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*A small fund provided through the BC Gaming Community Grant program enables LTLC to provide professional counselling to individuals who are on some form of income assistance and otherwise would not be able to access professional counselling. Up to 4 to 6 sessions may be provided those individuals at significantly reduced fee.

Please inquire when booking an appointment.

Therapists

I have worked in organizational loss and change management for over 25 years. My background is varied which I believe has helped greatly in understanding the challenges, issues and complications that people experience in grief and loss.

I am committed in my work with people to facilitate the change and recovery from loss and change with compassion, empathy and dignity. Having experienced personal and work related loss, I have learned that recovery from the trauma of change and loss is a process. In many situations such as a death or divorce the individual is able to label the loss and associated feelings as grief.

Often in an organizational context, individuals do not think that the work related change as loss which can trigger profound feelings of grief. Understanding organizational loss in this context, normalizing the feelings that go with this type of change allows the integration of this knowing into my group and individual counselling work.

I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor, Reality Therapy Certified, Executive Coach and Neurofeedback Trainer. I have an undergraduate in Business, Masters of Arts in the Social Sciences, a PhD in organizational leadership and as well am a certified therapist.

My counselling approach draws from Reality Therapy/Choice Theory, Person Centered Therapy and Mindfulness/Awareness Practices. I am a co-developer, trainer and facilitator for all of the Society’s courses and support groups. In addition, for over 15 years I have facilitated grief and loss groups for people living in poverty in the Downtown East side.

I have consulted, volunteered, and been a Board member to Living through Loss Counselling of BC for over 20 years and continue my support to the agency through my volunteerism in addition to building knowledge and experience in grief and loss as a committed Board member and practitioner.

She is trained in Life Span Integration Therapy, Mindfulness Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Suicide to Hope and Gottman Couples Therapy.

Danielle runs an online grief and loss group that operates through Living Through Loss Counselling Society. She believes in the power of connection and being able to co-create a safe place to talk about your experience and loss, a space where all of who you are and what you’re experiencing is welcome.

Danielle has a Masters in Counselling Psychology from Adler University and is in good standing with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors.

Please visit her website at shiftingnarrativescounselling.ca for more information.

Cheryl Hansen holds a BSW from the University of Calgary and is a registered social worker with the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW).

Cheryl is currently employed with Alberta Health Services (AHS) as a social worker based out of the Brooks Health Centre while also serving Bassano and Oyen hospitals and home care clients.

Cheryl has experience in medical, mental and addiction health settings working with diverse populations in both urban and rural settings. She holds certificates in grief and loss, suicide prevention and first responder to sexual assault and abuse.

Cheryl is a member of Alberta Hospice Palliative Care Association (AHPCA) and Alberta Play Therapy Association (APTA).

Laurissa Kowalchuk is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a private practice in Vancouver, BC. Her counselling approach draws from Person-Centred Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Mindfulness/Awareness practices.

She is trained and certified in EMDR, an effective therapy used to treat trauma related issues, as well as anxiety and depression. Laurissa also has training and experience working with individuals and groups dealing with grief and loss issues.

She is a co-facilitator for a grief and loss group that runs out of the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre and has facilitated groups at the Living Through Loss Clinic.

Laurissa has a Masters of Education in Counselling-Psychology from UBC and is in good standing with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors.

Please visit her website for more information.

I am a Registered Indigenous Social Worker and university level instructor with a broad range of experience working with Indigenous communities across Canada. Early on I knew I wanted to be a Social Worker when I was a youth aging out of care. My initial goal was to work in child welfare but I soon realized that healthy Indigenous families need strong communities, robust training & education for social workers, and effective Indigenous led policy.

Since 2005, I have been serving non-Indigenous and Indigenous individuals in a counselling and social service capacity around a variety of issues, such as trauma/inter-generational trauma, Indian Residential School/Day School, 60s Scoop, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, child abuse, attachment, parenting support, child and youth mentorship, grief and loss, self-harm, identity, depression, anxiety and situational stress. My counselling service provides an integration of therapeutic practices which encompass mainstream and cultural therapeutic approaches to support individuals in maintaining their well-being: physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. My approach offers a wholistic circle of care for each person I walk along with, a safe space to share, learn and grow.

I am a Registered Social Worker and Registered Clinical Counsellor who has been working in the field for over 10 years with experience in both community and healthcare settings. I have experience in anti-violence work, sexual and reproductive health including infertility, pregnancy loss and abortion, and complex chronic diseases. I have supported clients with grief and loss in all areas of my practice experience, often around coping with disenfranchised or underrecognized grief, such as a loss related to sense of safety and stability, physical ability and livelihood, relationships and community, pregnancy, and parenthood.

I have specialized training and experience in supporting 2SLGBTQ+ communities, mindfulness-based approaches including self-compassion and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, and expressive art therapy. Through a Wilfred Laurier certificate program, I am qualified to provide Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and have a specialization in reproductive mental health. My counselling approach is informed by a person-centered framework, trauma-Informed practice, anti-oppressive theory and practice, feminist, queer, and anti-racist theories, and a strong orientation to social justice.

I continue to work part-time in healthcare while supporting clients in private practice. Outside of work I enjoy hiking, tending to my veggie garden, arts and crafts, cooking and trying new cuisines, and playing with my energetic terrier, Roo.

I acknowledge I am a settler residing on unceded W̱SÁNEĆ territory and am committed to decolonizing in my personal and professional life.

I have my Degree in Criminology; I am a Family Life Educator; Registered Clinical Counsellor; and a Certified Reality Therapist, I am one of several therapists Certified in BC as a Grief Counsellor and Thanatologist through the Association for Death Education and Counselling, (ADEC). I am also certified in Neurofeedback – a useful therapy for someone dealing with the pain of grief and loss.

I have worked in BC for 25 years as an individual and group therapist as well as a Canadian trainer in the field of Loss and Change Management.

Some of my areas of interest are working with families who have been traumatized by a homicide, violent crime, accidents, loss of a child or other loved ones.

I use the reality therapy model which supports, educates and strengthens peoples coping skills.

I am passionate about working with people to bring about personal change that has a positive and sustaining impact on their day-to-day lives.

Having experienced many losses myself has assisted me in creating an atmosphere of compassion and understanding for those grieving. It is a very honoring experience for me to be able to share with or walk with my clients on their painful journey of change.

I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor and a member of the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors.  My office is based in Courtenay on Vancouver Island. Currently I provide all counselling/therapy, exclusively online, with Zoom, FaceTime, or Skype.

I  work with  individuals  and couples who are experiencing a variety of concerns including: anxiety; depression, grief and loss, relationship issues, mood and emotional difficulties, problem coping issues and midlife issues. I have a diverse background, counselling for the Vancouver Civic Employee Assistance Program(VCEAP), a society committed to the well-being of City of Vancouver employees and their families, providing short term counselling, assessment, and referral and education services.

Prior to working for the VCEAP, I worked as a Volunteer Coordinator and Hospice Grief Therapist with White Rock Hospice, working with individuals and families experiencing life threatening illnesses and bereavement issues.  I have experience counselling clients and facilitating grief groups for Living through Loss Counselling Society.

My approach is based on Attachment Theory and Family Systems Theory, which combine my understanding of early life stresses and how we establish relationships with ourselves and others based on what we experienced or were told. I encourage my clients to become independent and self-sufficient in their abilities to manage their lives successfully.

Having experienced my own losses and transitions has given me strength, resiliency, and the ability to understand and empathize with clients who are struggling with their own losses and change. I bring my professional and life experience to my work with individuals, couples and groups and am known for my warmth, authenticity, and ability to connect.

I am a Registered Art Therapist with extensive training in the Expressive Therapies including Play Therapy and Sand Play Therapy.

I designed and implemented an Art Therapy in Schools program in inner city schools working with thousands of at-risk children over a period of 8 years.

My experience working with traumatic loss includes several years at Living Through Loss with children and families.

Daily meditation practice with 20 years of mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation is inextricably intertwined in the work that i do with adults, children and families.

I am enjoying a private Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy Practice in Nanaimo B.C.