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ANGELA POTES, MSc
MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONER
COMPASSION-BASED THERAPY
AREAS OF CLINICAL FOCUS:
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Mental Health: Anxiety, Stress, Burnout, Depression
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Illness management
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Trauma and Addiction
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Awareness
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Modalities: Compassionate Inquiry (CI), embodiment practices, somatic healing, trauma-informed
CERTIFICATIONS & ADVANCED TRAINING:
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B.Sc. in Psychology (Behavioural Neuroscience Option), Concordia University
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M.Sc. in Psychiatry, McGill University
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Mindfulness- based Group Therapy, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto
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Trained in Compassionate Inquiry (CI)
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Eckhart Tolle School of Awakening
SELECTED PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS:
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Mindfulness in Severe and Persistent Mental Illness: A
Systematic Review. Potes, A., Souza, G., Nikolitch, K., Penheiro, R., Moussa, Y., Jarvis, E., Looper, K.J., Rej, S. International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice (IJPC), 2017. -
Tai Chi Interventions in Mental Illness: Results From a Pilot Study in Adults and a Systematic Review in Older Adults. Potes, A., Torres-Platas, G., Thomas, Z., Therriault, J., Fox, R., Morin, L., ... & Vasudev, A.(2017). The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 25(3),S100-S101. American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry Conference, Dallas, 2017.
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Patient and Clinician Assessments of
Symptomatology Changes on Older Adults
Following a Psycho-educational Program for
Depression and Anxiety. Potes, A., Gagnon, G., Touré, E. H., & Perreault, M. Psychiatric Quarterly, 2016.
Angela is a certified Mental Health Practitioner residing in Vancouver, Canada. She was born in Colombia and completed her studies in Montreal, where she resided for 14 years before moving to BC. She holds a B.Sc. in Psychology and a M.Sc. in Psychiatry Research. Furthermore, she has nine years of experience in clinical research, working in geriatric psychiatry and mind-body interventions. Her passion for mindfulness and compassionate-based approaches lead her to discover Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), in which she worked along Dr. Kristin Neff at the graduate level. She then transitioned from a career in clinical research to compassion-based therapy, graduating from Compassionate Inquiry (CI) with Dr. Gabor Maté. Angela is also a graduate of Eckhart Tolle's School of Awakening and bases her personal practices on the teaching of A Course in Miracles (ACIM). She is a professional member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association and is currently enrolled in Compassionate Inquiry's Mentorship Program.
Angela's journey has been touched by both physical and mental illness. Because of her personal experience and recovery, she strongly believes that every human has the capacity to heal. She holds an exceptional capacity as an attentive listener and roots her work in creating and sustaining safety and trust. She trusts that compassion bridges the gap between a deep sense of disconnection and experiencing the authenticity of our true selves. She believes it is possible if we truly commit to trusting the process, and experiencing growth by our innate capacity to work on ourselves in a compassionate manner.
Her search for different healing modalities leads her to bridge science and spirituality, recognizing the importance of attending to our bodily needs to optimize health while deepening into the power of the mind to discover the origins of trauma. She describes: "Our unconscious beliefs and conditioned patterns guide our behaviours. Until we awake to the unconscious, through awareness and compassion, we cannot pursue living a life with purpose and authenticity".
Therapeutic modality:
Angela's goal is to support your journey to living a healthier, harmonious, and joyful life through awareness and compassion. In a session with her, you will explore a situation that is causing distress in your life. She will guide you through a somatic exploration of bodily sensations and emotions, and conduct an inquiry. You will be invited to unravel limiting beliefs that block your sense of agency and assertive action. She creates and sustains safety and trust, promoting healing and sustainable well-being.
Recommendations:
She recommends booking four sessions to ensure continuous support. With her background in clinical research, Angela believes in the power of the body to heal if complemented with natural medicine and mind-body practices. She highly recommends complementing this therapeutic modality with other services offered at Euphoria Natural Health.
Approach her for a 15-minute complimentary meet and greet if you want to learn more and find out if this modality is right for you.
Disclaimer:
Angela does not hold a provincial-recognized clinical designation and therefore her service would not qualify for insurance
reimbursement. Despite her training in mental health research, her training as a compassion-based therapist has been experiential.