Lori Gard

Lori is Your Life Design’s couples and family therapist. She is presently working an advanced certification in couple and family therapy from the University of Guelph.

She has been a K-12 classroom teacher, an instructional coach working with teachers, and a school counsellor, over the span of her eleven-year career in the field of education.  Her degrees include a Bachelor of Arts (History and Political Studies), a Bachelor of Education (Intermediate focus), a Master of Education in Leadership, Literacy, and Inclusion, a Master of Science in School Counselling and Guidance from the University of West Alabama, as well as ongoing professional learning to become a certified Solution Focused Brief Therapist through OISE, at the University of Toronto. 

Lori is a Canadian Certified Counsellor and a Counselling Therapist.

Lori can support both students and their families, in finding ways to manage and cope with the demands of school, as this affects children and youth both personally and relationally. 

Some key areas that Lori specializes in: emotional regulation, anxiety, family systems, peer relationships, support for suicidal ideation and suicide prevention, and social-emotional support for learning.

Lori is trained in Solution Focused Brief Therapy and Counselling, which is an effective and strength-based approach focused on finding solutions over fixating on problems.  Within this modality, Lori has training in Couple and Family therapy, Group Applications, as well as Post-Traumatic Growth. Lori also has training in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).

Lori has offered training to adults in a variety of settings, most recently, in her role as an instructional coach to educators.  In this capacity, Lori was given the opportunity to provide information and support, both one-on-one, in group settings, as well as in large gatherings, so as to inspire and motivate others to achieve their potential.  This experience makes Lori an ideal trainer for your next professional development opportunity. Lori also often combines her passion for writing and her role as a counselling therapist, having written for many online and print publications, having co-edited a book on curriculum, as well as recently having authored her first children’s book, “Reg Goes Swimming”.

A come-from-away, Lori lives near the water in beautiful Prince Edward Island, where she enjoys kayaking and relaxing.  She lives with her four children (two in university) and husband, who also is a fellow educator.