A Bit About Me

Hi, I'm Jessica!  I'm a counselling psychologist working with clients in the Atlantic Provinces, Alberta, Quebec, the Northwest Territories, and the Yukon.  I work with individual adults experiencing a range of concerns to help them move toward richer, fuller, and more meaningful lives.  I also work with couples to improve communication, connection, and satisfaction within their relationships.  I approach each client and situation with genuine curiosity and compassion, within a non-judgmental space.  I view my role as a guide walking alongside clients in their healing journeys.
Jessica Ferro, MC:AT, Registered Psychologist
I have spent most of my life in the Yukon, but I've also lived in Ontario, BC, the USA, the Middle East, and now I'm delighted to be living in Nova Scotia.  I love to travel and experience new cultures!  I'm also an animal lover and have two fantastic dogs, both adopted from the Yukon animal shelter.  I am a feminist who stands for equal rights, animal rights, justice, diversity, accountability, integrity, and anti-oppression.
My Philosophy on Change
A wise person once asked me how I believe change happens in therapy.  This was such a great question, and after fumbling through my answer the first time around, I reflected on this and was able to better organize my thoughts.  I believe therapeutic change happens as a result of 3 key processes.  These processes can occur in sequence or simultaneously:
1. Creating the right environment (therapist-driven):
If a plant does not exist in the right conditions (temperature, sun exposure, hydration, nutrition, etc.), it might not survive.  At the very least, it will not thrive.  In therapy, a therapist must create an environment of safety, trust, compassion, genuineness, respect, validation, and caring.  Without these conditions, clients will likely struggle to open up, engage, or change.  When these conditions are met, healing, growth, and change can sometimes happen spontaneously.
2. Manageable exposure to discomfort/adversity (collaborative):
Therapeutic exposure means we are confronted with something uncomfortable, such as anxiety, depression, negative self-talk, loss, or childhood trauma, within the container of the therapy.  Exposure can take many forms, such as talking, reflecting, journalling, making art, music, in vivo, body work, mindfulness, and more.  When we experience little or no challenges in life, we are often left feeling bored, stuck, or unfulfilled.  Experiencing too much at once can lead to us feeling overwhelmed and shutting down.  Overcoming moderate and manageable challenges can help us become stronger, more resilient, more skilled, and more fulfilled in life.  In therapy, we are often addressing discomfort, whether it's from our past, in our present, or in the future our mind has created.  Skilled therapists create opportunities for clients to face discomfort in a safe and manageable way.  This cultivates healing in sessions, while clients are also building their skills and capacity to navigate adversity outside of therapy.
3. Taking consistent actions (client-driven):
So much important healing and growth can happen within the therapy space.  However, to translate these successes into day-to-day life, change must also occur outside of therapy through action.  Doing something differently once might lead to some change in the short term, but maintaining our new actions is how we can experience meaningful, lasting change.  This is often the hardest part of the process, because changing our actions in the real world requires a huge amount of courage, energy, and dedication.  But it's worth it!

Education

Registrations and Memberships
  • Master of Counselling (MC:AT) ~ Athabasca University: 2014-2017
  • Advanced Diploma in Art Therapy ~ Vancouver Art Therapy Association: 2014-2017
  • Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in Psychology (BAPsych) ~ Carleton University: 2003-2008
  • Registered Psychologist: Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology
  • Registered Psychologist: College of Alberta Psychologists
  • Registered Psychologist with the Government of the Northwest Territories
  • Member: Canadian Psychological Association
  • Member: Association of Psychologists of Nova Scotia

Trainings

Somatic Experiencing, Beginning III - July 2023
Somatic Experiencing, Beginning II - February 2023
Somatic Experiencing, Beginning I - November 2022
​Gottman Couples Therapy, Level 3 - September 2021
Gottman Couples Therapy, Level 2 - August 2021
Gottman Couples Therapy, Level 1 - July 2021
Somatic Experiencing, Step by Step - July 2020
Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depression - February 2020
Being an Ethical Psychologist - November 2019
​Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Depression and Anxiety Disorders - September-October 2019
​Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Trauma - April-May 2019
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Beginners - January-March 2019
​Internal Family Systems (IFS) for Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, Addiction & More - July 2018
​Advanced Topics in Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) - May-June 2018
​Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) - April 2018
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) - November 2017
First Nations History and Culture - October 2017
Introduction to Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) - October 2017
​Resilience Skills in Trauma-Exposed Environments - September 2017