Spirituality Therapists in Nanaimo, BC

We all need help sometimes and it takes courage to reach out. Whether it's dealing with anxiety, or feeling that you're not engaged/ enjoying your life, Salish Sea Counselling can support you to refresh your energy, develop positivity and learn new skills. Salish Sea integrates conceptual knowledge, the body/ energetic patterns, mindfulness approaches, spirituality and medical model formulations to support your personal and professional discovery and growth. After a few sessions at Salish Sea, people find they're able to communicate more effectively, be more authentic and live increasingly satisfying lives and take responsibility for the quality of their relationships with others.

I am a Nature Guided Focusing Oriented Therapist and Canadian Certified Counsellor with a Master’s of Education in Disability Studies. I offer embodied, experiential and playful forms of counselling in person with individuals of all ages - from toddler to elder - who are navigating grief, loss, and major life transition due to death, disability, illness, injury, gender identity, social injustice, and sexuality. Hearth Place offers the following experiential depth psychotherapy modalities: Embodied Dream Exploration, Equine Facilitated Wellness, Focusing Oriented Therapy, Nature Guided Eco-Therapy, and Sandplay Therapy.

Most people I work with initially seek counselling as a result of some form of suffering. Sometimes this suffering is specific such as symptoms of anxiety, depression, addiction, stress or relationship issues. Other times the suffering is vague, a feeling of something being off, amiss, or worse. In either case, I meet people where they are at, either 'getting to it' (so to speak) and yet taking the time for whatever needs to unfold.

Providing help for: Relationship Issues, Depression, Anxiety, Grief & Loss, Addictions, Personal Growth, Abuse, Parenting, Anger Management, Stress, Guilt, Insomnia, Family, Trauma, Spiritual...

I come from Norse, Celtic, Slavic, and Cherokee ancestry. I believe that healing is accessible to each of us if we are truly committed. In my life I have been on a healing journey through my own issues with addiction, grief, and trauma, toward self-acceptance and self-love. I believe that if we are willing to lean into learning about the deepest parts of ourselves we can begin to transform in ways that align with who we truly are. I have a passion for working with men who are struggling with wounded masculinity and want to connect with their true nature. Psychedelic consultation work is also a passion of mine.

Simplicity, gratitude, love and service are my guiding principles. I utilize the Satir Model (Virginia Satir et al) to help clients cultivate personal awareness, internal resources, change and healthy relationship with self and others. I promote and model balanced lifestyle including; contemplation, exercise, solitude, ceremony and connection. I have demonstrated passion and enthusiasm for helping people heal for over 35 years as a youth worker, addictions counsellor and social worker.

I am currently working out of We Thrive Wellness Centre in Belleville. I work with individuals experiencing anxiety and challenges in relationships at home, at work and those internal struggles within, struggles of 'who am I' and noticing repeating patterns that aren't serving anymore. One of my favourite quotes is from the Sufi mystic Hafiz, "I wish to show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your being." I generally have a rotating, 20-session space for two clients at a 'reduced rate'.

I believe that you are the expert about you and that I will work together with you to find information and strategies that will help you to feel better in your life. I work from a trauma informed perspective that means when I work together with individuals, I consider past trauma and how this may impact your resulting thoughts, feelings and behaviours. I have a range of therapeutic tools that use with clients including certification as an EMDR clinician through EMDRIA, Polyvagal pactices, Mindfulness, and Deep Brain Reorientation.

Do you want to reignite a passion for your life and feel more connected to yourself and others? Together in a warm and nurturing space you will become empowered as your own healer. You will be invited to regain a sense of self-efficacy and gain skills to journey back to a grounded sense of self.

Do you want to feel confident and on purpose? Are you ready to experience deeper more fulfilling relationships? Do you want to experience more ease? When we are children, we learn how to be in connection and our beliefs about what's possible on our relationship with our caregivers and our friends. Sensitive people & people with big hearts often lean towards putting their own needs on the back burner, this can lead to burnout, anxiety, depression & general unhappiness. Work with me through a holistic model to experience wholeness, connection & joy in your life and relationships. Please reach out for a free 1/2 hour consult.

You CAN live without anxiety, stress, overwhelm or burnout! Numb, stuck or simply surviving? We live in crazy times! You’ve lived, loved, worked, possibly married and divorced, raised a family, cared for aging parents, surely succeeded in your unique ways and also dealt with life’s natural challenges and losses too. If a helper-type, other’s needs have likely come before your own. Life happens, and often not how planned. Whether anxious and stressed, have a heavy heart or upset emotions, stuck in unhealthy patterns of thought or behaviors, in loss or life transitions, unhappy in relationships, we ALL need support to shift / grow.

Welcome! We all love what we do and are here to help you find health, balance and peace. 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. Diverse, professional and experienced, our practitioners bring a broad range of experience into their practice with clients. We are here to help emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. Each of us has decades of experience, a unique approach

In life we go through many transitions and stages of change. These changes can be positive, energizing and welcoming, and they can also produce feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, and self doubt. I believe the first step in overcoming these challenges is by discovering how our inner beliefs, identity, and habits have influenced and shaped us. One small shift in our thoughts, beliefs and behaviors can have a dramatic effect on all areas of life with lasting change. I aim to provide a safe, fun and trusting atmosphere focusing and building on a person's own strengths and past successes in rediscovery who they are and their life purpose.

My view on counselling is based upon the level of trust and the quality of the connection that we are able to create together. In essence, the relationship that we develop together is key. I would wish to provide you with a safe, caring environment where you could come to feel completely heard and understood. I see my role as being more of a Guide, offering support while at the same time gently encouraging your growth by pointing out certain areas, thoughts, beliefs or behaviours that may be keeping you stuck, or that you may be unaware of.

I offer depth psychotherapy that honours healing, change, and the need for results to clients across Canada. I help my clients discover and confront inner truths that both drive their behaviour and hold the keys to their freedom.

Navigating life's challenges can be lonely, overwhelming, and exhausting. I seek to empower my clients along their path to growth and wellness through providing genuine, empathetic, caring, and skilled support. 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.

Wanting to create a better life rather than settling for status quo, just getting by while filled with anxiety and feelings of hopeless; coping with excess food, drugs or alcohol. It takes courage and tremendous willingness to begin a path of change and it is an honour and a joy to walk with people on their journey toward wholeness. My work with people often leaves me in awe of the strength of the human spirit as I witness them overcome trauma and self-destructive behaviours and move toward their dreams while embracing their authentic self.

I have been working as a counsellor for 28 years and my work focuses on addiction and trauma issues. They often go hand in hand but not always as each person is unique. The focus of my counselling work is very respectful as I acknowledge that you know yourself best. Most people seek out counselling because they are stuck in old patterns that they have outgrown yet need help to move forward in a new, more helpful way. I appreciate the courage it takes to reach out and I will work hard to help you make the changes you need.

My focus is strongly influenced by a person-centered therapy approach to wellness through different methods such as Eco-therapy or expressive art therapy techniques and using the natural elements available to us should the sessions call for such an approach. Reducing stress and anxiety to create a more peaceful person inside who can claim their meaning and be more joyful in life is a difficult path to walk alone. I am here to help and be part of the healing journey. I have completed my diploma in April of 2023 and plan to continue my education and training to better serve the clients I take on as I evolve as a counsellor.