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mensmentalhealth.ca
Hi, I'm Derrick.
I'm a registered psychologist and the owner of Shirley Psychological Services, as well as the Founder of MensMentalHealth.ca. I'm also a Speaker, Author and proud men's mental health advocate. I'm dedicated to helping men find their voice, heal from past wounds, and strengthen their relationships. I see the weight many men carry: expectations, culture, family, and the constant need to keep their armour on.
My approach blends an understanding of the nervous system, emotions, and attachment, allowing me to understand deeper what’s going on and discuss it in a way that clicks. Many of the men I work with are balancing families, careers, and marriages while navigating life challenges, self-esteem struggles, or simply not feeling heard.
At the center of my work is one mission: to create a safe space where men can be vulnerable, understood, and supported as they build a healthier, more connected life.
REGISTERED PSYCHOLOGIST - AUTHOR - SPEAKER - MEN'S MENTAL HEATH ADVOCATE
HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER
Choose the path that best fits what you’re looking for—professional counselling, self-guided men’s mental health resources, or speaking and professional engagements.
Counselling & Therapy for Men
Men's Mental Health
I focus on helping men navigate feelings such as stress, anger, shame, self-criticism and the pressure to always “hold it all together.” Many of the men I work with have learned to minimize their own needs or carry things alone. In our work, I help create a space where you don’t have to do that anymore.
Together, we focus on building emotional awareness, strengthening communication, and developing healthier ways to cope with stress, anger, and difficult experiences. Men often leave therapy with greater self-compassion, stronger emotional regulation, and tools to show up more fully in their relationships and daily lives.
Areas of Specialization
Marriage and Relationship Health
Support through relationship challenges
My work with relationship health is grounded in attachment theory, nervous system regulation, and emotion-focused therapy, which in combination, help us understand how we connect (or struggle to connect) with the people who matter most. Through my own experiences as a husband, divorced father, long-distance parent, and step-parent, I've learned that relationships require vulnerability, honest communication, and the willingness to repair when things go wrong.
While I do not provide couples counselling, I work individually with men who want to improve their relationship patterns, emotional availability, and ability to navigate conflict, trust, and intimacy more effectively. I do, however, offer couples consults, which are one-off sessions with my client and their partners and often work with men individually, who are engaged in couples counselling elsewhere.*
*Please note, the couples consult option on our booking website, is for clients who are already working with me in individual therapy.
Areas of Specialization
Transitioning to
Adulthood
Counselling support for teens (18+) and young adults
The move into adulthood brings real pressure—around education, career choices, identity, and independence. Young people and their parents often feel overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure of how to move forward.
I offer counselling for youth and young adults in Alberta navigating this transition, as well as support for parents struggling with launching their kids. Together, we work on building confidence, developing emotional awareness, and strengthening decision-making skills. I also help parents clarify boundaries and communication patterns that support their young adult's growth and independence.
Areas of Specialization
Career Transitions, Stress & Burnout
Work-related counselling for men in Alberta
With over 15 years as a Certified Career Consultant, I work with men Alberta-wide who are experiencing job confusion and satisfaction, interpersonal conflict, job loss, professional identity, and retirement transition. If you’re feeling stuck, questioning direction, or struggling with work-related pressure, my goal is to help you gain clarity and regain a sense of control.
In our work, we can work on managing stress and workplace relationships, strengthening confidence, and addressing the emotional and psychological factors that impact motivation, decision-making, and performance.
Men I work with often gain greater clarity around their goals, healthier boundaries with work, improved stress management, and practical tools to navigate career changes with confidence and resilience.
Areas of Specialization
Separation & Divorce Counselling
Support with transitions, parenting changes, and emotional regulation.
I provide individual counselling for men who are navigating separation, divorce, or the emotional impact of relationship breakdown. This stage can bring grief, anger, shame, uncertainty, and major life changes — especially when parenting, identity, and future relationships are involved.
My approach offers a supportive space to process these emotions, understand relationship patterns, and rebuild a sense of stability and self-worth. While I do not provide couples counselling, I help men work through the personal and relational impact of separation so they can move forward with greater clarity and emotional strength.
Men often leave this work with improved emotional regulation, healthier coping strategies and boundaries, and tools to rebuild confidence, co-parent more effectively, and approach future relationships with greater awareness and security.
Areas of Specialization
My Story
What influences my work in equally significant ways has been the journey and transitions I have experienced in becoming a parent and step-parent. From parenting inside a marriage, to being a long-distance single Dad (my son grew up in France), to step-parenting fraternal twin tweens (say that 5x fast) in my new relationship, raising children has taught me many things, most importantly: it's not what I had envisioned it was going to be, and it's a lot harder than I thought.
I have also come to understand the need for deep and fulfilling connections with those I love, asking for help when I’m stuck (which is often and I still don't do very well), finding support and helpful resources when I’m feeling lost, laughing with my partner (not at her) and the kids about absolutely anything; being honest in my self-reflections and letting down my guard (we all have one), and mucking through situations that have literally brought me to my knees from stress, grief, and sadness.
People who have known me for a few years also know that I used to weigh over 400 pounds and struggled with weight management for almost 20 years. But back in 2006, after 18 months of better eating habits, healthier food choices, and regular exercise, I lost 180 pounds and went on to become a podium-position triathlete, Ironman competitor, and in 2013, a cross-Canada cyclist. Now I prefer to stay a little closer to home and enjoy home renos, digging fence post holes (Who doesn’t like digging a hole?), mountain and road biking, hiking, and I recently bought an acoustic guitar, which I am excited to learn how to play (but currently sits in the corner and I water it occasionally).
My professional history also includes work as a former sessional instructor for the Department of Psychology and Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary, certification in career consulting and transition, and two years counselling Indigenous clients in central and northern Alberta. For 5 years, I also facilitated Parenting After Separation (PAS), Parenting After Separation High Conflict (PASHC), and Focus on Communication in Separation (FOCIS) workshops for parents with Alberta Justice.
