Sandra Suasnabar Alberco (she/her/ella) - MA, RCC-ACS, RCS, Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC), Counselling Supervisor, Expressive Arts Therapist
Languages: Spanish, English
Waitlist Open
If you'd like to be added to Sandra's waitlist, please email her at [email protected]
Availability
Thursdays 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Friday mornings
About
Sandra is passionate and committed to offering folks a safe, transparent and nourishing space in the counselling relationship. She is eager to accompany folks with curiosity, playfulness, and humility on their healing journeys. Sandra believes in the possibility of accessing our inner reservoirs of wisdom to expand our sense of hope, life and justice.
Sandra (she/her/ella) is a queer, cisgender, migrant, Latinx, neurodivergent, Indigenous woman and mother offering trauma-informed counselling and Expressive Arts therapy on the traditional lands and unceded territories of thexʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Sandra was born in Lima, Peru and brings a wealth of knowledge and experiences from her ancestral lands, peoples and traditions.
In her work and life experience, Sandra has been supporting survivors of trauma (intergenerational, gender-based and sexualized), folks navigating identities and life transitions, grief and loss, anxiety and depression, and all the impacts of historical systemic oppression. She works with children (6 years+), youth, adults, BIPoC and 2SLGBTQAI+ folks. At the core of her counselling offerings, Sandra draws from intersectional feminist, anti-oppressive and social justice-oriented approaches.
In addition to her western-based training, Sandra’s practice is rooted in her lived experience, the experience of her ancestors/communities, and the potent resistance of the communities she has been supporting as a front-line worker and counsellor.
Sandra also offers specialized workshops and consulting support for clinical or multi-disciplinary teams, including front-line workers, social workers, educators, legal and health professionals, and leaders who are supporting others.
In recent years, Sandra has been living and offering her services to northern rural Indigenous communities in so called Canada. This unique opportunity has deepened her connections with these communities, granting her valuable, enriching experiences that have profoundly shaped her personal and professional journey. Sandra remains committed to nurturing these relationships and continues to serve with a strong dedication to honoring the people and cultures she works alongside. She is determined to preserve the trust and connections built, and to contribute meaningfully to these communities for years to come.
Outside of the counselling space, Sandra is dedicated to raising her little one. She loves laughing, dancing, biking, playing in nature, making art, connecting to her community & culture, and learning traditional Andean ways of knowing and healing.
Approaches
- Indigenous Worldviews (decolonial practices)
- Intersectional Feminism
- Trauma-Informed
- Anti-Oppressive
- Expressive Arts Therapy
- Relational and Attachment
- Narrative Therapy
- Mindfulness
- Somatic
- Neurodivergent-Affirming
- Sex Positive
- Resource-Oriented
- Harm Reduction
Professional Training and Development
- EMDR Comprehensive Basic Training, EMDR Consulting (2022)
- Heart, Politics, and Healing: An Introduction to Generative Somatics' Methodology (2024)
- Somatic Experiencing, Somatic Experiencing International, US (2021)
- Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy, Hakomi Institute, Vancouver, BC (2019)
- Narrative Therapy Counselling Skills, VSNT, Vancouver School of Narrative Therapy
photo credit www.roughclub.ca/