Jake Haskel

Hey all! I’m Jake, and I’m so excited we’ve found each other.

My professional passion is supporting adolescents and teens to develop into the people they want to become. In my work as a school counsellor, young people enjoy working with me because I follow their lead, build trust over time, and help make meaning out of lived experiences in order to dig into the hard work of personal reflection. I listen and learn first before working together to develop solutions that stick (if that’s what’s needed in the situation). I believe that the person is not the problem – “the problem is the problem” – and that the person with the problem often has the tools to solve it themselves, even if they don’t realise it at first glance. 

I have experience working with young people of all ages, backgrounds, identities, and life experiences. While I have graduate degrees in Prevention Science and specific training in Narrative Therapy, I find it difficult to categorise the human experience into different “areas of focus” or “specialties,” so I’m more than keen to talk about whatever is happening in life and see how I can best support.

My style is perhaps more casual than the stereotypical therapist. In my conversations, I strive to be a caring, authentic, supportive, attentive listener who can make opening up and discussing the tough stuff a bit easier than expected. And when I’m not working with young people, you’ll find me playing board games, going to dog parks with my 1 year old cocker spaniel Murphy, watching sports, or playing music. 

If you think I might be a good fit with your child, or if you’d like to learn more, we can set up a free 10-minute phone or Zoom call to get to know each other a bit more and make a plan together.