Schema Therapy in Nanaimo, BC
Are you feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or stuck in patterns that don’t match the life you want. Maybe you’re navigating social anxiety, ADHD, burnout, or a complicated relationship with technology. You might be a parent worried about your teen, or an adult trying to understand old wounds, emotional triggers, or communication struggles. Underneath it all, you want clarity, steadiness, and a healthier way forward.
Are you feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or stuck in patterns that don’t match the life you want. Maybe you’re navigating social anxiety, ADHD, burnout, or a complicated relationship with technology. You might be a parent worried about your teen, or an adult trying to understand old wounds, emotional triggers, or communication struggles. Underneath it all, you want clarity, steadiness, and a healthier way forward.
Vancouver Island Therapy is a full service, multi—disciplinary health clinic focused on providing multiple healing services to help you and your family. Located in Nanaimo, BC, we service many communities including; Port Alberni, Qualicum, Parksville, Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Duncan to Victoria.
Vancouver Island Therapy is a full service, multi—disciplinary health clinic focused on providing multiple healing services to help you and your family. Located in Nanaimo, BC, we service many communities including; Port Alberni, Qualicum, Parksville, Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Duncan to Victoria.
As a therapist, my goal is to provide personalized care that centres around each client. I aim to create a supportive space where people can feel safe to openly share their thoughts and feelings. Together, my hope is to create a therapeutic relationship that allows for self-exploration, resilience, and personal growth.
As a therapist, my goal is to provide personalized care that centres around each client. I aim to create a supportive space where people can feel safe to openly share their thoughts and feelings. Together, my hope is to create a therapeutic relationship that allows for self-exploration, resilience, and personal growth.
Do you feel bogged down by intense anxiety or stress? Do you feel hopeless or depressed about your life? Are the relationships in your life toxic or filled with tension? Does addiction have a tight grip on your life? Do you feel chained to the past and due to trauma? If you relate to any of those questions and would like help navigating difficult emotions, thoughts, behaviours, relationships, or trauma, come talk to me. I have been trained by some of the leading experts in the field of psychotherapy such as Dr Gabor Mate and Dr Patrick Carnes, and I would be honoured to be a part of your journey to help you achieve your goals.
Do you feel bogged down by intense anxiety or stress? Do you feel hopeless or depressed about your life? Are the relationships in your life toxic or filled with tension? Does addiction have a tight grip on your life? Do you feel chained to the past and due to trauma? If you relate to any of those questions and would like help navigating difficult emotions, thoughts, behaviours, relationships, or trauma, come talk to me. I have been trained by some of the leading experts in the field of psychotherapy such as Dr Gabor Mate and Dr Patrick Carnes, and I would be honoured to be a part of your journey to help you achieve your goals.
We are an online counselling agency so do not provide services in person. Strength Counselling Services has licensed, experienced therapists who use evidence-based practices, prioritize client needs, and maintain ethical standards. We offer culturally sensitive, affordable services in a supportive environment. We offer a comprehensive goals assessment, regularly assess progress, and collaborate with other professionals. We provide transparency in our fees and for thirteen years now have held a positive reputation of trust, and client success. Lastly, ensuring our clients' privacy and confidentiality are of utmost importance to us.
We are an online counselling agency so do not provide services in person. Strength Counselling Services has licensed, experienced therapists who use evidence-based practices, prioritize client needs, and maintain ethical standards. We offer culturally sensitive, affordable services in a supportive environment. We offer a comprehensive goals assessment, regularly assess progress, and collaborate with other professionals. We provide transparency in our fees and for thirteen years now have held a positive reputation of trust, and client success. Lastly, ensuring our clients' privacy and confidentiality are of utmost importance to us.
Using ACT, Narrative Therapy, Play Therapy, and Schema Therapy, we work together to unmask, regulate emotions, and reconnect with your authentic self.
I provide a supportive space where you feel heard and understood. Specialising in depression, grief, and anxiety, I draw on Narrative Therapy, Schema Therapy, ACT, and Play Therapy to help you explore your story, uncover strengths, and rewrite unhelpful narratives. Together, we work to build resilience, regulate emotions, and reconnect with what matters most
Using ACT, Narrative Therapy, Play Therapy, and Schema Therapy, we work together to unmask, regulate emotions, and reconnect with your authentic self.
I provide a supportive space where you feel heard and understood. Specialising in depression, grief, and anxiety, I draw on Narrative Therapy, Schema Therapy, ACT, and Play Therapy to help you explore your story, uncover strengths, and rewrite unhelpful narratives. Together, we work to build resilience, regulate emotions, and reconnect with what matters most
MARCH 2026: Life can be complicated, and finding your footing isn’t always easy. Therapy offers space to pause, reflect, and make sense of your experiences with curiosity and care. Whether you’re navigating transitions, relationship challenges, grief, anxiety, or simply feeling stuck, you don’t have to do it alone. Our work is collaborative and personal—grounded in trust, respect, and safety. Together, we’ll explore patterns and experiences with intention, fostering awareness, resilience, and meaningful change.
MARCH 2026: Life can be complicated, and finding your footing isn’t always easy. Therapy offers space to pause, reflect, and make sense of your experiences with curiosity and care. Whether you’re navigating transitions, relationship challenges, grief, anxiety, or simply feeling stuck, you don’t have to do it alone. Our work is collaborative and personal—grounded in trust, respect, and safety. Together, we’ll explore patterns and experiences with intention, fostering awareness, resilience, and meaningful change.
We are an online counselling agency so do not provide services in person. Strength Counselling Services has licensed, experienced therapists who use evidence-based practices, prioritize client needs, and maintain ethical standards. We offer culturally sensitive, affordable services in a supportive environment. We offer a comprehensive goals assessment, regularly assess progress, and collaborate with other professionals. We provide transparency in our fees and for thirteen years now have held a positive reputation of trust, and client success. Lastly, ensuring our clients' privacy and confidentiality are of utmost importance to us.
We are an online counselling agency so do not provide services in person. Strength Counselling Services has licensed, experienced therapists who use evidence-based practices, prioritize client needs, and maintain ethical standards. We offer culturally sensitive, affordable services in a supportive environment. We offer a comprehensive goals assessment, regularly assess progress, and collaborate with other professionals. We provide transparency in our fees and for thirteen years now have held a positive reputation of trust, and client success. Lastly, ensuring our clients' privacy and confidentiality are of utmost importance to us.
Hello!
I am an authentic and compassionate therapist informed by neuroscience, trauma research, attachment theory, social justice values, and much more. I aim to go beyond talking and support you to have healing relational and emotional experiences in therapy that allow you to move forward with more freedom, connection, and wholeness.
I prioritize creating a safe, respectful, and connected relationship with you so that you can take risks - to be present with your experience (including your body and feelings), to try new things, process difficult material, and reveal parts of yourself that have been hidden and protected.
Hello!
I am an authentic and compassionate therapist informed by neuroscience, trauma research, attachment theory, social justice values, and much more. I aim to go beyond talking and support you to have healing relational and emotional experiences in therapy that allow you to move forward with more freedom, connection, and wholeness.
I prioritize creating a safe, respectful, and connected relationship with you so that you can take risks - to be present with your experience (including your body and feelings), to try new things, process difficult material, and reveal parts of yourself that have been hidden and protected.
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My practice integrates approaches such as DBT, Schema Therapy, and somatic and narrative work, all grounded in a trauma-informed, humanistic framework.
I work with adults navigating trauma, addiction & recovery, grief, & loss, relationship challenges & narcissistic abuse, and major life transitions. Together, we explore what’s beneath the surface, make sense of your experiences, and build practical tools to support emotional regulation, resilience, and meaningful, lasting change.
My practice integrates approaches such as DBT, Schema Therapy, and somatic and narrative work, all grounded in a trauma-informed, humanistic framework.
I work with adults navigating trauma, addiction & recovery, grief, & loss, relationship challenges & narcissistic abuse, and major life transitions. Together, we explore what’s beneath the surface, make sense of your experiences, and build practical tools to support emotional regulation, resilience, and meaningful, lasting change.
You may feel stuck, disconnected, or uncertain about how to move forward. What you need is a safe, supportive space where you can openly explore your thoughts and feelings. You deserve someone who listens without judgment and helps you gain clarity and confidence in navigating life's difficulties. Your goal is to develop healthier coping strategies, enhance your emotional resilience, and build a deeper sense of self-awareness.
You may feel stuck, disconnected, or uncertain about how to move forward. What you need is a safe, supportive space where you can openly explore your thoughts and feelings. You deserve someone who listens without judgment and helps you gain clarity and confidence in navigating life's difficulties. Your goal is to develop healthier coping strategies, enhance your emotional resilience, and build a deeper sense of self-awareness.
I work with many kinds of clients. Kids and youth; adults; people with a wide range of neurodiversity as well as diversity in gender, sexuality and identity. I offer a great play therapy space for youngsters. Those with a creative imagination may be drawn to creative arts therapy. Do you want to understand yourself better? Communicate better with others? Are you looking for acceptance and empathy along with encouragement to become your best self? Looking for strategies to explore your needs, strengths, resources and obstacles? I want to help you thrive in your world, with joy, confidence and self-acceptance.
I work with many kinds of clients. Kids and youth; adults; people with a wide range of neurodiversity as well as diversity in gender, sexuality and identity. I offer a great play therapy space for youngsters. Those with a creative imagination may be drawn to creative arts therapy. Do you want to understand yourself better? Communicate better with others? Are you looking for acceptance and empathy along with encouragement to become your best self? Looking for strategies to explore your needs, strengths, resources and obstacles? I want to help you thrive in your world, with joy, confidence and self-acceptance.
As a psychologist, my ideal client is someone who arrives not with all the answers, but with a genuine willingness to explore their inner world. They might initially present with anxiety, depression, trauma, or a sense of being stuck—common issues that often mask deeper emotional struggles or unmet developmental needs. These clients are often in transition and they’re seeking clarity, meaning, and a stronger sense of self. What makes this client “ideal” is not the severity or type of issue they bring, but their openness to self-inquiry and their readiness to engage in the therapeutic process.
As a psychologist, my ideal client is someone who arrives not with all the answers, but with a genuine willingness to explore their inner world. They might initially present with anxiety, depression, trauma, or a sense of being stuck—common issues that often mask deeper emotional struggles or unmet developmental needs. These clients are often in transition and they’re seeking clarity, meaning, and a stronger sense of self. What makes this client “ideal” is not the severity or type of issue they bring, but their openness to self-inquiry and their readiness to engage in the therapeutic process.
Online Therapists
Are you feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or sensing that there's more to life than what you're currently experiencing? Whether you're working through emotional pain or seeking a deeper connection with yourself, you're not alone, and you don’t have to go through it alone.
I support individuals who are ready to explore their inner world, better understand themselves, and move toward clarity and self-actualization. Whether you're navigating anxiety, depression, life transitions, trauma, or relationship challenges, my goal is to help you reconnect with yourself and build the resilience to move forward.
Are you feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or sensing that there's more to life than what you're currently experiencing? Whether you're working through emotional pain or seeking a deeper connection with yourself, you're not alone, and you don’t have to go through it alone.
I support individuals who are ready to explore their inner world, better understand themselves, and move toward clarity and self-actualization. Whether you're navigating anxiety, depression, life transitions, trauma, or relationship challenges, my goal is to help you reconnect with yourself and build the resilience to move forward.
If you've spent a long time understanding yourself but change still feels out of reach, then I may be a good fit for you. Are you are used to seeming as though you're holding it all together but internally you feel anxious, low mood, overwhelmed, or a constant sense of being misunderstood? Perhaps ADHD, autism, C-PTSD, trauma, anxiety, or concussion symptoms have shaped how you move through the world and the strategies you’ve relied on to cope. If you want relief, but also a deeper understanding of yourself while also shifting patterns that no longer serve you, reach out to see if my deeper relational approach is a good fit for you!
If you've spent a long time understanding yourself but change still feels out of reach, then I may be a good fit for you. Are you are used to seeming as though you're holding it all together but internally you feel anxious, low mood, overwhelmed, or a constant sense of being misunderstood? Perhaps ADHD, autism, C-PTSD, trauma, anxiety, or concussion symptoms have shaped how you move through the world and the strategies you’ve relied on to cope. If you want relief, but also a deeper understanding of yourself while also shifting patterns that no longer serve you, reach out to see if my deeper relational approach is a good fit for you!
Do you feel emotionally exhausted, anxious, or disconnected from yourself? Maybe you’ve been carrying stress and responsibilities for too long, trying to hold everything together, but deep down you know something needs to change. You’re not alone. Many clients come to therapy feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or quietly grieving.
I’m a clinical counsellor who loves this work and believes deeply in people’s capacity to heal. My approach is warm, collaborative, and trauma-informed. I work with burnout, anxiety, depression, grief, self-esteem and ADHD, helping clients find clarity, emotional balance, and a sense of direction.
Do you feel emotionally exhausted, anxious, or disconnected from yourself? Maybe you’ve been carrying stress and responsibilities for too long, trying to hold everything together, but deep down you know something needs to change. You’re not alone. Many clients come to therapy feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or quietly grieving.
I’m a clinical counsellor who loves this work and believes deeply in people’s capacity to heal. My approach is warm, collaborative, and trauma-informed. I work with burnout, anxiety, depression, grief, self-esteem and ADHD, helping clients find clarity, emotional balance, and a sense of direction.
Are you looking to improve your relationship? Communicate better? Find a life-partner? Navigate the ups-and-downs of dating? Deal with a difficult break-up? Pivot out of a break-down? Heal and grow after adversity? Make a tough decision? Manage your emotions more skillfully? Bring your family back together? Experience more joy, zest and inner peace? Whether I am working with you as an individual, couple or family, as a Registered Clinical Counsellor and Marital and Family Therapist I'll give you not just my experience and expertise, but the curious and compassionate attention necessary to clarify and accomplish your goals.
Are you looking to improve your relationship? Communicate better? Find a life-partner? Navigate the ups-and-downs of dating? Deal with a difficult break-up? Pivot out of a break-down? Heal and grow after adversity? Make a tough decision? Manage your emotions more skillfully? Bring your family back together? Experience more joy, zest and inner peace? Whether I am working with you as an individual, couple or family, as a Registered Clinical Counsellor and Marital and Family Therapist I'll give you not just my experience and expertise, but the curious and compassionate attention necessary to clarify and accomplish your goals.
You’re not just looking to cope. You want real, meaningful change. Maybe you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected from yourself or others. Beyond surface-level fixes, you’re seeking a space where you can be authentic, truly seen, and do the deep work of healing and transformation. My approach to therapy is designed to foster just that. There is no one-size-fits-all method as our work together will be uniquely tailored to you: your history, relationships, patterns, and experiences of the world.
You’re not just looking to cope. You want real, meaningful change. Maybe you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected from yourself or others. Beyond surface-level fixes, you’re seeking a space where you can be authentic, truly seen, and do the deep work of healing and transformation. My approach to therapy is designed to foster just that. There is no one-size-fits-all method as our work together will be uniquely tailored to you: your history, relationships, patterns, and experiences of the world.
Life's challenges can often feel overwhelming, leaving us seeking answers and solutions. I believe in tailoring therapy to each individual's unique needs, fostering a collaborative and empathetic environment where you can explore your thoughts, feelings, and concerns. My therapeutic toolbox includes evidence-based techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), the Jungian approach, Brief Therapy (Combining Gestalt and Hypnosis) and existential therapy. By integrating these approaches, we can work together to identify patterns, untangle complexities, and nurture lasting positive change.
Life's challenges can often feel overwhelming, leaving us seeking answers and solutions. I believe in tailoring therapy to each individual's unique needs, fostering a collaborative and empathetic environment where you can explore your thoughts, feelings, and concerns. My therapeutic toolbox includes evidence-based techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), the Jungian approach, Brief Therapy (Combining Gestalt and Hypnosis) and existential therapy. By integrating these approaches, we can work together to identify patterns, untangle complexities, and nurture lasting positive change.
Shelley sits on the Executive Board of the BC Clinical Hypnosis Society, and belongs to the BC teachers Federation and The World Schema Therapy Federation.
Shelley Ugyan, RRC, is an acclaimed author, speaker and has over 25 years experience in mental and holistic health. Her evidence based tools including Cognitive Behavioural reconditioning as well as psychodynamic, relational and hypnosis approaches set you on a path to direct healing, starting immediately in the first 80 minute session. Her approach is genuine, empowering and powerful. Healing is probable, and happens as a result of conscious daily actions and unconscious dynamics that shift as a result of this process. Shelley is known for her groundbreaking therapeutic work in anxiety and eating disorders for adults and children.
Shelley sits on the Executive Board of the BC Clinical Hypnosis Society, and belongs to the BC teachers Federation and The World Schema Therapy Federation.
Shelley Ugyan, RRC, is an acclaimed author, speaker and has over 25 years experience in mental and holistic health. Her evidence based tools including Cognitive Behavioural reconditioning as well as psychodynamic, relational and hypnosis approaches set you on a path to direct healing, starting immediately in the first 80 minute session. Her approach is genuine, empowering and powerful. Healing is probable, and happens as a result of conscious daily actions and unconscious dynamics that shift as a result of this process. Shelley is known for her groundbreaking therapeutic work in anxiety and eating disorders for adults and children.
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How does schema therapy work?
Schema therapy is based on the idea that maladaptive thought patterns formed in childhood—that other people can never be relied on, for example—can interfere with healthy functioning in adulthood. Accordingly, schema therapy works by directly targeting such unhealthy schemas, identifying their consequences, and replacing them with more adaptive ways of thinking. To this end, schema therapists aim to “reparent” the client by offering what they didn’t get in childhood—validation, for instance, or compassion—to reorient their worldview.
Is schema therapy evidence-based?
Schema therapy is still considered relatively new, and research on its efficacy is still in progress. However, some studies have concluded that it can be effective at treating certain mental health conditions, most notably personality disorders such as borderline personality disorder. Evidence for its efficacy in treating conditions like depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD is promising but less conclusive, and experts warn that much of the existing research is of low quality.
Is schema therapy a type of CBT?
Schema therapy is based on many principles of CBT, most notably the process of recognising and challenging maladaptive thought patterns. But because schema therapy also draws from other approaches,including psychoanalysis and Gestalt therapy, it is not considered a form of CBT. It also typically delves deeper into the client’s childhood than does CBT.
How does schema therapy work?
Schema therapy does not call for a set number of sessions and is instead open-ended, with the treatment timeline depending on the client’s primary concern(s), progress, and preferences. Treatment that lasts between six months and two years is common, though many clients will start to see progress much earlier than that.