The following counselling practicum students are currently providing sliding scale counselling:
Hours: See individual bios for working hours
Location: By phone, video or in person at the Collaborative Space at 207 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
Please email samkaplan@expressivewellness.ca to inquire about connecting with one of these practicum students
All practicum students are provided with clinical supervision by Luisa Ospina, Sandra Suasnabar, and Sam Kaplan, as well as engage in peer and school based supervision, while completing their counselling education.
Rates for student counsellor services:
50 minute individual session: $25-75
75 minute individual session: $35-100
50 minute relationship or family session: $50-125
75 minute relationship or family session: $60-150
Hours: See individual bios for working hours
Location: By phone, video or in person at the Collaborative Space at 207 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
Please email samkaplan@expressivewellness.ca to inquire about connecting with one of these practicum students
All practicum students are provided with clinical supervision by Luisa Ospina, Sandra Suasnabar, and Sam Kaplan, as well as engage in peer and school based supervision, while completing their counselling education.
Rates for student counsellor services:
50 minute individual session: $25-75
75 minute individual session: $35-100
50 minute relationship or family session: $50-125
75 minute relationship or family session: $60-150
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Nida
*Practicum starting May 18, 2022 Days and Hours Tuesdays 2:00-7:00 pm (Virtual/Phone) Saturdays 8:00am-1:30 pm (Virtual/Phone) At the core of my therapeutic approach is meeting folks where they are at in their journey. I love to incorporate creativity into the therapeutic setting where appropriate. Healing is not linear and I am here to support folks throughout the challenges. I approach the therapeutic process with empathy, curiosity, genuineness, connection, and safety. I hope to build a safe space for my clients, particularly for those who have traumatic histories. I approach therapy with openness to encourage folks to speak their truth and develop a sense of empowerment. Counselling can support folks through many challenges, but I recognize it may bring up difficult emotions, and making this step is huge in itself. I am a settler on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations. I am grateful to live, work, and play on this land. My cultural background is Indo-Fijian, meaning I can communicate in Fijian Hindi. My previous experience includes working with individuals from diverse populations including newcomers and refugees. I am LGBTQ+ friendly and welcome individuals of all backgrounds. I hope to create a safe space for folks from diverse backgrounds and to take into consideration social factors which can affect mental health. I am a Muslim, woman of colour, and my lens is multicultural and social justice based. The things that bring me peace in life include listening to music, doing my makeup, creating art, journaling, spending time with loved humans, animals, and plants. My approach takes into consideration culture, religion, spirituality, connection, individualism and social justice. My approach is eclectic but mainly person-centered, multicultural, emotion-focused, as well as aiming to be trauma-informed. I hope to integrate creativity into therapy. My areas of interest are: · Newcomers, Refugees · LGBTQ+ Friendly · Muslim communities · Multicultural · Trauma *These are my areas of interest, but I am keen on working with all challenges folks may need support with. My Approach · Holistic · Collaborative · Creative · Trauma Informed · Social Justice and Advocacy Informed 
Jenn (she/her)
*Practicum starting May 25, 2022 Days and Hours Sundays 1:45pm - 6:00pm (In-Person) Mondays 1:00pm - 5:00pm (Virtual/Phone) Tuesdays 10:00am - 2:00pm (Virtual/Phone) *In-person services with Jenn are only available for clients who have received two or more vaccines against COVID-19. Jenn is a queer, cis, able-bodied, small-fat, white settler who is learning and practicing on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples: the territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. Jenn is a student counsellor completing her Master of Counselling degree from City University of Seattle's 'Vancouver' campus. Jenn's approach to counselling - and life - is to show up in full humanity and authenticity, with warmth, curiosity, and openness without judgement. She believes that the personal is political, with her core values based in intersectional feminism, fat liberation, queer celebration, anti-racism, and radical acceptance. Jenn's approach is collaborative, person-centered, anti-oppressive, and trauma-informed. Her practice draws upon narrative, systems, and somatic theories. She is honoured to witness and share time with folks wherever they are on their journey, and will elicit ongoing feedback in creating a safe enough, accessible space that is conducive to healing. Jenn is conversational in American Sign Language and has experience supporting folks with disabilities and neurodivergence through Equine-Assisted Therapy. She has lived experience with complex grief and loss, depression and anxiety, body image and fat liberation, self-esteem, illness diagnosis, death anxiety, familial violence/trauma, various relationship structures and non-monogamy, navigating life changes, and other forms of trauma. Her ongoing training includes safe body inhabitation through The Hakomi Method and mindfulness exercises. Jenn lives with her sweet rescue dog Cubby and loves surprising friends with handwritten cards in the mail. She finds endless joy in forest bathing, dancing, reading, movies, tattoos/body art, drag, and exploring nature. 
Emily (she/her)
*Practicum starting May 25, 2022 Days and Hours Tuesdays 8:30 am-1:30 pm (In-Person) Wednesdays 2:00 pm-7:00 pm (Virtual/Phone) Emily (she/her/hers) is a cisgender, non-disabled, biracial person of white and Chinese ancestry, and daughter to a first-generation Chinese immigrant. She lives and practices on the stolen, ancestral, and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), səl̓ilwətaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsleil-Waututh), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), and Skwxwú7mesh-ulh Temíx̱w (Squamish) peoples. Emily works with individuals that may be struggling with experiences of anxiety, low self-esteem, cultural identity conflicts, and intergenerational familial patterns. Emily is passionate about practicing from an intersectional, culturally inclusive, and intergenerational lens, acknowledging that every person is unique in their lived experiences. Throughout these experiences, Emily strives to support clients in actualizing their sense of autonomy, self-worth, and personal strength. With each client, Emily takes a curious and compassionate position, that centres on the client’s wellbeing and healing. She works to minimize shame and encourages dialogue that supports self-acceptance. Clients can expect sessions to be collaborative, welcoming, and safe. While Emily utilizes systemic/anti-oppression and strength-based approaches, she is first and foremost person-centred, tailoring strategies that are most beneficial and helpful for her clients. Outside of her practice, Emily is completing a Master’s of Counselling at City University of Seattle. In her personal time, you can find her reading any type of genre, trying new cuisines, and spending time by the water. Emily is appreciative of the trust of her clients and looks forward to hopefully working alongside you soon! 
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Laura is wearing glasses and a dark blue plaid sweater. They have short hair and they are smiling at the camera. There are trees in the background. Laura (she/they) Practicum goes until Nov. 2022 Days and Hours Tuesdays 2:45-7:00 pm (Virtual/Phone) Wednesdays 2:00-7:00 pm (Virtual/Phone) Sundays 10:00 am -2:00 pm (Virtual/Phone) Laura (she/they) is a fat, queer, and neurodivergent settler of mixed European descent living and working on unceded W̱SÁNEĆ and lək̓ʷəŋən territory. Laura is a student counsellor currently completing her Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University. Laura’s counselling style is warm and nonjudgmental, leaving space for you to share at your own pace. They are passionate about providing an affirming environment for all clients, especially those who share her asexual, aromantic, neurodivergent, and fat identities. Laura believes that each person is an expert in their own experience, and they will work collaboratively with you to explore your story and work towards your goals. Guided by her commitment to social justice, Laura is passionate about dismantling systemic oppression within their counselling practice and beyond. Their work is informed by intersectional feminism, anti-racism, anti-colonialism, disability justice, the neurodiversity paradigm, autistic communities, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, relationship anarchy & polyamory, fat liberation, and the anti-diet movement. Laura has deep gratitude for the many activists, leaders, organizers, advocates, and others whose work forms the foundation of her practice. Laura was born and raised in the traditional territory of the Lenape people, colonially known as New Jersey, and immigrated to Canada in 2019. Outside of counselling and social justice activism, Laura enjoys spending time with their partner, playing board games, reading sci-fi and fantasy novels, and knitting. 
Kaitlyn (they, them, theirs)
Practicum goes until Nov. 2022 Days and Hours Wednesdays 3:30-7:00 pm (Virtual/Phone) Fridays 10:00 am-4:00 pm (Virtual/Phone) Saturdays 10:00 am -3:00 pm (Virtual/Phone) Kaitlyn is a non-binary, queer, neurodivergent, straight-sized, working-turned-middle class white settler living on the unceded and stolen lands of the Snuneymuxw peoples. They work primarily with people who hold minoritized identities, including QTIBIPoC+ folx, survivors of violence, and people who have experienced systemic or institutional harm. Kaitlyn is passionate about bringing a social justice lens to their practice. They have lived experience in and near trauma, incarceration, substance use, intergenerational trauma, sexualized violence, institutional violence and betrayal, and complex grief and loss. Additionally, Kaitlyn’s sessions are informed by intersectional feminism, anti-oppression, and a deep understanding of how trauma affects the body. They draw from a broad set of tools and strategies, aiming to help each client build unique, personalized strategies for healing. Kaitlyn incorporates body-based practices, imagination, and storytelling into therapy. Their sessions have been described as collaborative, warm, and creative. In their personal life, Kaitlyn enjoys hiking, playing with the animals they share space with, and listening to audiobooks while cross stitching. They have been studying safe(r) embodiment, nervous system regulation, and intergenerational trauma in their free time for many years. Kaitlyn is so looking forward to meeting you! 
Hiu (she/they)
Practicum ends August 2022 Days and Hours Mondays 1:00pm-6:00 pm (Virtual/Phone) Wednesdays 10:00 am-3:00 pm (Virtual/Phone) Thursdays 3:00 pm-6:00 pm (Virtual/Phone) Hiu is experienced in working from an Intersectionality-focused lens with predominantly Black, Indigenous, and folks of colour who identify as queer and have ongoing relationships with grief. Trained in Feminist-Narrative Therapy, Hiu privileges a person’s survival story and relationships to their agency, emotions, boundaries, and people. Hiu is a non-disabled immigrant settler on the traditional, unceded, and occupied lands of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish peoples from Hong Kong with non-binary, anti-racist and anti-capitalist values. Hiu takes on a co-researcher role in therapy sessions with deconstructive conversations, insightful and possibly challenging questions, curiosity, and a commitment to naming the oppressive systems and dominant narratives at work. Rooted in social justice and radical acceptance values, her practice is oriented in an Intersectional Feminist-Narrative framework and incorporates somatic techniques. Their special tools include guiding boundary-setting, visualization, and cultivation of appreciation for your agency and worth. Hiu is a graduate of the Feminist Narrative Immersion program at ProChoices Community Therapy Clinic and is currently pursuing a Master of Counselling degree at City University of Seattle in "Canada". They have completed Clinical Hypnosis Skills for Health Professionals, level 1 with the Canadian Society of Clinical Hypnosis (BC Division) and the course Dying and Death: Conversations and Reflections at Simon Fraser University. They are also the co-founder of Liberate Counselling Collective. 
Kaitlin (she/her)
*Currently full and accepting folks on to their waitlist. Kaitlins's practicum ends August 2022. Days and Hours Tuesdays 1:45-8:00 pm (in-person) Fridays 12:00 pm-7:00 pm (online) *Kaitlin is double-vaccinated against COVID-19. In-Person services with Kaitlin are only available for clients who have received more than one vaccine against COVID-19. Kaitlin Wu (she/her) is a cisgender, able-bodied, second generation Chinese Canadian immigrant, living and working on the stolen lands of the səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam) Nations.Kaitlin specializes in working with marginalized communities and neurodivergent individuals who may be struggling with experiences of invalidation, life transitions, family conflict, relationship challenges, anxiety, and low self-worth. Kaitlin approaches each session with compassion and curiosity as she supports clients in processing and unpacking their lived experiences towards healing. She is firmly committed to creating a safe, nonjudgmental, healing space where clients feel valued, heard, and empowered to step into their transformative self-worth. Kaitlin graduated with a bachelor’s in Sociology and is currently pursuing her passion in a Master of Arts Counselling at Yorkville University. Kaitlin holds a person-centered, intesectionalist, social justice framed approach that believes in helping clients unlearn biases, prejudice, and oppressive narratives to reclaim their truth. Kaitlin currently supports neurodiverse youth, including youth with developmental and learning differences, reach their socioemotional and learning goals. She has spent the last 7 years in both educational and community environments working with diverse communicative behaviours as she attunes to the nonverbal messages, emotions, and patterns that often go unnoticed. She strongly believes in fostering an inclusive and safe environment where youth of all abilities feel empowered and supported in their development. She strongly affirms that every client is to be met with understanding, integrity, and support, regardless of where they are on their journey. Kaitlin wants her clients to know that every version of themselves is deserving of love and acceptance. Through empathic listening, Kaitlin holds space for her clients to feel safe and seen as they collaboratively navigate the journey of self-healing, self-forgiveness, and self-compassion. Kaitlin would be honoured to walk alongside with her clients as they learn how to regain self-trust and build a peaceful home in themselves. 
Bréa (she/her)
*Currently full and accepting folks on to her waitlist. Bréa's practicum ends August 2022. Days and Hours Mondays and Tuesdays 9:00am-1:30 pm (in-person and online) Thursdays 4:00 pm-7:00 pm (online) *Bréa is double-vaccinated against COVID-19. In-Person services with Bréa are only available for clients who have received more than one vaccine against COVID-19. Bréa (she/her) is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University. She is an able-bodied, cisgender, and biracial woman of mixed ancestry born and raised on the unceded and stolen territories of the səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam) Nations. As a certified trauma-informed yoga teacher, prenatal yoga teacher, and full-spectrum doula, Bréa is passionate about supporting marginalized folks experiencing trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, and life transitions. Bréa commits to an anti-oppressive, collaborative, and intersectional approach grounded in critical race theory and social justice. She draws from Person-Centered Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Compassion-Focused Therapy, Attachment-Based Therapy, Existential Therapy, and Narrative Therapy. You can expect Bréa to offer a non-judgmental and empathic space to safely navigate the totality of your humanness and reclaim your right to be holistically supported. 
Lina (she/her)
*Currently full and accepting folks on to her waitlist. Lina's practicum ends August 2022. Days and Hours Tuesdays 4:00pm-8:00 pm (online) Thursdays 12:30 pm-4:00 pm (online) Fridays 9:00 am-1:45 pm (online) *Potential in person counselling in the future, depending upon covid variants/numbers. My name is Lina (she/her) and I am a neurodivergent, queer, disabled, and bicultural individual living and working on the stolen lands of the səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam) Nations. Intersectional inclusivity is an important part of my practice and I aim to co-create with you a comfortable therapeutic space that prioritizes authenticity, empowerment, and curiosity. My practice is focused on anti-oppressive and trauma-informed care for marginalized individuals including, but not limited to, BIPOC, neurodivergent, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, immigrants, and poly communities. My values best align with person-centred and humanistic approaches as I believe clients are the experts of their own life. It is my honour to take the role of a supportive co-collaborator alongside my clients on their healing journey. As a certified yoga and movement teacher, I seek to integrate mindfulness and somatic techniques to deepen the mind-body connection. I believe understanding how we hold emotions and trauma in the body is an important part of the therapeutic process. Additionally, I have a strong dedication to supporting the neurodivergent community, as I have a first-hand understanding of the inaccessibility of the society we live in. I continually work to dismantle my own internalized ableism and address dominant narratives around disability. I aim to help neurodivergent clients identify and work with their individual needs surrounding sensory overstimulation or understimulation, executive functioning, emotional regulation, meltdowns, and shutdowns. In my personal life, I enjoy gardening, playing with my 2 cats and 1 dog, doing yoga, and consuming any and all sci-fi media! I look forward to connecting with you. 
Nicole (They/them)
*Currently full and accepting folks on to their waitlist. Nicoles's practicum is from January 4, 2022-August 2022. Days and Hours Online counselling Tuesday-Thursdays Hi! I’m Nicole (they/them), and I’m a student working towards a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology through Yorkville university. I’m a white, non-binary, queer, neurodivergent settler of Finnish and Polish decent living on the unceded terriroties of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. I have spent the last decade working with neurodivergent and disabled youth in the education system, providing academic, social, emotional, and behavioural supports. I believe in offering an ongoing collaborative process that seeks to meet clients where they are at with validation and support, guided by harm-reduction, trauma-informed, and neurodivergent-affirmative principles. My combination of professional and lived experience in areas such as sexual identity, gender, disability, neurodivergence, anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, and parenting has shaped the intersectional social justice lens through which I view my work. I am particularly interested in working with fellow LGBTQ2SIA+ individuals, neurodivergent and/or disabled individuals, and parents of neurodivergent or LGBTQ2SIA+ children. I am also available to work with youth ages 10 and up. I spend most of my free time with my partner and our two young children. I also like to make time to dance, craft, chat with friends, engage in my current special interests, and even try to squeeze in the ever-illusive nap every once and awhile. I look forward to meeting you. 
Beth D’Aoust (she/her/hers) * Currently Full contact to be added to her waitlist for online apts. Practicum ends August 2022 Days and Hours Sundays 1:45 pm-6:30 pm (in-person) Tuesdays 4:00 pm-6:15 pm (online) *Beth is double-vaccinated against COVID-19. In-Person services with Beth are only available for clients who have received more than one vaccine against COVID-19. Beth is a white, queer, disabled, straight-sized, cisgender settler living and working on traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), and səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. Beth spent the past six years teaching high school English, and after feeling her priorities shift away from academia and toward her students’ mental health, self-regulation abilities, and general wellbeing, she was drawn toward the more intimate 1:1 setting of the counselling space. Beth offers an accessible, collaborative, client-centred, anti-oppressive, and trauma-informed approach to counselling for individuals (adults and youth), families, and those seeking relationship counselling. Beth is firmly committed to the ongoing process of unlearning involved in decolonization and her practice is heavily informed by systems thinking, intersectional feminism, harm reduction, non-binary values, queer theory, attachment theory, and somatics. Beth has lived experience in and near chronic illness and disability, traumatic brain injury, anxiety and depression, addictions, religious trauma, intergenerational trauma, self-esteem, burnout, sexualized violence, grief and loss, non-monogamy and alternative relationship structures, and relationship endings. Beth has been studying nervous system regulation, interpersonal neurobiology, polyvagal theory, and epigenetics in her free time for the past five years. Throughout this time, she has also trained extensively in Conscious Connected Breathwork facilitation, Hakomi Therapy, and Bioenergetics with Numa Somatics. In January, 2021, Beth handed over her English classroom, and dove into a full-time Master of Counselling degree at City University of Seattle’s “Vancouver” campus, in the interest of blending her passions and expanding her offerings. In her personal life, Beth is a lover of singing, dancing, laughing, reading, painting, cooking for loved ones, taking rainy forest walks, tending to her many plants, and soaking up sunshine whenever possible. She loves connecting with new people, facilitating collaborative and empowering experiences, and providing a tender, validating witness to folks as they process their lived experiences. Beth is so looking forward to working with you! |