergent folks while granting unearned privileges to those who rigged the system to begin with. In practicing anti-oppression we commit to being lifelong learners, do our best not to replicate these systems in our work, and invite you to call us on it whenever we do. In a more practical sense, we also ensure we offer a portion of each clinician's caseload at a reduced rate for those who are multiply marginalized, and that our practicum students volunteer a portion of their hours at a non-profit organization that might not otherwise be able to provide its clients with psychological supports.

But our social justice work doesn't just stop when our clients leave our space. Rather, we're working to cultivate a mental health field that normalizes all human struggles, resists the systems that cause harm within our institutions and social structures, and collectively uses the power we hold as practitioners to advocate for our clients on all levels. It's with this comprehensive support that our clients are better able to navigate the circumstances and systemic factors that have gotten in the way of their thriving and, instead, tap into the innate human ability to grow, change, and heal. And more importantly, slowly but surely, we'll start to change the way these systems operate in the first place, ultimately leading to a more equitable and just society for us all.

Authenticity

Look, we’re all here because we know what it’s like not to fit in. The flipside of that feeling is the pure joy and comfort that comes with being seen for 👏 exactly 👏 who 👏 you👏are. At YEG FC, we value authenticity and offer that to each other and our clients with appropriate vulnerability. This means we promise to align our actions with our core values and beliefs with the hope of discovering, and then acting in sync with, our true selves. And we invite you to do the same.

However you see yourself, we see you! And we’re here to help you strengthen your relationship to yourself and your family–whatever that looks like.

Curiosity

Our work is littered with questions like 'why?' and 'can you tell me more about that?' because we're driven by a desire to learn and understand. Curiosity expands our capacity for empathy, strengthens relationships, and might even make us happier (science suggests our brains evolved to release dopamine and other feel-good neurochemicals when we encounter new things).

But curiosity isn't just about understanding why things are the way they are, but about questioning whether they have to be that way at all. This means that, as we navigate the realities of the society we live in, we’re also dreaming (and scheming!) up new futures that reflect the natural abundance in the world, and where our differences are celebrated and understood as points of connection instead of division.

So, whether we're finding unique ways to connect with our clients, or determining how and why our practice does things the way we do, we strive to ask the important questions and be inventive and bold with our answers. Our collective future demands this of us.

How we Practice

At YEG FC, we care about you. Full stop. Because of this, we want to make sure you feel cared for in all that we do. This starts with our comprehensive intake process. Handled by an Administrative Team with decades of experience in the private sector and social services, our intake process is designed to meet you wherever you're at. Hate talking on the phone? We've got a form for that. Have a complex situation you wish you could just talk through with someone else? Just so happens we have a team of Intake Clinicians who are happy to walk you through the process.

This care then extends right into the therapeutic space. In your session, you and your clinician will explore your struggles, how they relate to your current and past experiences, and find ways to define the emotions that go along with them. You'll learn to pay attention to your body, because it's the best way to tell what's going on in your nervous system--and neuroscience tells us that rewiring the nervous system is our best tool for healing from trauma and relating to others better.

Our talented team of clinicians is here to support you through the whole process. And for our clients who need some additional support, we've got an extensive network of internal and external referrals we can tap into to help you get the resources you need.

Interested in giving us a try? Most YEG FC clinicians are currently accepting new clients. Book your online Interactive Intake, or complete our intake form, at yegfamilycounselling.com/contact

You got this. And we can help.