Great communication doesn’t begin with the way you speak. It begins with the way you think.
Hi, Iain here. My professional story began in 2015 when I started my journey to become a therapist. Originally, I had set out to “fix” what I perceive to be fundamental problems within the mental health industry. I have since shifted gears in a more positive direction — instead of trying to fix what is broken, I now focus on what is whole, and strive to share tools that actually work with as many people as possible.
Over the course of my life, I have repeatedly seen the same problems over and over again: unable to access self-compassion, people everywhere (from children and teachers to lawyers and politicians) focus vainly on superficial conflicts, failing to get at what really matters. Lacking the tools to reflect critically and kindly on their own experience, they fall into habits of desperation and dysfunction. The tools I offer and the principles I teach are designed to address what is most alive in us at each moment, cutting deeply beyond the ordinary barriers of everyday conflict and into the heart of what is most important to us as human beings.
Academically, I studied both the theory and history of psychotherapy and psychiatry from a cross-cultural perspective. I care deeply about indigenous rights, disability rights, personal empowerment, sustainability, and the environment. When I’m not coaching or teaching, I enjoy figure drawing, barbershop quartet singing, and playing tabletop/video games with friends. I am currently a Candidate as a Certified NVC trainer through the Center for Nonviolent Communication.