Sophia Topper, BSW, MACP (student)
stopper@ignitecounselling.ca
She/Her/Hers
* Sophia is a practicum student that will be with Ignite from May 2023 - December 2023 *
Hi! I grew up in Whitehorse and after finishing my undergraduate degree at McMaster in Hamilton, Ontario, I was happy to come home. I’m currently a practicum student completing my Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University.
Being a summer student Blood Ties was my first adventure in front-line work and it inspired me to shift my research aspirations to clinical work. It also inspired me to write my undergraduate thesis on Indigenous approaches to harm reduction. I worked on the emergency medical response team at McMaster University.
After graduating, I worked at the YWCA in an independent assisted living facility focused on suicide prevention with long-term residents. I learned so much from being involved in the women’s daily life, and I got a lot of practice coming up with creative and practical strategies to cope day-to-day. I also started volunteering at the Sexual Assault Centre of Hamilton on the crisis and support phone line, which then turned into a job supporting survivors and developing programming.
Trauma has been a constant theme in my work experiences, but studying at Yorkville University has been an opportunity to expand my skills and apply them to different situations. Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and its offshoots of Self-Compassion Focused Therapy and Acceptance and Behaviour therapy (ACT) are most natural for my way of thinking. However, you’re the one getting therapy, not me! What matters is an approach that feels right to you, which is often a blend of different practices to suit where you are right now. I’ve been introduced to different frameworks beyond CBT, primarily biopsychosocial and systems theory, and existential, humanistic, feminist, and trauma-focused models, so there’s quite a variety to work with. As a student, I will have clinical supervision and guidance from experienced counsellors on-site.
And about me: I looked through four years of photos to try to find a picture for this bio, and I noted that 70% of my pictures are of my cat, 20% are of the outdoors, and the last 10% are of my family, things I have baked, and disastrous attempts at crafts. That pretty much sums me up!
Hi! I grew up in Whitehorse and after finishing my undergraduate degree at McMaster in Hamilton, Ontario, I was happy to come home. I’m currently a practicum student completing my Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University.
Being a summer student Blood Ties was my first adventure in front-line work and it inspired me to shift my research aspirations to clinical work. It also inspired me to write my undergraduate thesis on Indigenous approaches to harm reduction. I worked on the emergency medical response team at McMaster University.
After graduating, I worked at the YWCA in an independent assisted living facility focused on suicide prevention with long-term residents. I learned so much from being involved in the women’s daily life, and I got a lot of practice coming up with creative and practical strategies to cope day-to-day. I also started volunteering at the Sexual Assault Centre of Hamilton on the crisis and support phone line, which then turned into a job supporting survivors and developing programming.
Trauma has been a constant theme in my work experiences, but studying at Yorkville University has been an opportunity to expand my skills and apply them to different situations. Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and its offshoots of Self-Compassion Focused Therapy and Acceptance and Behaviour therapy (ACT) are most natural for my way of thinking. However, you’re the one getting therapy, not me! What matters is an approach that feels right to you, which is often a blend of different practices to suit where you are right now. I’ve been introduced to different frameworks beyond CBT, primarily biopsychosocial and systems theory, and existential, humanistic, feminist, and trauma-focused models, so there’s quite a variety to work with. As a student, I will have clinical supervision and guidance from experienced counsellors on-site.
And about me: I looked through four years of photos to try to find a picture for this bio, and I noted that 70% of my pictures are of my cat, 20% are of the outdoors, and the last 10% are of my family, things I have baked, and disastrous attempts at crafts. That pretty much sums me up!
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