Karyn arnauld-bakelaar
Karyn is the mother of three children; one by birth, and two via adoption, as well as two beautiful grand-babies. She has over 16-years experience in the field of pre and post-adoptive family education, training and support. Karyn first became interested in learning more about the neurobiology of early trauma, or how trauma effects the developing brain, when she experienced first-hand the necessity to develop a different and ever-evolving parenting approach for each of her three children.
Early in her parenting journey, Karyn was introduced to the work of Dr. Gabor Mate, as well as other mind-body trauma experts such as Dr. Bessel van der Kolk and Peter Levine, and dove into their extensive research on early trauma, the body-mind connection behind disease, and the link between early trauma and addictions, mental health issues, ADD/ADHD, etc. After completing her Master's degree, her focus shifted to the understanding and healing of early trauma, and so immersed herself in Dr. Mate's year-long intensive course exploring a healing modality known as Compassionate Inquiry (CI). CI is psychotherapeutic approached used to "uncover the layers of childhood trauma, constriction and suppressed emotion embedded in the body, that are at the root of mental and physical illness and addiction."
Karyn has also completed several courses and training by child development expert, Dr. Gordon Neufeld, completing courses such as Neufeld Intensive One: Making Sense of Kids, The Art and Science of Transplanting Children, Bullies: Their Making and Unmaking, and Making Sense of Anxiety. Karyn has most recently become a Certified Parenting Coach through the Peaceful Parenting Institute, completed a certification on trauma-informed yoga, and is currently completing an ACCSA certification on Addiction Counselling. She has also co-founded a not-for-profit organization (The Mosaic Project) aimed at bringing together adoptees and their first family, and supporting through that journey.
To learn more, please see: https://themosaicproject.ca/
Specializations
trauma-informed parent coaching
Parenting is hard! When you add in the complexities of early trauma, blended families, adoption, foster or kinship care, caregiver depression or anxiety, and a wide-array of other factors many families face, that "hard" can sometimes feel overwhelming. Whether you are parenting a child born to you, or are parenting through adoption, foster-care, kinship placements, etc., I'd love to be there to support, empower and walk alongside you through any challenging stages of your parenting journey!
Stress and Truama awareness coaching
Most of us walk through with little awareness that most of our reactions to life's stressors (small and large) are bound up in our past. Our early history dictates our current thoughts, reactions and emotions, until we are brave enough to bring awareness in. During stress and trauma awareness coaching, we will work together to identify your stressors, bring awareness to emotional triggers, develop strategies to regulate emotions, and learn more about the somatic approach to healing trauma. Reach out today to get support as you work through this empowering and life-changing process!
holistic wellness and life coaching
I holistic-wellness coaching services to help you identify areas of focus so you can bring your entire being into wellness. I believe in wholeness and integration, and that no facet of a persons life operates in a bubble. This holistic approach to health and well-being considers the whole person—body, mind, spirit, and environment—rather than focusing on just physical symptoms or isolated problems.
It’s all about balance and harmony across all areas of life. I'd love to work with you to help you imagine, believe in and achieve the healthiest life possible for you!
relationship coaching
Relationships can be our greatest joy, or our biggest stressor, whether those relationships are romantic, friendships, professional or familial. I would love to work with you to improve any relationship through emotional awareness, understanding triggers, learning emotional regulate during times of conflict, and improved communication.
transitional coaching
If you or your loved one is going through a major (or minor) transition in life and are struggling to see the other side, coaching can help you to process the transition, accept it in its entirety, and identify steps that can help you move through it with grace and ease. I'd love to walk alongside this journey with you!