Meredith Shaw
M.C., Registered Psychologist
Meredith is a registered psychologist who has been working in the mental health field for 16 years. Meredith started her career in the school system in roles such as teacher, youth support coach, resiliency-building program instructor, and high school counsellor. She later transitioned to work with adults and has worked as a Mental Health Therapist at an on-reserve health center and a Crisis Line Counsellor for multiple crisis phone lines.
As a therapist, she values empathy, non-judgement, and authenticity. She is informed by both Eastern and Western perspectives, and is drawn to holistic body-mind approaches to therapy. Her sessions often include breathwork, relaxation, and mindfulness techniques.
Meredith works with individual adults, teens and couples. She has particular expertise in working with trauma, addiction, parenting and grief. She especially enjoys working with autistic and queer clients.
Her therapeutic work is informed by modalities such as Hakomi, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and the Grief Recovery Method. With couples, she integrates Non-Violent Communication, Emotion-Focused Therapy,
the Gottman Method and Relational Life Therapies into her work.
Outside of the office, Meredith loves cycling, skating, yoga, and spending time in the river valley with family and friends.
About my practice
Trauma/PTSD
I have spent much of my career supporting people recovering from trauma.
My experience includes crisis response, working with a range of traumas in a First Nations community, and supporting clients affected by both single-incident traumas (such as accidents, fires, and assaults) and developmental trauma across the full spectrum of Adverse Childhood Experiences. I also have expertise in addiction recovery, recognizing that some trauma survivors use substances to cope with symptoms.
Having recovered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder myself, I am passionate about helping people reclaim health, vitality, and freedom. Depending on your needs, our work may draw from Seeking Safety, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Hakomi, and other approaches.
Neurodiversity Affirming
Many clients share with me that having a therapist who truly “gets” their neurodivergent traits is what they appreciate most about working with me. As a late-diagnosed autistic person, the mom of two children diagnosed with both Autism and ADHD, and the spouse of a partner with ADHD, my expertise as a psychologist is supplemented by lived experience navigating neurodiversity on a daily basis.
I work with clients with a variety of diagnosis experiences: new diagnosis or established diagnosis; early, late, and self-diagnosed. I have experience supporting neurodivergent clients with issues related to school, work, healthcare, or relationships; burnout and masking-related exhaustion; bullying and/or social exclusion; transitioning to independent adulthood; and healing from past traumas.
Together we can focus on understanding your nervous system and needs, reducing shame, cultivating self-acceptance, and developing sustainable strategies aligned with how you work best.
Parenting
My passion for supporting parents began while working as a high school teacher, where I observed how parenting approaches could shape a child’s success, resilience, and well-being. This interest became deeply personal when I became a parent myself.
As a Mental Health Therapist in Maskwacîs, I worked with residential school survivors and their families, supporting healing from trauma and strengthening parent-child relationships. This experience sparked a particular interest in helping parents break cycles of intergenerational trauma.
Today, I bring specialized experience supporting parents of children with special needs, co-parents navigating separation or divorce, and foster and adoptive families.
Credentials
Meredith’s education includes:
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Master of Counselling, 2016
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Bachelor of Education, 2005
Meredith is a member in good standing of the following professional organizations:
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College of Alberta Psychologists