Meet Your Therapist, Kim.

Meet Kim Sourkes!

Kim'’s pronouns are she and her. She is a Registered Social Worker, and provides services in both English and French. She has been a practitioner with Positive Perspectives since 2022.

We sat down with Kim to ask her questions so that our community (if you’re reading this, that means you!) could get to know her better. Enjoy!

What drew you to this work?

I am a naturally curious person and am honestly fascinated by people’s stories. I love learning, asking questions and getting to know new people. When I first decided to pursue a degree in social work I knew I wanted to work with people — but I wasn’t sure in what capacity. 

As I worked through my degree, direct client work just seemed like the natural path to follow. I love working with people to uncover their hidden parts, explore what has led us to where we are now, and also what will lead us to new and exciting places within ourselves and in our lives and in relationships. 

It’s a bit of detective work, but it is very empowering!

What is one thing you wish you knew before starting therapy?

There will probably be tears, but there will also be laughter – and both are therapeutic!

Therapy is work, it is hard and it can be exhausting, but it can also be light and playful and full of joy.

It will enable you to shine light on areas that are old and need attention and also remind you of the gifts that you possess.  

In my own healing work, I have discovered things that I didn’t even realize were holding me back - despite the fact that they may have been pointed out by people close to me on numerous occasions. But I have also been able to rediscover the things that bring me back to my true self, that feed me, and give my life more meaning and purpose.

Tell us more about your road to becoming a therapist…

My road to becoming a therapist wasn't direct but I also wouldn't change it. When I graduated high school, I remember feeling a bit unsure about what to do next. For over a decade our path is pretty clear: elementary school, middle school and high school.  Once that ended, I felt a lot of pressure to know "what I wanted to do with my life".  

Plot twist - I had no idea. I got an entrance scholarship for the University of Winnipeg, so that guided my next steps. I remember taking a wide variety of classes my first year. In a conversation with my mom she said, “just take classes you're interested in and the rest will come.” 

I decided to trust that advice and signed up for anthropology, calculus, sociology, economics. Sociology quickly became my favourite class and ultimately led me to complete a degree in sociology, and justice and law. With a degree under my belt, I took on a full time role with WASAC, an Indigenous community organization.

The organization focused on recreation and capacity building with children and youth across Manitoba. This became my second home and second family; I worked on and off there for many years. After a year stint working as a Community Networker with a school division, I decided to apply for the pre-masters program in Social Work.  I remember feeling impatient at this point in my life and wanting things to hurry up so that I could be in my “career” job.

I was in school, working two jobs and living in the Village. And then something changed. I was able to gain a new perspective on where I was in life. I was supporting myself, loving my classes and enjoying my jobs. It was almost like a light switch flicked on; if I could let go of the sense of urgency to be somewhere else, I could really appreciate where I was. And it was pretty great!

In 2010, I graduated with my Master of Social Work degree, knowing that I wanted to continue working with community based agencies. Shortly after, I accepted a part-time position as a counsellor with Women’s Health Clinic. I still work part time in the general counselling and abortion programs at WHC. After 10+ years, I decided that it was time to branch out a bit… Which led me to where I am now, since joining the amazing people at Positive Perspectives!

What is your favorite part about being a therapist?

I think my favourite part is witnessing the “aha” moments. It’s is incredible to witness people open up to a new perspective or create connection or meaning that wasn’t there before.

Another one of my favourite things of being a therapist is relationship building. It is such an honour and privilege to have someone invite you into their life in this way. Building trust, being able to show up authentically, being able to give voice to the thoughts that have been bouncing around in our heads and hearts - these are beautiful moments of vulnerability and risk taking. My hope is that I never get to a point where I take that for granted. I am so grateful to the individuals that I work with for allowing me to sit with them for a period of time. And as cheesy as it is to say, I really do learn so much about myself, and about how to do this work from the people who come to see me.    

What topics light you up when you’re in session?

Learning is a huge part of therapy! I love having conversations about why we respond the way that we do. Not just from an individual level, but also from a broader level. 

For example: “How do things like gender identity, race, oppression, and privilege impact our experiences?”

The way that our personal beliefs, values and experiences intersect with the world around us (and vice versa) is always fascinating to me. I also love exploring how all of these things impact us in the various roles that we have. Since becoming a mom there is a whole new landscape to explore in terms of parenting!  

The more we can understand our own reactions, responses, patterns and behaviours, and the context in which they occur, the better we are able to notice them and be curious about them. I believe this opens the door to both action and compassion. 

What theories or styles of therapy do you lean into?

Such a great question! Over the years I’ve picked up pieces from a variety of approaches but I would say the theories or styles that I’m currently leaning into are polyvagal theory, attachment theory and acceptance and commitment theory (ACT). 

Polyvagal theory is still fairly new to me, but I’m excited to continue learning about our nervous system and how we can work with it, rather than against it.

Attachment theory and adult attachment are fascinating, in terms of understanding the context in which our attachment styles develop. We can learn how to lean into the strengths of our attachment styles while also gaining a greater understanding of why certain things are challenging for us; all while working towards greater security in our relationship with ourselves and others. 

The intersection of these two theories and how our nervous systems, attachment styles and ability to regulate are intertwined is so interesting! What I love about ACT is the incorporation of acceptance, mindfulness, compassion and the creation of behavioural goals to help move us forward and live according to our values.

There is a lot of focus on creating a life worth living and recognizing how we can get hung up in our thoughts and end up doing things that actually move us away from where we want to be. I also bring a feminist, anti-oppressive and anti-racist lens to all of the work that I do. 

What is your availability like?

I’m currently seeing clients on Mondays from 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM for both virtual and in-person appointments.  

Are you accepting new guests into your practice?

Yes! I’m so looking forward to meeting more of the Positive Perspectives community and I am accepting new guests into my practice. If you’re interested in connecting I’m also available for 20 minute phone consultations. Feel free to connect with me by emailing kimsourkes@gmail.com

What do you like to do with your time outside of work?

Outside of work you’ll probably find me running around with my kiddo and hubby. I love spending time outdoors and exploring new places, near and far. I really love travelling and since the 2020 and 2021 travel restrictions, I have been given the opportunity to do a bit more of that closer to home.

I love a good book, good coffee and some quiet time, but I am equally excited to go for a bike ride, hike, cross country ski or hang out with friends. I love trying new things and generally just being goofy.  A couple of years ago I took an adult hip hop class. I took dance for years as a kid - but never hip hop. It was equally exciting and terrifying to take to the stage for our year end recital… And yes, there is video evidence of this.  

Do you have any pets? If so, what are their names?

Cats, cats and more cats. We have three cats that share our home, Lucy, Gosu and Lulu. The two little ones were adopted during the pandemic and they have brought so much energy into the house, for better or worse! 

Update: We are back to being a one cat household. Over the past 6 months, the relationship between our cats changed for the worse. I won’t get into the nitty gritty, but ultimately we made the difficult decision to rehome them. I’m seriously considering creating an Instagram post about the process, because it was very interesting what came up for me!

To connect further with Kim…

Follow her on Instagram at @kimsourkes or send us an email at positive.info.wpg@gmail.com. Want to continue the conversation in person? Schedule a session with Kim by visiting our website.