Calming Tree Counselling

When people ask me why I started Calming Tree, there are a lot of answers.

Part of it was leadership.

I’ve always been someone who felt called to build, guide, and create. After years working in the field, I wanted an opportunity to express that part of myself in a way that felt meaningful.

Part of it was community.

I was raising a teenager and listening to the worries, pressures, and challenges young people were facing. I could see the need for accessible counselling growing, and at the time, most services felt concentrated in the downtown core. I wanted to create something closer to home. Something that felt connected to the community we live in.

And part of it was seeing a gap in the profession itself.

I wanted to create an environment that felt different.
One that prioritized connection, support, collaboration, and people over competition.

What I didn’t anticipate was just how much the community needed it.

Within months, the Calming Tree team grew. Then it grew again and again.

The need was bigger than any one therapist could meet alone.
And maybe that’s the lesson underneath all of this. Just because you can do it alone doesn’t mean you should.

I could absolutely run a solo practice. But it would be lonely.
And I believe that loneliness would eventually find its way into the work.

I’ve learned that support matters. Peer consultation matters. And being surrounded by people who care deeply about their clients matters.

Therapy is built on relationships, so it only made sense to build a practice that values them too. 🖤

Take good care,
Melissa