Meet Kayley
Hello!
My name is Kayley Murdoch-Brace (she/her) and I am a heterosexual, cisgender woman of mainly French and Scottish descent. I recognize the weight of being an uninvited settler living and working on Treaty 4, the original lands of the nehiyawak, anihsinabek, Nakota, Dakota, Lakota, and the homeland of the Métis nation. I fight for truth, justice, and reconciliation daily and understand that relationships based on understanding and reciprocity are the foundation of reconciliation. I aim to humbly work towards decolonizing my practice by first recognizing the ongoing impacts of colonization and then dismantling them.
I am first of all a teacher and am now an aspiring counsellor. I am honoured to get to learn from the many people involved in the Fellow Travellers Healing Collective and This Human Thing. I am committed to ongoing learning and know that most of that happens in community with others. In my spare time, you can catch me reading, drinking coffee, going for walks or doing yoga, watching TV, or travelling, all usually with my husband, two kids, or a good pal.
My Core Values:
Relationships, Honesty, Joy, Justice, Balance, Learning, Reciprocity, Hard Work
My Path
Since pre-school, anyone who knew me knew I wanted to be a teacher. As a young child, I would tell all my friends that I would give them a toonie for every chapter of a book they read so that we could have a book club together. Needless to say, my teaching career started long before any formal education (if only I could bribe kids like that now!). I have now been an official teacher for 7 years and really do love the creative and relationship-building aspects of my job.
When I went on my first maternity leave, I was teaching Core French and Writing as a specialist for grades 5-8. As I was saying my goodbyes to some of the classes, I had a few students ask who the school counsellor would be when I was gone. I had to explain that I wasn’t the counsellor, I was only the French teacher. That was a defining moment for me as I realized that I spent much of my ‘spare’ time at work as a counsellor for those kids – whether running our school’s Gender and Sexuality Diversity Group, Girls’ Group, Anti-Racist Group, or Games Club (mostly for kids who struggled with relationships on the playground), or spending my recesses helping kids repair relationships, debrief family circumstances, or advocate for what they needed to other school staff.
This conversation spurred me to apply for a Master’s of Educational Psychology to become a school guidance counsellor so that my title could match what I truly loved about my job: supporting the mental and emotional health of kids.
Since working on my Master’s, I have had two children and have taken a keen interest in working with parents as well as kids to support their learning and healing as they take on the extremely difficult task of raising humans in an ever-changing world. I am thrilled to do my practicum now with the Fellow Travellers Healing Collective and This Human Thing. I believe that our paths are always changing and evolving through the many small and big moments, and I am excited to see how my journey will progress as I gain experience in such a beautiful, community-based setting.
Formal Education + Training
What I’ve Done
- Master’s of Educational Psychology (almost done!)
- Bachelor of Arts (English major)
- Bachelor of Education
What I’m Doing
- Practicum for Master’s of Educational Psychology
- Individual and group counselling with Kellsey Calhoon
- Facilitating groups with the Young Parent Program at the Rainbow Youth Centre
- Currently Reading: Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy
What I’d Love To Do
- Compassionate Inquiry with Dr. Gabor Maté
- ASIST training
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy training
- Trauma-Informed Dialectical Behavior Therapy training
- Expressive Arts Therapy training
- To Read: Scattered Minds and Hold On To Your Kids by Dr. Gabor Maté
Personal Work
As a fellow traveller in this journey of life, I am also on my own path of healing and growth. This is some of the ongoing work I am involved in:
- 3 years of therapy with a CBT-based counsellor
- Massage therapy and naturopathy
- Meditation retreats
- Daily mindfulness practices
- Yoga, walking, reading, and art journalling
Job Titles
- Grade 5/6 Teacher
- Practicum Student
What You Can Expect of Me:
I strive to be a positive light in my interactions with others and will be focused on building a relationship with you that has a strong foundation of trust, respect, and humour. I will support you with a strengths-based, trauma-informed, and anti-oppressive approach. I hope you leave our time together feeling lighter, more aware, or more energized.
work with me