My name is Carol Peat and I have worked with children and families all of my life. The eldest of three girls, I was your typical first born daughter - driven, always trying to do better and never really feeling good enough. 

Little did I know that my passion for helping others even as a child would lead me into a life of advocating. I advocated for and worked with special needs children as I attended elementary school.  While attending high school coaching elementary school kids in sports was a natural fit and as I completed my undergraduate studies in English Language and Literature and Kinesiology I worked as an Early Childhood Educator in a daycare and kindergarten setting. Like every other teenage girl, babysitting filled my weekends. Through all of this work with families, I came to understand how every family had a different dynamic, based on the parents. Yes the parents. I did not fully understand, however, the depth of this dynamic until I became a mother myself. Because of my anatomy studies in both high school and University, I was fascinated by the way the human body functioned and how it specifically gave birth. Trauma studies became an interest to me, especially the way trauma had affect on the nervous system.

So, fast forward. I had been a marathon runner since the age of sixteen and was not aware that at that age, marathon running was not normal. I had issues. Big issues. Running was a way to escape. When you don't know what you are running from, this can be daunting. All I knew was that if I did well, I felt more accepted. I grew up thinking my acceptance was based on my performance and not for who I was intrinsically as a person. Enter anxiety.

While in University I sought treatment for anxiety. I was the kid that broke out in hives before exams, freaked out and didn't sleep before a big test and was a good girl. Yup, had the disease to please. Never wanted to upset the apple cart.  Always afraid of not being good enough, not worthy of love. Little did I know that these are traits passed down from generation to generation. I attracted toxic people into my life - from working with them to dating them, to dealing with them. It wasn't until I gave birth to my first child that I knew that I did not want to pass on what I had learned.

Now, many years later as a Mum to three adult children and a perpetual student, I have continued on with my education and have become trained and certified. My qualifications are:

Honors Bachelor of Arts

Certified Becoming Us Family Facilitator

Certified Relationship Coach

Certified Trauma Counselor

Emotionally Focused Couples Coach

Positive Parenting After Separation Counselor (Colorado State University)

Trauma Informed Care Professional for Youth, The Centre For Adolescent Studies, California

Babies In Mind Why The Parent’s Mind Matters, The University of Warwick, UK

Depression, Anxiety and Addictions: From A New Perspective, The Myth of Normal training

Movement for Trauma Coach

Certificate in Interpersonal Neurobiology EFFC (emotionally focused family coaching)

Certified Parent Educator