Clinical Counselling Victoria, BC

Appointment Cancellation and Modification Policy

At MĀ Wellness and Yoga, we strive to offer efficient services and honour the valuable time of our practitioners. To achieve this, we respectfully request a minimum notice of 24 hours for any cancellations or changes to your appointment. This policy ensures that we can continue to provide high-quality care to all our patients.

Cancellation Fees Explained:

• Late Cancellation Fee: Should you need to cancel your appointment less than 24 hours before its scheduled time, we will charge a fee equal to 100% of the treatment cost to your card on file. This fee compensates for the time that had been reserved for you.

• Emergency Situations: We understand that unforeseen circumstances can arise. In cases of emergency, please inform us immediately. For appointments cancelled due to emergencies within 24 hours of the scheduled time, a reduced fee of 50% of the treatment cost will be charged to your card on file.

We sincerely appreciate your understanding and cooperation with this policy. By adhering to these guidelines, you help us maintain a high standard of service for all our patients.

Thank you for your attention to these matters, and for helping us serve you better.

Keegan: I have attained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Master’s of Arts Degree in Counselling Psychology. I am a registered member of the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC), maintaining the title, ethical conduct, and standards of practice of a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC).

Laurel: I am a Canadian Clinical Counsellor (#7226) with a Master’s degree in Counselling, as well as undergraduate degrees in criminology and psychology. Please check with your insurance or benefits if you qualify with CCC Counselling.

Christina: I have my masters degree in counselling and psychotherapy from Yorkville University, a certificate in rehabilitation and mental health and an undergraduate degree in psychology from York University. – BA MA

Val: I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC License # 20312). I have a masters degree in Expressive Arts Therapy and Psychology, and undergraduate degree in Health Sciences. 

Keegan: Thursday afternoons from 2-8 pm online or in-person.

Laurel: Sundays 10 am–5 pm & Mondays 2-8 pm in-person or by ZOOM.

Christina: In person Friday mornings from 8:30-2 or virtually Tuesday-Thursday 2-6pm or Friday 830-2.

Val: I am available for virtual counselling sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays (12pm – 8pm) and Saturdays (11am – 4pm). I live on Cortes Island and see clients online, however I come back to Victoria once a month for in-person sessions. 

 Keegan: There are a breadth of different practices and modalities that guide my practice. As the uniqueness of our community, so too I adapt practices that best suit the individual. With this said, I have completed specialized trainings in: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) skills training, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Solution-Focussed Brief Therapy (SFBT), and Narrative Therapy. Pending: Advanced Training in Nature-Based Therapy.

Laurel: I have training in solution-focused therapy, trauma-informed practice, somatic and nature-based practices, acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behavioural and narrative therapies and I pull from these to invite you to find your way back to a life you truly love.

Christina: Many modalities are incorporated in the sessions but the main ones I focus on are: CBT, DBT, Bowen Family Systems, ACT and behavioural activation.

Val: I have an arts and somatic based approach but meet each client where they are at. My primary modality is expressive arts therapy, which I have a masters degree. I incorporate other mindfulness-based somatic modalities into sessions – such a focusing, hakomi (a form of somatic psychotherapy) and biodynamic craniosacral therapy. I hold a deep respect for the inherent wisdom in our bodies and our powerful capacity for healing and transformation. These beliefs are at the heart of my work. 

Every plan is different, please refer to your plan and provider before your first session to ensure your plan covers the RCC or CCC designation. The amount covered may vary according to your health benefit plan. 

Keegan: I believe the human experience requires a holistic practice to reflect holistic health and well-being. The human psyche is one aspect of the human experience, which is accompanied by one’s physical, social, and spiritual practices for overall expression of self. A yoga practice encapsulates this holistic approach to well-being, advocating for physical, cognitive, social, and spiritual health as the foundation for optimal human function. I personally practice at MĀ Wellness and Yoga and resonate with their intentions, values, and objectives, where I hope to provide services for like-minded individuals.

Laurel: I am also a yoga teacher and sound healing practitioner and love to add these into sessions when folks are interested in exploring how these practices might support their well-being. MĀ Wellness was the first studio I truly felt at home in, and the therapeutic benefits I have experienced from the sound healing and yogic practices have been life-changing

Christina: Yoga is a great way to calm the mind and body. Accompanying this with talk therapy can be very beneficial for each individual. The space and other services offered at MA all contribute to having an increase in well-being and that aligns with what I hope to help clients with at any stage in their life.

Val: I take an embodied approach to counselling and have a dedicated personal practice of yoga and aerial arts. At MA Yoga, I am also an aerial yoga teacher and bodyworker (former RMT). I practice ayurvedic bodywork, therapeutic massage and biodynamic craniosacral therapy. MA Yoga is truly a second home to me and I love working with this community.

Keegan: I specialize in enhancing the present-moment, harnessing potential, and acting in accordance with one’s values, ambitions, and goals. This will include first connecting to our own experience, managing discomforts or challenges, and directing attention to our optimal selves. When we are acting in opposition, confrontation, or conflict with ourselves, manifestation of a variety of symptoms may elicit. Specific challenges for which I have direct experience include, but are not limited to: anxiety, depression, life transitions, existential concern, stress, fear, trauma, disassociation, relationship/communication, borderline personality, helplessness, hopelessness, and/or sleep disturbances.

Laurel: I can support folks who may be experiencing or recovering from low mood, anxiety, nervous system dysregulation, sexual violence, domestic violence, substance misuse, disordered eating and grief, as well as discussing issues of sexuality and gender, military lifestyle, and life transitions.

Christina: Anxiety, stress, emotional regulation, coping skills, sleep (falling/staying asleep, insomnia) and sexual health (unrelated to trauma)

Val: I am a queer woman, have a transgender partner, and live as part of the queer communities in Victoria BC and Cortes Island. I offer shared experience with the LGBTQ2IA+ community and support to folx exploring gender identity and sexuality. I have years of expereince working with survivors of domestic and sexual abuse and offer support to people who have experienced abuse, sexual violence, family conflict or relationship issues, whether in the past or something you are living with now. I can help clients to feel and listen to their embodied sensations. Using a somatic approach supports nervous system healing, disregulation, dissociation, PTSD, trauma, stress, grief, life transitions, addiction and eating disorders. With Expressive Arts Therapy, and drawing upon my background as an artist, I also support clients in exploration of creativity, personal expression, and developing a creative practice.

Keegan: Each individual has a different experience in therapy depending on their worldviews, goals, circumstance, and stressors. Generally, we will begin with addressing immediate challenges and adapting our functioning to confront current discomforts. We may then explore past concerns and explore patterns of behaviour that reinforce such discomforts, developing mindful practices to detect and adjust patterns in current functioning. As such behaviours have been intentionally or unintentionally reinforced, we will spend time addressing how they appear within one’s life and develop alternate ways of responding. Through a continuous practice of detecting and adjusting unhelpful responses, supplemented with explorative insight into their functions, we are able to understand ourselves, our environment, and how we respond to it. We are then develop the tools, strategies, and techniques to direct our life’s trajectory toward that which is most important to us.

Laurel: I truly believe that a person’s presenting symptoms are adaptive responses to trauma rather than deficits within the individual that must be fixed. I am passionate about walking alongside you as you find your inner strength and wisdom to take steps forward and begin to re-discover what brings you joy. I believe you are the expert of your experience, and I can be supportive in reflecting the coping mechanisms and behaviours that may no longer be serving you. We can then work together to create a plan that you believe in. I am currently accepting new clients and work with individuals aged 16 and above.

Christina: Everyone is different! I move to the needs of my clients. This may include doing activities to learn more about yourself, talk therapy with probing questions or drawing to help express emotion/challenges. 

Val: I believe that you already have all the answers you seek within you. My work is to honor your story, witness your journey, and sometimes to help you get out of your own way so you can access your own deep wisdom. I have an embodied, explorative and playful approach to counselling. Together we will check in about your goals, expectations, needs and hopes for counselling, then we will create a therapeutic container that works for you.