Meet Shawna Bot

Counselling with Shawna Bot at Acacia Health

My journey to becoming a therapist was a bit of a winding road and it began in my early 20’s, as I decided to get some travel underneath me before settling into a career. While travelling, I took every opportunity t to do some volunteering. My adventures took me to many beautiful places and meeting equally beautiful people. These interactions left me with a clear goal: to return with a tangible skill to help those who were struggling.

At the time, I didn’t yet realize that much of what they were experiencing was rooted in the effects of trauma on their health and wellness. All over the world I saw that people deeply wanted to be seen and heard and that that need crossed both languages and cultures. Witnessing ones story and connecting with them seemed to be a link to our shared humanity and it contained immense healing potential. Thus began my journey to becoming a counsellor. 

Trauma in Practice, at Home

While I did not stay on my original track of living overseas helping vulnerable populations, I did stay on the track of helping through providing a safe and non-judgment space where people can explore themselves and what they have been through in order to promote health and wellness. I realized quickly that there was a tremendous amount of need within my own backyard and there were particular areas that I was uniquely fit to work within. 

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I found several niches within counselling and psychology that sparked a passion within me and they all seemed to revolve around the same thing: trauma, and it’s far reaching impacts on quality if life. I noticed that whereas some counsellors would shrink or shy away from delving into the depths of a person’s most difficult moments, I came to life and wanted to be there and journey with my clients through it. I was and continue to be consistently amazed at the resilience people show despite the immense adversity we sometimes have to face in our lives, and I regularly find myself in awed at how much a person can carry within them and still preserver.

Vancouver Island Bound

It was only recently that I decided to make the move to the Island and it has been one of the best moves to date! I made the trek to be closer to family and to get out of the city life in Vancouver. I had always been drawn to an adventure filled life and since being here I have really been able to delve into all the beautiful things that Victoria has to offer. Island hopping, camping, sailing and brunching have all been thoroughly enjoyed. 

One of the biggest adventures this last year was adding a beautiful rescue pup to my home! At 7 months old, and a cross between a German shepherd and a husky, Coast has been a lively blend of loyalty and chaos that has further pushed me to enjoy all that Victoria has to offer. To date her favorite activities are taking long tromps down Dallas road and hikes up PKOLS (Mount Doug).

Counselling: Victoria BC