Electra Health

Downtown Vancouver Clinical Counselling

Life can be full of exciting experiences, but at times, we all encounter challenging chapters that leave us feeling depressed, anxious, stressed, lost, overwhelmed, or struggling to find clarity. Our downtown Vancouver Registered Clinical Counselors can help you with that something-isn’t-right feeling and help you find clarity, perspective and peace. Counseling via an experienced professional can be life-changing: whether you’re experiencing a significant change or trauma in your life, or just need an ear to help you navigate your emotions and thoughts day-to-day, our registered clinical counselors can support you.

An effective counselor works alongside you in promoting personal growth, relief from stress, anxiety, and depression through a series of techniques and treatment styles that match your needs. By enabling authentic, empowered living and through encouraging intuitive listening to your own heart’s desires, healing occurs.

Our Therapeutic Approaches

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

A popular treatment. It is a psychotherapeutic approach where the focus is on dysfunctional emotions and maladaptive behaviours.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Focuses on disturbing memories vis-à-vis your psychopathology.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

Uses the concept of mindfulness to help you be at ease and cope better with different circumstances.

Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT)

An empirically based intervention that uses mindfulness and acceptance.

Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)

A talking therapy that is based on social constructionist philosophy.

Narrative Therapy (NT)

A collaborative, strength-based and non-pathologizing approach that centers people as the experts on their own lives.

What is psychological counselling?

In registered clinical counseling the therapist provides a safe and supportive environment and facilitates empowering conversations that foster resiliency and promote change. counseling aims to improve interpersonal and personal functioning in the person’s life, while highlighting the person’s strengths and ability to develop positive means of coping. Talk therapy pays attention to social, emotional, vocational, organizational, developmental, health-related, and educational concerns and goals.

Our team of skilled counselors are trained in a variety of culturally-sensitive practices aimed at helping people resolve crisis, improve communication and relationships and recognizing personal strengths and abilities. This results in a greater sense of empowerment and overall well-being. Therapy could be brief or long term, and it could either be goal-directed or problem-specific. The counseling style adopted takes into account the individual’s unique needs and goals and focuses not only on alleviating current challenges or stress, but also on developing lasting change.

Our Clinical Counsellors

Alexander Cahuas
Hilary Murfitt
Clinical Counselling
Ihab Darwiche
Clinical Counselling
Junjie (Claire) Zhang
Lisa Bentz
Clinical Counselling

Additional Counselling Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

When should you see a Registered Clinical Counsellor?

You should see a registered counselor whenever you experience anxiety that interferes with the proper functioning of your life. If you are suffering from stress or depression, seeing a counselor will help you identify the cause of the distress and help you to deal with the problem (or learn how to cope with it in healthy ways). You can benefit from working with a counselor to help you resolve fears and to help you work through any difficult decision that you may be encountering.

 

You do not have to wait to be overwhelmed by a problem to talk to a professional. It can be very beneficial to acknowledge challenges and begin working on a problem before it exacerbates. Seeing a counselor when you experience major conflicts in your marriage/relationship or when you have other pressing family issues can support you and your loved ones in finding positive solutions before conflict has the opportunity to build. You may also benefit from working with a counselor if you have recently lost a loved one, are managing change (such as when moving or when changing jobs), are having a difficult time at your workplace, and when you are finding that your ways of coping seem to be contributing to more stress.

What are the benefits of counselling?

Registered counselors have the training and experience needed to support you in better understanding the cause of your anxiety or other emotional challenges. This is the first step in finding a solution for what you may be suffering from, be it stress, depression, anxiety, sadness or challenging life circumstances or relationships. This training and experience puts the counselor in a good position to help you find solutions for complex problems. Good counselors are empathic and objective listeners, and talking to one allows you to express yourself in a way you may not be able to do with others. This is important, because it’s human nature that you feel better after letting out what is bottled in.

 

You may benefit from working with a registered clinical counselor if you feel uncertain or stuck, or find yourself repeating a problematic pattern in your life or relationships. When you work with a counselor, you’ll work to develop the skills and strategies to handle situations you’re going through. You’ll develop solutions to help you find a path to self-discovery. You’ll feel happy, have a sense of purpose in life, learn to be assertive in asking for what you deserve and you will be able to tap into your ability to openly express yourself in a way that is healing and empowering.

What happens in an average counselling session?

Counseling sessions can be for individuals, couples, families or groups. On average, each session takes approximately 50 minutes, but longer sessions are also available. One session may be enough, depending on the concern, however it often takes several sessions for people to feel like they have developed the ability to really overcome the problem and make lasting change. The client and the counselor work together to determine how many counseling sessions will be most beneficial, the goals of therapy and the approach that will best to support the client in reach those goals.

 

In your sessions, you and your counselor will discuss the concerns or goals you are bringing to therapy. These therapeutic conversations will support you in developing a deeper understanding of your own feelings and perspective. Your counselor will support you in recognizing your ability to develop strategies to resolve your concerns and develop more positive solutions. Your counselor may also support you to recognize any problematic patterns that are leaving you stuck and support you in making change. Or, your counselor will support you to cope with your problem if there is no solution (such as in case of bereavement).

What Our Clients Think of Us