A Summer 2025 Update from Charlotte

A Seasonal Hello 🌻

Hello! Summer is upon us, and I thought I’d take a moment to share some updates, reflections, and learnings.

Highlights of summer for me, so far, have been eating fresh cherries off a friend’s tree, hearing the crickets chirping through the window at night, and watching an osprey dive for a fish while I float in my kayak. It has also been sitting across from many wonderful humans as part of my practice. I love summer in the Okanagan, and I also love my work. 

Practice Happenings 🗓️

I have quite a major practice update! I have been fortunate to be part of Relate and Restore for the past while, and I’m so grateful for the support and care they have provided. So, it is bittersweet to share that as of August, I will be going into solo private practice - working solely for myself. I’m so excited to spread my wings, and also sad to leave this lovely group. 

I will have a new office (in the same building, conveniently!), a new Jane account, and a new email address. Other than that - my fees, insurance coverage, policies will be staying the same - with some slight shifts in my schedule. 

I’m excited for this new chapter, and also… especially excited to get decorating my new office! I’m hoping to make it just as cozy and welcoming as the Relate and Restore office is - of course, with my own flair ;)

What I’m Learning Lately 🎓

A major focus of my practice is trauma, and lately I’ve been increasingly interested in working with neurodivergent individuals who have experienced trauma. The percentage of neurodiverse individuals with PTSD is much higher than in neurotypical individuals, due to systemic oppression, interpersonal challenges, and stressors in the environment.

A tricky thing is that there is a lot of overlap between autism symptoms and PTSD symptoms. So it can take a thoughtful approach to ensure that a client’s challenges are being addressed appropriately and in a way that suits their unique experiences, preferences, and goals. 

This month, I have been working my way through some trainings on working with individuals with autism and PTSD and I have learned a lot! Here are a few takeaways I wanted to share:

• PTSD prevalence in the general population is 4-5.6%. In autistic individuals, that prevalence is 32-45%. That means it is nearly 10x more likely that autistic individuals with have PTSD than neurotypical individuals. 

• Masking may be a trauma response linked to interpersonal trauma and autistic stigma. We all mask sometimes, but when it becomes too much, it is linked to anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and low self-esteem. It also makes it more difficult to receive an autism diagnosis. 

• It is critical to recognize how lack of safety in the social environment and interpersonal trauma, can lead to increased masking.

• Supporting autistic individuals who have experienced trauma requires an approach that honours their sensory needs, offers choice and collaboration, teaches skills and strategies, and acknowledges the pain of living in a neurotypical world. 

I am continuing to work through this series of trainings, so no doubt I will have more to share as time goes on. I’m looking forward to learning more about this topic so that I can better support my autistic clients to find ways to heal and thrive. 

Book Recommendations 📚

I LOVE reading. I always have. Fun fact: I was randomly interviewed with my mom in the Globe and Mail when I was 17 years old about how reading fiction impacts social skills (my take was that it makes a person more empathetic by reading about different types of people, which I think rings even more true now in this era of algorithms and information silos - 17 year old me knew a thing or two!).

I like reading nonfiction and personal development books, but I also really love reading fiction. I think we can learn so much about ourselves and the world by reading both! So I am going to indulge myself here and share a couple of books that I have enjoyed lately and would recommend. 

Fiction: There are Rivers in the Sky

This is an epic, beautiful, and intense book that follows the lives of 3 characters - a British mapmaker in the 1800s, a girl from Turkey in 2014, and a woman from London in 2018. Their lives are intertwined through the connection to water, and the author does a beautiful job of portraying the ways in which people navigate complex historical events on a personal level. This book contains themes of mental illness, colonialism, war, and gender-based violence. 

Nonfiction: Know My Name - Chanel Miller

I just read this book recently, and I’m shocked it took me so long, because it is incredible. Chanel shares about her sexual assault, the traumatic legal aftermath, and her journey of reclaiming her voice. It is a deeply personal, beautifully written memoir. 

Coming Up 💙

There are a few things I wanted to highlight as the summer progresses:

• I will be starting to see clients in my new office/new practice as of August 18th. I will be sending out the link to book to existing clients on July 18th, and will update my booking links on this website at that time, too. 

• I am taking the week of August 25th off, so will be unavailable for sessions that week and will be off the grid - so unavailable by phone or email. I will be attending a silent meditation retreat! It’s been a few years since I have done one of these, and I’m equal parts nervous and excited to spend a week in silence, being present with my own experience, with no screens. In the past I have found these retreats to be challenging but incredibly helpful and meaningful, so I hope it will be the same this time :) 

Wishing you lots of time in nature and connection to self this summer,

Charlotte