Hi! I’m Dr. Barbara Woods
I teach therapists and parents to crack the code of a child's behavior and to become agents of change by harnessing the power of resilience.
I’m a psychotherapist in private practice and I train other therapists, teachers, and parents how to harness the power of relationships to support children who have difficult behaviors related to trauma and attachment disruptions. My private practice, Willow’s Bend Counselling Centre, Inc., is located in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada. My clinical work tends to gravitate towards children who have experienced trauma or attachment disruptions. I love to crack the code on their behavioral difficulties and support the adults in these children’s lives too.
Through my private practice and community of over 7,500 psychotherapists, I’ve learned the importance of developing skills based on using interventions from disciplines like Interpersonal Neurobiology, Polyvagal Theory & Interventions, Positive Psychology, and Mindful Parenting. These skills were the foundation to building a 7-figure practice in a small rural community.
My experience in treating children of trauma didn’t start in the graduate school classroom. It actually started on a gravel road during 4th Grade. I was waiting at the end of my driveway for the bus when a stranger drove by. I watched him as he turned around at a neighbor's house and drove by again. When he saw that my brother had joined me, he sped away throwing gravel…only to approach the neighbor when he saw her waiting for the bus.
Unfortunately, this man was terrorizing communities by attempting to abduct young girls who were waiting at bus stops. As a result of my witnessing this crime and ability to identify the car and man, I was frequently taken out of school to identify vehicles pulled over by police and to attend police line ups. So my knowledge in supporting children who have experienced trauma didn't start in a graduate school classroom. It started in my own real life healing journey.
So, in caring for the people I serve, I don’t approach it from a textbook or an academic exercise. I approach it from what I learned that day when my own safety and security were shattered and my journey toward resilience. As I follow alongside the journeys of those I serve, I teach them the actionable skills and strategies that will build personal resilience for a peaceful and prosperous life and a resilient family.
I am bringing the knowledge and skills I have developed through over twenty years of training and working with clients in my own psychotherapy practice to other therapists, parents, and teachers. The impact of your resilience, peacefulness, and prosperity can make a huge difference in the lives of your clients. You can impact and influence the life of your clients in a brave, authentic, and magnificent way. You just need the skills to cultivate beauty in the chaos and tame the stress that comes from serving others.
My commitment to the healing process and resilience doesn’t end when I leave the counselling room. My vision is to provide a supportive educational environment for psychotherapists, teachers, and parents to enhance their skills through actionable strategies related to neurobiology, resilience, and mindful parenting.
I hope you will join me in this journey!
