I approach counselling with a deeply client-centred perspective, valuing each person’s unique journey. In this collaborative process, you hold the reins in setting the goals, boundaries, and direction of our sessions together. I firmly believe that our life challenges are woven through our experiences in relationships, diverse situations, and various institutions, shaping both adaptive and maladaptive aspects of our being.

As a counsellor, I aim to create a safe and trusting space where you can explore, grow, heal, and embrace positive transformations. I am committed to assisting you in cultivating a more compassionate and deep connection with yourself and your relationships with others. I believe each individual has inherent strength and resilience, but sometimes, we get stuck. My role is to provide support as you reconnect with those inner resources and find your way back to where you want to be.

I consider it a privilege to be entrusted with my client’s stories. I am grateful to walk alongside you in your healing, witness your growth and wound mending, and help you rediscover your most authentic self.

My background is in engineering, a profession I chose because I wanted to contribute positively to the world, and I happened to be good at math and science. I appreciate my engineering experience and all the technical skills I have developed. However, the work had always been too disconnected from those I hoped to help. This realization prompted me to embark on the journey to become a professional counsellor and pursue a Master of Counselling. Initially, I focused on supporting individuals navigating grief, traumatic loss, suicidal ideation, mental illness and mentorship. Over time, I have accumulated experience on a variety of issues, including life transitions, anxiety and depression, trauma, and relationships.

I look forward to connecting with you.

Warmly, Nicole

I approach counselling with a deeply client-centred perspective, valuing each person’s unique jou... Read More

I believe that all individuals have the capacity for change when given the opportunity, tools, and guidance. My approach is collaborative, client-centered, and eclectic, drawing on cognitive, psychodynamic, and somatic approaches to therapy. As a counsellor, I focus on creating a safe space filled with respect, encouragement, and support. In this calming and reassuring environment, clients are invited to examine patterns, behaviours, responses, boundaries, and relationships, that they may want to alter, understand, or reflect upon. I am interested in working with adolescents and adults of all ages, and with a variety of concerns.

Couples counselling - if this is your first session with me, please book in for a 100 minute initial couples counselling session

I welcome clients with diverse backgrounds and needs and provide counselling in English and Russian.

I believe that all individuals have the capacity for change when given the opportunity, tools, an... Read More

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My own healing as well as my past experiences working with survivors of sexualized violence guides my passion in working with anyone who is living with the impacts of being hurt. I believe that, for many of us, painful experiences that we had growing up or during our adult lives may impact us in ways that we do not fully understand. My hope is to create a soft place for you to land where you feel safe enough to explore the roots of what led you into therapy. I see counselling as a container for your healing where there is space for you to unpack the feelings, thoughts, behaviours, and relationships that you may be struggling with. Throughout this process, I gently guide and support you as you turn towards your inner world and experience how liberating (and sometimes exciting!) it can be to tend to your pain with curiosity and compassion. In my healing journey from trauma and substance use, I’ve also learned that counselling can be joyful as it moves us towards greater insight and deeper connections with both self and others.

When working one-on-one, I draw primarily from Internal Family Systems (IFS) or “parts work,” intersectional feminism, and somatics. This means that I assist you in exploring the parts of yourself that need attention and acknowledging all the creative ways that you have coped with struggle. I also understand that the different identities you hold may influence the way you move through the world and I believe in the importance of unpacking your experiences with that context in mind. During this exploration, I strive to support you in deepening your awareness of what’s happening in the present moment by noticing what you may be experiencing in your body and accessing your inherent wisdom there. When working with couples, I lean on Relational Life Therapy to support you and your partner in practicing skills that can shift you away from old patterns and towards closeness and connection.

I was raised primarily by my mother and grandmother in a single household. It was these women who taught me that genuine warmth, compassion, and humor can create space for trust and healing to occur, and I strive to express these qualities in our therapeutic relationship. Before I returned to school to practice therapy, I spent six years in different roles at a local rape crisis centre working with women, trans, non-binary, and gender non-confirming survivors of sexual violence. There, I had the opportunity to learn from some of the wisest and most generous people committed to building a better world and experienced what an honour it is to be a part of one’s healing. I am also a white, cis-gendered, queer, able-bodied, neurotypical, third-generation settler on the occupied lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. I approach all my work with thoughtfulness around social and cultural context and pay attention to the ways in which access to power and privilege can shape relationships. I deeply believe all healing takes place in relationships in one form or another and that our own healing supports our loved ones and communities. On one last personal note, I feel most at home with myself when my feet are on the earth, particularly in forests or when I’m immersed in the ocean. In my downtime, I’m often hanging out with my cat in the garden, making playlists, or cooking for the people that I love. I’m also often caught up in a podcast or a book that captures the complexity and beauty of what it means to be alive.

My own healing as well as my past experiences working with survivors of sexualized violence guide... Read More

My Approach to Therapy

As a counsellor, I help connect you with your own inborn strength and resiliency. My approach is rooted in compassion and in a deep faith in the healing that happens when we feel seen and validated. Years of yoga and mindfulness practice influence my approach to counselling, and I try to make counselling an embodied experience because I believe change happens when we are fully present in our experience. In working with me, you will find that I focus on fostering the capacity to be emotionally regulated and present with experience. I see counselling as a context where we can learn to have faith in our capacity to handle what arises within our lives and within ourselves. As we practice meeting each moment with our whole human selves, we learn more about what matters to us, and it can become easier to move forward in ways that align with what we truly value.

Theories Influencing My Approach

I am particularly influenced by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which balances letting go of resistance to the difficult experiences of our lives with taking action to bring about the changes we desire in our lives. I also pull on the theory of Internal Family Systems (IFS), which beautifully holds space for the complexity of being human. I have done training in Relational Life Therapy (RLT), which emphasizes developing relational skills to build meaningful connections, and I also work with ideas from Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), which focuses on developing strong emotional bonds. Broadly, I am influenced by Attachment Theory, which explores how our early relationships with caregivers impact the unfolding of our lives and generally takes an embodied and relational approach. My master’s thesis focuses on understanding the lived experience of chronic pain recovery from a relational lens and aims to challenge more common individualistic perspectives on recovery.

Click here for Sarah’s full bio

My Approach to Therapy As a counsellor, I help connect you with your own inborn strength and res... Read More

I help people with complex histories deeply understand their own experiences and uncover their natural propensity to heal. I have over a decade of experience supporting individuals with issues relating to addiction, and mental health conditions. I have come to know that the common denominator within the individuals I have worked with is early childhood trauma.

I work from a client-centered perspective and am adaptable in finding what fits. I have extensive experience working with third-wave CBT approaches. I have extensive experience working with CBT approaches. I have training in Internal Family Systems therapy (Level 1) and use mindfulness and somatic practices in addition to talk therapy to help people resolve internal conflicts holding them back. I am receiving training in using EMDR and will be integrating this into my practice. 

I am a certified Complex Trauma Coach and Facilitator, and help people uncover underlying issues contributing to their behavior such as shame, grief, and codependency. I am well-versed in 12-step recovery. I am completing the final phase of a Master of Counselling, with a Bachelor of Psychology.

Working with Couples In therapy, I create a non-judgmental and healing space for clients to realize deep change. The therapeutic space can help couples take responsibility for unhelpful relationship dynamics and work towards healthier behaviours while experiencing more openness. This approach can help couples improve communication, de-escalate arguments and deepen intimacy. I am experienced working with issues of dependency and unhelpful compulsive behaviours, in addition to clinginess, distancing, and conflicting attachment styles. I work from the lens of Relational Life Therapy (level 1) and Internal Family Systems therapy.

I have always been interested in personal development and not being limited by one’s circumstances but rather finding ways to overcome those influences. I am blessed to have found a profession that utilizes these proclivities. I am naturally competitive, with a background in competitive swimming. Living a healthy life both physically and mentally is very important to me.

I have strong family and community values, a strong belief in justice, and an awareness of my privilege in society. I have learned the importance of serenity in life, and find this in nature. I find its beauty inspires creative expression. My free time is split between outdoor activities such as cycling and hiking, and indoor hobbies such as drawing, painting, and tattooing. I love animals of all kinds and also find joy in spending time with my two dogs and sphynx cat.

I help people with complex histories deeply understand their own experiences and uncover their na... Read More

You aren’t meant to go it alone. We make sense of ourselves through our connection with others. Learning to pay attention to your ways of being in this world, without judgment or shame, is modelled in healthy relating. Many of us haven’t experienced or seen healthy relationships. We find ourselves repeating behaviours we dislike or reacting to mistreatment. Relationships are as unique as the individuals engaged in them, meaning one-size-fits-all answers do not exist to resolve differences. Replacing prominent cultural beliefs that disrupt intimate connection and learning skills to be with discomfort can change everything for us.

My approach is rooted in experiential and relational-oriented somatic therapy. I specialize in trauma, childhood issues, anxiety, PTSD, and complex PTSD. I also specialize in couples and relationships with the lens of Relational Life Therapy (RLT). I offer a weekly process group for those looking to expand their relational skills in practice.

Being with you is the heart of therapy. Profound change happens in the present moment with all that we are, and were, being witnessed with care.

Outside of Therapy

As a white, able-bodied, non-binary person, I am constantly investigating my privileges and ways of being. I am a 5th generation settler and a 1st generation immigrant to so-called Canada. I am polyamorous and have been partnered for over 20 years. I have travelled extensively throughout my life and am actively learning to communicate through differences.​

You aren’t meant to go it alone. We make sense of ourselves through our connection with others. L... Read More