Nominator Comments:
Michelle strives to contribute to her clients and Nova Scotians in a way that supports them on their journey of becoming the most fulfilled versions of themselves, to create healthier and more satisfying relationships. After opening her own private practice in 2020 she began responding to the needs of those in Nova Scotia, therapy is not accessible and it is for those in a position of financial privilege. She began to build a team of counselling interns to offer the needed space to obtain one’s Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology and serve those in Nova Scotia who can not access counselling services through the Couch of HOPE After opening Couch of HOPE the waitlist grew exponentially. With only two interns Couch of HOPE continued receiving many client inquiries. Michelle grew her network to share the mission and goals of Couch of HOPE so that more people could find hope. Since Couch of HOPE opened in 2021. They have trained and equipped 10 interns who have become registered counselling therapists with 15 more to come in 2023. With the growth that Michelle and her team have created, they have offered almost 2000 free counselling sessions to Nova Scotians.