I am on this journey with you; we are equals. Though I am a professional, you are the expert in your life - we walk on the healing path together. I respect your boundaries while encouraging you to step out of your comfort zone and do things differently so you can grow/change. I incorporate humour in my practice since humour is one way to heal and grow as well as embracing the difficult times. It is my hope that through counselling, people and couples who struggle with life’s adversity will grow and change towards living and feeling empowerment, love, and compassion. I work with individuals, couples, and families on a range of areas including relationships, communications, grief, loss, addiction, anxiety, depression, and self-compassion.

I have been in the mental health and addictions field for over 15 years. I have been employed as a counsellor for the majority of my experience including counselling youth and adults with substance use disorder and their family members. Most recently my counselling focus has shifted to relationship issues, anxiety, depression, grief, loss, and stress on both an individual and couple level.

I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (2019) and a Canadian Certified Counsellor (2021), with a Masters in Counselling Psychology; my thesis was on “AA members’ vocational journeys in their recovery” and I completed my practicum at Living Systems. The modalities I use include person-centered therapy, Adlerian theory, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Gottman Couple Method, Bowen Family Therapy, and attachment theory. I have completed the Core Indigenous Cultural Safety Mental Health training, Neufeld Intensive I: Making Sense of Kids, and Levels 1, 2, and 3 of Clinical Training Gottman Method Couples Therapy. I am also an EMDR Certified Therapist.

I am on this journey with you; we are equals. Though I am a professional, you are the expert in y... Read More

Hello, my name is Jessika, and I am so glad you’re here! I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with a Masters in Counselling Psychology (MA) from the University of Victoria.

Over the years I have worked in numerous different settings, but all with the same goal of supporting clients in identifying their own version of wellness and assisting them in getting there. When I get the privilege to sit with someone in counselling, my top priority is to create a space that is directly focused on your unique needs and personal goals. You are in the driver’s seat on this journey of healing, and I am next to you as the passenger sharing some different detours or turns you may not have explored yet. I cannot wait to see where we may go together!

My approach to counselling is fundamentally client-centered, which means I meet you where you are at, and we work together to guide our sessions. I incorporate narrative, strength-based, somatic, and interpersonal therapies into my work while sharing cognitive-behavioural based skills and coping mechanisms to support the development of your own tool kit for long after our sessions together have ended.

Working in a variety of different settings has given me the opportunity to work with clients struggling with diverse challenges. I have worked in individual, group and family-based settings supporting youth with neurodiversity’s as they navigate emotional, social, and school based challenges. I have experience supporting substance use challenges through my role at Homewood Ravensview and Island Health’s Mental Health and Substance Use Services. Additionally, my time at the Pacific Centre Family Services Association allowed me the opportunity to support youth, retired individuals, and everyone in-between with various mental health needs. I am passionate about supporting youth and young adults as they navigate their development of self and the roles and passions that fulfill them. I believe relationships with those around us are a fundamental aspect of our own mental health, and therefore relational and interpersonal work is important to me. Self-worth and confidence are valuable no matter the stage of life you are at, and I enjoy supporting clients in recognizing their own worth just as they are.

I am interested in working with individuals of all ages.

Jessika specializes in:

Anxiety Depression Social & Behavioural Challenges Life Transitions Self-esteem Body Image & Body Shame Emotional Regulation Identity Relationship Challenges

Hello, my name is Jessika, and I am so glad you’re here! I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (... Read More

The thought of counselling can be daunting and takes courage. I aim to provide a safe space where you can feel comfortable, heard, and understood: a place where we can work together on your goals at your pace. I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a Master’s degree in counselling serving the adult population. My practice is also informed by my life experience and a variety of different theoretical perspectives. As a partner and a parent, as well as an immigrant who has studied about and lived in a variety of cultures around the world, I use a systemic or family systems approach to understanding you and your situation. This means I am interested in the context of your life and as well as present challenges, your relationships with others, and life transitions that can shake up your world.

I hold a trauma-informed perspective that acknowledges the impact of past traumatic experiences, your responses to them, and how they might affect your life today. I take a person-centred approach, and this means working at your pace on your goals and gaining insight into patterns of behaviour that may no longer be useful to you.

I choose from a variety of different therapy approaches to suit your particular needs in the moment. These include strengths-based therapies, including Solution-Focused Therapy, which encourage you to access your own capacities and resources to initiate change. I draw from skills-based therapies such as Dialectical Behavioural Therapy that teach alternative ways of thinking and responding in your life. Underpinning these is an Existential approach that highlights your values and beliefs as well as what brings you meaning and purpose in life to help narrow or shift the focus to what is really important to you.

While my life experiences bring understanding and alternative perspectives to our conversations, my aim is always to work collaboratively with you and your unique requirements and the situation you are responding to.

Specialized Work

Anxiety Communication Depression Emotional Regulation Grief & Loss LGBTQ+ Life Transitions Trauma And more…

The thought of counselling can be daunting and takes courage. I aim to provide a safe space where... Read More

Hello, I’m Tricia Gage. I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a Master of Counselling degree. I work with a wide range of ages, from preschoolers to retirees. I offer individual counselling (youth and adults), play therapy, couples, and family therapy. I have specialized training in play therapy from Rocky Mountain Play Therapy Institute and couples therapy from The Gottman Institute I seek to empower my clients along their path to growth and wellness through providing genuine, empathetic, caring, and skilled support. I strive to create a safe space where my clients feel heard, understood, and respected. I consider it an honour to walk with clients as they navigate their journey and face life’s challenges and uncertainties. I practice from a trauma-informed lens and take an individual approach for every client - integrating a variety of therapeutic approaches to best support each client’s needs and goals. These approaches include Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Narrative Therapy, mindfulness and somatic interventions, and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). For my younger clients, and those who are young at heart, I integrate my training in play therapy, including sandtray and creative art interventions, to support clients on their path. My areas of specialization include: *Depression *Attachment *Anxiety *Relationship and Family Conflict *ADHD *Parenting Support *Self-Worth *Emotional Regulation *Chronic Illness *Family transitions *Grief & Loss *Establishing Healthy Boundaries

Hello, I’m Tricia Gage. I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a Master of Counselling degree... Read More

Making the choice to work with a counsellor involves a great deal of courage. It’s not an easy process, and I am privileged to accompany my clients on their journeys of discovery and healing.

Growing up, I often played the role of listener and peacemaker in my family. Since then, I’ve wanted to be helpful to individuals and couples/partners in distress, but my struggles with shame and self-criticism led me to believe that if I felt drawn to something, I would be best to avoid that path, as failure would be sure to follow. And yet, over time and with many new experiences and supportive relationships, I learned that what I saw as failure was really part of my learning process. After a long journey, I hold a Master of Arts degree in Counselling Psychology from the University of British Columbia and I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors.

As a counsellor and as a human, I bring a sense of warmth and curiosity to my work, as well as a deep respect for the experiences and the strengths of those who choose to work with me. It is important to me to take the time to get to know you and what you value as an individual and as a part of larger systems like family, school, and cultural groups. I am dedicated to working with humans as individuals and as couples/partners around issues such as anxiety, relational trauma, self-criticism, low self-worth, and lack of connection, which can show up in struggles like low mood, difficulty regulating emotions, eating and body image concerns, and relationship/communication issues.

In my work, I draw from a range of trauma-informed approaches, anchored by my training in Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), which is based on the idea that we are able to “undo our aloneness” and access our natural healing tendency from the safety of a secure relationship. I also use family systems theory, mindfulness, and compassion-based practices, all of which I love to teach during the counselling process, so that your work with me can be a way to practice tools that will support you long after our time together is finished.

When I work with couples and relationship concerns, I use my training in the Bader-Pearson Developmental Model of Couples Therapy, which focuses on helping partners evolve individually and relationally throughout the different stages of their relationship. By addressing attachment patterns, capacity to tolerate differences, and emotional regulation, I empower couples to move through challenges with greater understanding and intimacy.

Making the choice to work with a counsellor involves a great deal of courage. It’s not an easy pr... Read More

My initial entry into this field was through grief and loss, working with special needs and culminating in work with trauma, addictions, and life changes. Over the years, I have worked in a variety of settings: hospitals, non-profit agencies, schools (elementary, secondary, and university), mental health agencies, and private practice. This has given me a broad perspective on the issues one can face in any and all settings, allowing me to understand many of my client’s experiences better.

Having worked at GF Strong Physical Rehabilitation Centre in Vancouver as their addictions expert and educator, I learned great respect for the challenges that life can bring. As an addictions therapist for 15 years, I have been exposed to all forms of healing from traumas–ranging from motor vehicle accidents to emotional abuse and everything in between. A theme of coping with grief and loss permeates all of these experiences and can be viewed as a way through recovery, not just for the individual but for loved ones as well. Life transitions can prove to be a challenge and can bring up many past issues and concerns. If this is true for you, talking to someone can make a difference between moving forward with hope and ease or staying stuck with overwhelm and fear.

I have trained in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy, EMDR, Self Regulation Therapy (SRT), Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP), Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), and Focussing. I have also been privileged to work with many of the originators of these therapies. In addition to my private practice, I am currently the Director of Mental Health at the Vancouver Island Compassion Dog Program that helps veterans with PTSD train their own service dogs. I have been an Adjunct Professor at Adler University for the past 15 years and have developed courses in trauma, addictions, and many other areas. Additionally, I am registered on the Crime Victims Assistance Program as an Approved Clinician as well as a Vendor for ICBC.

My philosophy is to empower my clients with the ability to no longer need me because they have the tools to cope themselves. My belief is by having a warm, engaging therapist to listen and help shift one’s perspective, one can generate healing. My goal is to meet you where you are at and to understand where you want you to go in your healing.

Jan Specializes In:

*Trauma *PTSD *Grief & Loss *Anxiety *Emotional Regulation *LGBTQ+ *Life Transitions *Adolescents

My initial entry into this field was through grief and loss, working with special needs and culmi... Read More

Hello, my name is Holly Miles (she/they pronouns). I am a Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC). Many of my clients seek me out for support in recovering from childhood or adult relational trauma such as abuse or neglect. I also support clients wanting to explore parts of their identity such as gender, sexuality and neurodiversity (ADHD, Autism Spectrum or High Sensitivity).

In the past I have worked with survivors of gender-based violence, childhood trauma and those experiencing mental health challenges in pregnancy and the postpartum period.

My approach grounded in intersectional feminism, anti-racism and 2LGBTQIA+ affirmation. In the therapeutic relationship, I use Narrative Therapy, and Expressive Arts Therapy, and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy as I support my clients to connect to their authentic selves in a more present and joyful way.

Holly Specializes In:

-Childhood Trauma -PTSD -Attachment Issues -Neurodivergent (ADHD,Autism Spectrum , High Sensitivity) -2LGBTQIA+ -Survivors of Gender based Violence -Pregnancy and Post Partum

Holly accepts clients for CVAP and all new clients with a waitlist.

Hello, my name is Holly Miles (she/they pronouns). I am a Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC). Ma... Read More

Hello, I’m Katelin Wyness, and I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC). My client-centered approach to counselling is focused on meeting people where they are and working with them in achieving the goals they have set. I work a lot with kids and teens who are struggling with big worries, low mood, challenges with transitions, gender identity and sexuality, emotion regulation, and family conflict. I also see adults who are struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, and a variety of other challenges.

Over the years, I have had the privilege to work with a wide range of clients. Some of my specialized work includes paediatric oncology, children and teens managing learning differences, life transitions and post-secondary counselling, members of the LGBTQ2S community, and individuals living with Autism Spectrum Disorder. By identifying and utilizing each individual’s unique strengths, together we create effective and reliable coping strategies and lasting positive change.

Katelin Specializes In:

*Kids & Teens *Anxiety *Depression *Parenting *LGBTQ2S Community *Life Transitions *Technology Use *Life Transitions *Family Conflict *Communications Strategies

Hello, I’m Katelin Wyness, and I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC). My client-centered ap... Read More