Hugh Watkins

For the last 31 years I have been serving, leading and coaching individuals with a diverse range of needs. I have worked in Canada’s urban centers, rural communities, and aboriginal communities and throughout the West Indies and USA.

I respect and admire diversity in the complexity of our individual uniqueness and the simplicity of our commonalities.  I am passionately interested in the lives of people; specifically, in assisting them to set and meet personal goals and achieve a high level of overall wellness.

In my practice I recognize the advantage of education in building a persons’ self- worth and confidence, often supporting clients to seek opportunities to advance their skills in both formal and informal settings.

Every individual has the potential to be successful. Often individuals present with a unique range of challenges, be it emotional, cognitive, in our relationships both professionally and personal, and financial issues that may hinder our success. Therefore, it is imperative that we recognize problem areas, even highlighting some of our previous successes and then embark in some goal & value-oriented planning, uniquely tailored to each individual(s).

When working collaboratively with clients, we as counsellors here at Voice of Hope Counselling & Wellness Centre have been recognized as being authentic, providing a nurturing and engaging cultural atmosphere, where the client(s) can develop a sense of connectedness throughout the therapeutic process. It’s important for us to be engaging to our client(s) as we build our alliance toward the quality of life they are longing for; experiencing the power of life transformation, mindfully active in your lives, taking control of your journey, and build self- regulation skills that will empower you to actualize your full potential!

As CEO and in my role as a Registered Psychotherapist, I strive to support clients through, skills development, goal setting, accessing various community supports and being present, in the “here and now” for each client.

My approach is solution-focused in nature; I have an optimistic approach to identifying and building strengths. Establishing trust and building a positive and respectful relationship is paramount. I encourage and assist individuals in finding their voice in our sessions while I listening intently, paraphrase their words for clarification and reflection, expressing empathy, and having respect in their struggles. Encouragement, appreciative reflection, creativity, rapport building and co- constructing goal plans are the tools I rely on to encourage growth.

My genuine passion is people. It is my desire to assist YOU, in charting your course for success and personal happiness; bringing strength and encouragement while helping YOU achieve personal fulfillment, wholeness and tranquility within YOUR life!