About Me
I understand how challenging life can be!
Let me introduce myself to you. My name is Andrea Seniw and I live in Edmonton with my husband of 32 years. In a way, it feels like my whole life has been in preparation for this call to be a counsellor. My mentor told me once that when God calls, he also equips. He was right! If I am honest, much of the equipping has been painful, but it is that very pain that God has used. In fact, all pain in God’s hands is an opportunity to know him better. C.S. Lewis said that, and I agree.
I provide counselling from a distinctly Christian worldview. I understand pain and how difficult it is for you to change. I have been there, to those dark, hard places where you wonder what’s wrong and if there’s help for you. There is! Just like there was help for me, there is help for you. I am so glad you are here. This is how help begins.
"No one reaches out to you for compassion or empathy so you can teach them how to behave better. They reach out to us because they believe in our capacity to know our darkness well enough to sit in the dark with them.”
Brené Brown
A Preview
Welcome to Comfy Couch Counselling! The couch represents a welcoming place where you can feel safe to be vulnerable.
My whole office space is designed to feel like your living room. There is nothing pretentious about it, it is a peaceful and intimate space where you will be met with acceptance and kindness. There’s always a place like that for you on my couch.
When we learn to move through suffering, rather than avoid it, then we greet it differently. We become willing to let it teach us. We even begin to see how God can use it for some larger end.
- Henri Nouwen -
My Approach
There are hundreds of approaches and research suggests that it is not the approach that is important, but the relationship between the counsellor and the client. Having said that, you may still want to know what to expect from me, I respect that.
I approach counselling from a relational perspective because God created us to be in relationship, first with him, then with others, and finally, with his creation. With a few tweaks, attachment theory is completely compatible with a Christian worldview because it does not view individuals in isolation but rather as part of an interconnected group. Emotionally focused therapy, if grounded in attachment theory, treats people as holistic. That is, it recognizes and respects that we are not just a brain on a stick but are complex people who have emotions, thoughts, and a spiritual life all integrated into who we are.
I believe that one of our deepest longings as human beings is to be known and loved, and counselling can be a safe place to begin the journey toward healthy and soul-satisfying relationships. I realize that we are all in a different place so I encourage you not to be afraid, to come as you are, and I will meet you on the couch.
For those who are interested, here are my qualifications.
Credentials
Canadian Certified Counsellor
Master of Arts in Counselling with Honours from Providence Theological Seminary
Bachelor of Arts in Counselling and Ministry from Alberta Bible College
Additional training
Gottman Method Couples Therapy Level One Training
Emotionally Focused Therapy Externship
Circle of Security Facilitator Training
Special Interests
Counselling Couples
Counselling Women
Support Group for Christian Women Experiencing Domestic Abuse (See Workshops)