our services

 

At Lacasse Counselling, we understand that the concerns you bring to therapy are often just part of a deeper, more complex story. Rather than focusing only on symptoms or behaviours, we take a compassionate approach, working closely with you to gently explore the emotions and experiences beneath the surface. This exploration helps uncover the underlying patterns that have shaped your life, providing a clearer understanding of how these patterns continue to influence your emotional world and relationships today.

​

Through this process, we gain valuable insights - insights that are not just intellectual realizations but profound shifts in how you see yourself, your relationships, and your choices. These insights open doors to new possibilities that may have felt out of reach in the past. Perhaps in different environments or situations, you didn’t feel like you had the freedom to choose differently, or you may not have been aware of other options. By bringing these dynamics into awareness, we help you recognize new paths that were previously hidden, paths that allow you to navigate life with greater confidence and intention.

​

As these insights deepen, they begin to shift how you approach daily challenges and long-standing issues. With this newfound awareness, you’re able to make choices that align more closely with your true self, rather than being driven by old, unconscious patterns. This is where real change happens - when the insights you’ve gained translate into new ways of being and living, creating a sense of inner balance and fulfillment that feels authentic to who you are.

​

We aim to walk alongside you in this journey, helping you move toward greater clarity, balance, and emotional freedom, empowered by choices that reflect your deepest values and desires.​​

​

We wish to give perspective to how we engage with you as a whole person seeking our support. Here are some examples of challenges that might lead you to connect with us and seek our services. ​

​​

​

emotional challenges
Emotional struggles can often feel like a storm inside - waves of sadness, bursts of anger, or mood swings that seem to control you, leaving you feeling lost or overwhelmed. These challenges often run much deeper than they appear, stemming from unresolved experiences or unmet emotional needs that may have been buried over time. You might be wrestling with emotions that feel too intense or confusing to manage, unsure of why they keep resurfacing.

​

We believe that emotions are not just fleeting feelings - they are meaningful signals from your inner world, revealing unspoken parts of your life story. Through a compassionate, psychodynamic approach, we work with you to explore the roots of these emotions, whether tied to early relationships, past experiences, or conflicts you’ve pushed aside. Understanding these deeper patterns helps you make sense of your emotional world, allowing you to respond differently to life’s challenges. By shining light on what’s driving these emotions, you can begin to find relief and cultivate a more peaceful, balanced way of being.

​

Examples of emotional challenges (though not limited to these):
 

•  Emotional dysregulation:  Feeling swept up in emotions that are difficult to manage, often triggered by situations that seem disconnected from the intensity of your response.

•  Anger:   Recurring anger or irritability that creates tension in relationships, often linked to deeper frustrations or unresolved past experiences.

• Anxiety and depression:  Persistent worry or sadness that weighs you down, often reflecting deeper fears or losses that haven’t yet been fully acknowledged.

​

While these emotional challenges may bring you to therapy, we focus on helping you explore what lies beneath them. By understanding the patterns that manifest in your life, you can begin to create emotional stability and peace from within.

​​

​

behavioural challenges
Behaviours like using substances, gambling, or compulsively turning to distractions can feel like they provide a temporary escape - a way to numb, avoid, or fill a void that’s difficult to face. These behaviours are often driven by deeper emotional pain or unmet needs that, over time, have become too overwhelming to confront head-on. What might have started as a coping mechanism can become a cycle that feels impossible to break, leaving you feeling stuck or powerless.

​

We believe that these behaviours are not the problem themselves but rather signals of deeper emotional struggles that need attention. Through a psychodynamic lens, we look beyond the behaviour to understand what’s fuelling it. Are you trying to numb a long-standing hurt, avoid feelings of loneliness, or suppress emotional vulnerability? By gently exploring the emotional and psychological wounds behind these behaviours, we help you find healthier ways to manage - ways that allow you to live more freely without feeling trapped by the cycle.

​

Examples of behavioural challenges (among others):
 

• Substance use:  Using alcohol or drugs to escape from emotional pain, whether it’s rooted in past losses, relational wounds, or a sense of emptiness.

• Gambling:  Seeking the thrill of gambling to momentarily avoid feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, or emotional distress.

•  Avoidance:  Steering clear of responsibilities or relationships out of fear, feeling overwhelmed by unconscious emotional conflicts.​

​

While we’ve highlighted some common behavioural challenges here, these are just a few examples of the many ways emotional pain can manifest. By addressing the deeper dynamics, we help you achieve meaningful change and lasting freedom.

​​

​

relational challenges
Our relationships - whether with others or ourselves - often mirror past experiences, sometimes reflecting unresolved wounds that we carry from earlier in life. You might find yourself stuck in the same arguments with a partner or feeling emotionally distant from people you care about. At the same time, you might feel disconnected from who you are, struggling with self-acceptance or feeling like you’ve lost your sense of identity. These struggles are rarely just about what’s happening now; they often trace back to early relational patterns that shaped how you learned to connect with others and yourself.

​

At Lacasse Counselling, we use a psychodynamic approach to help you unravel these relational dynamics. Together, we’ll explore how your early relationships and past experiences may be influencing your current connections - both with others and within yourself. By understanding these unconscious patterns, you can begin to build deeper, more fulfilling relationships and rediscover a stronger, more authentic sense of self. This process allows for greater self-compassion, emotional closeness, and the ability to form healthier, more meaningful connections.

​

Examples of relational and self-issues (though not exhaustive):

 

•  Relational conflict:  Finding yourself in recurring arguments or emotional distance with a partner, often reflecting unresolved relational dynamics from your past.

• Emotional disconnection:  Feeling distant or detached from others, as if you can’t fully connect, often rooted in fears of vulnerability or past relational wounds.

• Self-acceptance:  Struggling to accept yourself, feeling fragmented or unsure of who you are, possibly tied to early experiences of rejection or criticism.

​​

These are just some examples of how relational and self-issues may manifest, but each person's experience is unique. By exploring the emotional roots of these struggles, true transformation can occur - not only in how you relate to others but also in how you connect with yourself. This leads to lasting changes in how you experience love, belonging, and self-compassion.

​

​

​