Somatic Therapists in Vancouver, BC

I appreciate you showing the interest and courage to find a counsellor. Finding someone with whom you can be seen, heard, and accepted for all of who you are can be challenging. In truth, life can be challenging and leaves many of us looking for support in dealing with transitions, relationships, our sense of identity, as well as discovering what matters most to us. I believe that every person has incredible value, and despite challenges and pain, has the potential for healing, growth, and change.

Whether you are looking to acknowledge areas of yourself that you have avoided in the past, or to better understand your moods, relationships, and current challenges, together we will create a space to explore these parts of you. I believe that we were not meant to carry things alone, and that healing and growth look different for everyone. Together, we can make space to process what it is that needs your attention, so you can feel more aligned with the version of you that you've been disconnected from.

If you feel alone, depressed/anxious and not ok; I'm here to help. Are you overwhelmed or depressed, out of control and lacking focus on how to get what you want out of life. If you've given so much to those around you and neglected yourself to the point of exhaustion or anger and resentment; I'm here to help. If you are feeling ready to give up on how things have been, now’s the time to talk about it and get support to design a better, brighter future. We will work together to help you become more of who you want to be. Design the life you want to live.

I believe that all problems that seem to defy solutions are directly affected – even determined - by how you experience and relate to yourself and others. Exploring the psychological meaning and emotional sense you attach to your specific internal struggles, feelings, and experiences can bring new insights and creative changes to your life. I am deeply committed to facilitating a safe, trusting relationship that can help you heal, grow, and become more fully yourself. I work with a wide range of individuals and couples, focusing on helping people create healthy and fulfilling lives in their internal and external worlds.

I go by he/him/his and I work with folks who are in the marginalized group(s) (gay/bi/queer, person of colour... etc.) who experienced discrimination and/or sexual and physical assault who wants to have more options to respond and understand themselves. Folks who feel that they oftentimes react out of proportion to the situation and experienced challenges to trust and build favourable relationships with others. Folks who want to gain some perspectives on their own strengths and resilience. My client demographic so far has only been with men or masculine identifying individuals.

Do you feel like you're stuck in old patterns? Are you always zoning out or in crisis mode? Do you struggle to connect with your body and aren't quite sure what it means to feel your feelings? Would you prefer to work with a queer therapist with experience supporting 2SLGBTQ+ folks and who is committed to integrating social justice into therapeutic work?

Dr. Michele Kambolis is an acclaimed author, speaker, and holistic therapist with 25 years of experience in the field. She holds a PhD in Mind-Body Medicine. Her evidenced-based resources will set you on a path of self-healing, inner wisdom, and profound mind-body health. Her approach is fresh, empowering, and genuine. Michele is the owner and clinical director of Harbourside Family Counseling Centre, served as Vice Chair for the B.C. Mental Health Foundation, and was twice President of the B.C. Association For Play Therapy. She is also the author of two celebrated books: When Women Rise and Generation Stressed.

In our sessions, I offer a warm, non-judgmental space where you can freely explore your thoughts and emotions, so we can create meaningful change together. While counseling can be challenging, I believe it should also include humour, hope, and comfort, making it a place where you can truly learn and grow. Many of my clients seek support during life transitions or when grappling with an inner critic and overwhelming emotions. I specialize in helping with anxiety, depression, ADHD/ADD, parenting and family dynamics, relationship issues, grief and loss, trauma, psychedelic integration, and career concerns.

I work with adults experiencing stress and anxiety, workplace stress, life changes, relationship challenges, and those interested in finding higher purpose and fulfilment. Together we will focus on your strengths and abilities to help make positive changes in your life. I use evidence-based modalities such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and Somatic therapy in my clinical sessions. Prior to clinical counselling I worked for many years in leadership positions in the workplace.

I believe therapy offers us a space to deepen our self-understanding, find language for our experiences that feel nurturing, and to move beyond our patterns of survival towards a greater sense of integrity, meaning, self-worth, and joy. Amidst the sometimes harrowing experiences of the world outside, I see my role as a therapist to be an anchor of safety and solidarity. I prioritize relational attunement, compassion, and the flexibility needed to address what is arising in the here and now.

I trust in the body’s innate wisdom and capacity to heal from difficult emotional experiences and know that this work can only truly happen when the body feels safe. I see my role as that of a trusted collaborator, allying with you to co-create a space of safety, dignity, and belonging around whatever it is you are seeking to work through and heal. I believe that you hold all of the skill and knowledge you need to move forward in your life and toward the things that matter most to you. I am here to support you along the way.

My approach as a trauma psychotherapist is multi-layered, drawing from a range of modalities, including but not limited to: Compassionate Inquiry (CI), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Somatic Experiencing (SE), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and mindfulness practices. I am also trained in psychedelics-assisted psychotherapy. This broad range of skills allows me to design the most individualized approach for each client’s unique needs. I have a particular interest in trauma, anxiety, addictions, depression, eating disorders, grief, and psychedelic integration.

Life is hardly ever easy. But suffering can be lessened, especially with the help of another human being, trained to help you navigate life's challenges and uncover your inner strengths. If you are seeking better self-understanding, leading to new ways of responding to the world so you can have better relationships, greater life’s satisfaction, a calmer mind, and greater resilience, then my approach to therapy could be right for you. I will work with you to help you untie your inner knots, reduce inner tension and confusion, and increase your capacity to cope with whatever life throws at you.

Trauma leaves us feeling broken, damaged, and disconnected from our true selves. You may be fed up with feeling triggered in everyday situations, isolated from friends who can’t understand, or guilt over what happened to you. You may not even remember a time you didn’t feel like this. Either way, one thing is for sure: you’re ready for some relief. You’re ready to enjoy deep relationships without your past getting in the way. You’re ready to wake up each morning with purpose. Most of all, you’re ready to love yourself again & to face your future with a sense of hope.

Decipher Counselling Art Therapy Studio offers creative, justice-oriented therapy for people dealing with experiences of invalidation, including any and all underrepresented communities. This may include processing trauma, navigating identities, life transitions, and power differences. We aim to create a space where people of all intersectionalities can feel like they belong. To feel like they can be themselves in their most unique ways. Where their stories will be heard and held. We work to decolonize therapy in our therapy practice and personally around our identities.

As a relational therapist, I specialize in experientially working with self-discovery, relationship health, intimacy, and attachment. I find what is often missing in our lives are the deeply attuned connections where we feel seen, heard, and understood. Generally, I operate from an intersection of attachment, parts work, neuroscience, plant medicine, and somatic frameworks. In my practice I welcome all individuals, couples, and people in multi-partner/poly relationships across the whole sexuality spectrum.

I am a compassionate, solution focused counsellor with over 25 years experience working in the field of mental health. My ultimate goal is to help my clients think better, feel better and connect better. My expertise is in the areas of mental health challenges, stress management, trauma and eating disorders.

I come to this profession by way of lived experience, having spent decades in deep emotional pain, always feeling I was never “enough.” Consistently engaging in counselling, as well as tools and psycho-education for trauma resolution, has led me to find safety in body I had once disowned. I now have a sense of worthiness and peace that I never imagined possible. Whether you’re dealing with anxiety, self-criticism, relationship issues, or symptoms of trauma, we will co-create a compassionate container for exploration and healing.

I work with adults and youth (16 and up) around trauma, sexuality, identity, and relationships. I provide queer and trans affirming individual and relationship counselling services for folks in various relationship structures, including hormone readiness assessments. I specialize in sexualized violence and also work more expansively looking at reclamation of self and identity after trauma of displacement and/or collective and intergenerational trauma, as well as institutional trauma. I believe that healing is expansive and I strive to honour and integrate into our work whatever ways of healing you have already been using.