Individual Counselling in Nanaimo

Support for anxiety, depression, trauma, stress, compulsions, addictions, and the deeper movements that give rise to them

People often seek individual counselling when life starts to feel unmanageable — anxiety that won’t settle, depression that returns, stress that accumulates or patterns that repeat.

Some arrive knowing what brought them here. Others come without clear language, sensing only that something is unresolved or not yet understood.

This work attends to suffering while also seeking to understand what gives rise to it. By following what is present—emotions, relational dynamics, and persistent patterns—we allow symptoms to point toward the deeper movements shaping your life.

The process remains practical and grounded, with close attention to capacity and the development of clarity.

∴

How I Help in Individual Counselling

I work with individuals who are experiencing:

• Anxiety, panic, or chronic worry
• Depression, low mood, or emotional flatness
• Trauma or overwhelming experiences
• Compulsions, addictions, or behaviours that feel out of control 
• Stress, burnout, or emotional fatigue
• Anger, reactivity, or difficulty regulating emotion
• Sexual concerns, performance anxiety, or desire/libido difficulties
• Relationship difficulties, attachment concerns, or recurring relational patterns
• Identity shifts, transitions, or life changes that feel disorienting
• Feeling stuck or overwhelmed by circumstances that are no longer manageable

Each of these challenges offers a starting point—a way to find orientation when the familiar path no longer holds.

∴

How the Work Unfolds

Therapy is a collaborative process grounded in safety and attunement. We pay close attention to what you are experiencing—emotions, bodily responses, and relational patterns—allowing understanding to emerge.

Support with symptoms

We work with symptoms directly to help restore a sense of stability. This includes attention to the nervous system and emotional regulation, providing practical support so the work can unfold without overwhelm.

Clarity about patterns

Together, we look at how emotional responses and personal history shape your experience of yourself and others. Seeing these patterns clearly is often the first step toward responding to life differently.

Exploration of internal dynamics

This involves noticing the protective strategies and internal parts of yourself shaped by early experiences. We stay close to both the bodily and symbolic layers of your life to see how they influence your current movement.

Meaning That Emerges in Therapy

At times, the work touches on dreams, images, or inner movements that clarify the deeper meaning of what you are living through. These are approached relationally, as expressions of an ongoing process.

A more integrated sense of self

Over time, this work supports a shift from reacting to responding. It allows you to engage life with greater clarity and reconnect with parts of yourself that have been overlooked or pushed to the margins.

∴

Areas I Work With

My work with individuals includes support for:

Anxiety + Panic

Work with anxiety and panic attends to the nervous system and the deeper patterns that feed fear and hypervigilance, allowing distress to settle while understanding what is driving it.

Depression + Low Mood

In depth therapy, depression and low mood are approached by listening for their emotional, relational, and developmental roots, allowing attention to move toward what has remained beneath the surface rather than focusing only on symptom relief.

Trauma + Overwhelm

This work includes meeting overwhelming or traumatic experiences in a safe, attuned way that honours your pace and capacity.

Stress + Burnout

Stress and burnout therapy supports the restoration of clarity, energy, and emotional resilience when life feels unmanageable.

Compulsions + Addictions

This work involves attending to both the behaviours and the internal dynamics that drive compulsions and addictions, including emotional pain, unmet needs, and protective strategies.

Anger + Reactivity

Anger is approached by understanding what it protects and what has been threatened, supporting its expression in grounded, relational, and constructive ways.

Meaning + Direction

Questions of meaning often arise when inner orientation feels lost. We work to move away from old survival patterns toward a more grounded and relational way of living.

Life Transitions + Identity Shifts

Periods of change in relationships, work, identity are met with curiosity and care, allowing transition to unfold without rushing to replace what is ending.

Each of these challenges carries its own logic and its own way forward.

∴

My Approach

Many people seek a balance between relief in the present and insight into the underlying movements of their lives. My work integrates clinical support for symptom management with a depth psychological understanding of the psyche. This means attending to immediate distress while exploring the emotional histories and inner dynamics that give rise to it. Alongside depth-oriented work, I draw on evidence-based approaches (including CBT and CPT when useful) to support stabilization, clarity, and emotional regulation.

My approach draws on:

  • solid clinical support for emotional regulation, cognition, and emotional stability

  • attention to parts of the self shaped by early relational experiences

  • curiosity about internal patterns and protective strategies

  • an understanding of anxiety, nervous system responses, and the mind–body connection

  • depth-oriented exploration of meaning, symbolism, and the inner movements that guide growth

The aim is not quick fixes or band-aid solutions, but work of substance that holds over time.

∴

Beginning the Work

We begin with a conversation.
You bring your experience and your history; I bring training, an attuned presence, and a commitment to follow what emerges.
From there, we clarify what you are facing and move at a pace that supports integration, understanding, and meaningful change.

∴