Overview

Help to handle life’s challenges

Clinical counsellors help you consider new insights, strategies, and coping skills that create choice, perspective and positive change. They can help you recognize your strengths.

A clinical counsellor can help you if you are experiencing:

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Mental health conditions
  • Recent trauma or loss

Our Approach

We consider each client’s individual concerns and experiences and work to tailor treatments to your particular needs and therapeutic goals.

Person-centred Care

You are unique—your care should be too. We work with you to create a personal treatment plan.

Patient Education

We empower you to better understand your symptoms and care so you can make informed choices.

Evidence-based Care

We apply current, reliable research and evidence to inform our clinical approach.

Collaborative

Our team is our biggest asset. We work together across disciplines to offer you the best care.

Learn More

Clinical counselling is a partnership between you and your counsellor to set goals and work to together to reach them.

Clinical counsellors:

  • Are trained professionals, skilled in communication, who understand how people work through difficult feelings and events
  • Work with individuals, couples, and families in individual and group settings
  • Enable you to explore your thoughts, feelings and experiences and focus on concerns you want to resolve

They help facilitate change toward improved mental health and well-being. In fact, they are experts in the process of change. A relationship with a counsellor can become a profound and deeply moving experience, one that makes life better, richer, and more satisfying.

Clinical counsellors can train in one or several theoretical approaches that guide how they understand people, their concerns and potential solutions. Many different types of therapy share core concepts including:

  • Listening
  • Creating a non-judgmental environment
  • Practicing empathy
  • Communicating to help you find answers

Our clinical counsellors have training in these therapies:

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
  • Body-Centered (Somatic) Counselling
  • Guided Imagery & Music

Research suggests the counsellor’s theory has little impact on the outcome. The most important part is that you like your therapist and can create a comfortable, safe and productive relationship with them.

You can read more about these approaches below, under Sub Therapies.

Introduction (Optional)
15 minutes

No charge

  • Meet your prospective counsellor to see if you connect and if this would be a successful therapeutic relationship.

Initial appointment
50 to 80 minutes

Your clinical counsellor will:

  • Have a conversation with you about benefits, risks and expected outcomes
  • Require your informed consent
  • Set clear, mutually agreed-upon goals
  • Demonstrate appropriate boundaries and offer a safe, confidential space
  • Ensure your well-being is the focus of the relationship
  • Gather applicable details to support your goals and outcomes
  • Adhere to BCACC’s standards of practice and Code of Ethics

Our Practitioners

We take an empathetic approach to your care and always provide the most up-to-date information and resources. We want to help you on your journey to recovery.

Not sure where to start? Call 250-475-1522, ext 2. and our patient care coordinators will help.

Counselling Sub-therapies

EMDR

safe, non-invasive therapy with fast results

A powerful short term therapy approach to help you heal from trauma or other difficult life experiences.

Overview

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) technique involves moving your eyes a certain way while you process traumatic memories.
 
EMDR can help you with a wide range of mental health conditions including:

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD)
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Dissociative disorders
  • Eating disorders
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
  • Personality disorders
Learn More

Guided Imagery and Music

Imagery: the language of the unconscious mind

Music-listening experiences that expand your connection with your inner world.

Overview
 
Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) therapy addresses your health and wellness holistically by helping you access inner strengths, gain insights and unblock creativity.
 
You may benefit from this therapy if you are experience:

  • Anxiety and depression
  • Grief and loss
  • Work related stress
  • Post-traumatic stress
  • Chronic Pain
  • Relationship difficulties
  • Psychosomatic conditions
  • Problems with addiction
  • A life limiting condition such as Cancer
Learn More

Contact Us

We’re located in Vic West, a historic neighbourhood just across the harbour from downtown Victoria, B.C. Our two locations are only 300m apart. Each offers its own set of disciplines for health and wellness. We want to get to know you.

reach out!