John K Meyer

My name is John Meyer. I am a 57 year-old, white, cis-gender male who is bringing over 35 years of counselling, therapy, education, and healing experience to Sundog Counselling, in an effort to help people heal from conflict, trauma, and addiction. With my family, I have been living in Canmore, Alberta since 2011. Canmore is located on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyârhe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.

After a tumultuous youth, I joined the United States Air Force and served as a linguist for four years. Following my service, I earned my bachelor’s degree in English and Mathematics and then became an award-winning alternative high school teacher. Following seven years of teaching, I embarked on a journey that took me to multiple countries and cultures. Some of my traveling included covering nearly 5,000 trail miles through the wilds of North America, Asia, and Europe. Additionally, I lived and studied at ashrams, temples, schools, ancient villages and museums. In these travels and work, I learned a lot about our world, the people in it, and myself. In 2006, I received my Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from University of Washington in Seattle. This transformative educational experience was built upon a framework of anti-racism, social justice, and child/family social work.

As a social worker/counsellor, I have worked with Indigenous communities, homeless urban youth, incarcerated youth, K-12 education, post-secondary education, wilderness-based substance use treatment, and as a clinical substance use and trauma counsellor. Concurrent with this professional work, I continued my own personal growth path by learning and practicing Nonviolent Communication, Vipassana meditation, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and most recently, Somatic Experiencing©. In 2022, I completed my advanced training as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP).