About Me
Hi! I’m glad you found me here. I’m Leah Beech. I’m a cis woman and white settler, practicing as a registered psychologist in Alberta. I work with individuals (adults 18+) and couples online . When I’m not seeing clients, you can find me reading, running, or lifting weights. I’m kind of a book nerd and always creating books lists – I can probably recommend you a title for most psychology-related topics, even if I haven’t read it myself!
How did you choose a career as a psychologist?
I pursued psychology as a career because I have an intense curiosity in understanding trauma and how we can heal as human beings. And healing doesn’t occur without relationships, both with ourselves and other humans. We seek connection and supporting people to have strong, connected relationships is important to me.
Growing up, my direct experience with the impacts of intergenerational trauma had a lasting influence. As I got older, I recognized how these experiences shaped me, but I didn’t know how or where to turn to make sense of it. Looking back, I can see how this influenced my experience in my first romantic relationship. I remember feeling upset and puzzled by conflict with my partner and really wanting to understand why and how it was happening.
I’ve never been content to not know the answer to a pressing problem and throughout my adult life, have invested myself in learning about trauma and relationships. I also tried various therapists and types of therapy (before I even knew about models of therapy). Bit by bit, I’ve developed a stronger sense of who I am and relationships with others.
This journey has been invaluable and necessary, but I also wish I had some of the tools when I was younger that I have now. I could have created more opportunity to be kind to myself with different ways to manage and process emotions.
What does this mean for therapy with me?
On this path, my curiosities and passions have brought me to therapy approaches that I connect with and have personally tried. Some of what I use in therapy is a little “outside the box” and can be transformative for clients. I want to use this knowledge to help people heal their relationship with themselves and others to create a more kind, thoughtful world.
Training and Continuing Education
I have a M.Sc. in Counselling Psychology from the University of Calgary. I’ve worked in various settings during my career, including non-profit, public schools, and most recently, private practice, where I’ve been for the last 4+ years. I am registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (#5454), which you can confirm at cap.ab.ca.
Couples and Relationship Therapy
I’ve trained in multiple couples therapy approaches and engage in ongoing consultation.
Gottman Method (Level 1 and 2)
Emotionally Focused Therapy Externship
Developmental Model of Couples Therapy
Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy (PACT)
Sex and intimacy training
The Doherty Approach
Individual Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy
Dialectical-Behaviour Therapy
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (Trauma)
Comprehensive Resource Model (Trauma)
Parts Work
STAIR Method Training - Level 1 (in progress). I sought this training to deepen my understanding of the neurobiology of change and what is happening in the brain when we are engaging in experiential therapy. STAIR stands for Self-Trust and Integrated Resilience.