My journey towards becoming a counsellor has been anything but linear. My dream as early as adolescence was to be a counsellor, but college was a great challenge for me at the time. and I ended up training in a different domain and spending several years in advertising. When I found myself burnt out, I realized that the corporate world had distanced me from having deeper connections with people. I knew I had to recreate the way I was living, personally and professionally. This led me to train in various holistic healing modalities, which, in retrospect, was a quest for my own personal healing. Here, I felt more aligned with my values and the way I wanted to work with people. I started my holistic healing practice in North Vancouver, BC in 2005, and I enjoyed it for over a decade.
I went back to university at the age of 36 when I reached a lull in my practice and wanted to change the way I offered support; I knew I had to advance my knowledge on how to help people overcome psychological wounding and to find new ways towards empowerment and making positive, meaningful changes in their lives. My mantra is IT’S NEVER TOO LATE. I believe this. It’s never too late to shift direction, seek growth, change or redefine your life, and I bring this philosophy with me into the counselling room.
I earned my Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology from Simon Fraser University. As part of my degree completion I engaged in research in Rwanda, focusing on how ex-prisoners make meaning of their lives after they reconcile with those they’ve harmed, and rejoin their communities. My work in the community is centred on responding to and helping people overcome the impacts of relationship/childhood abuse and violence.
Specialties
Drawing from my professional and academic experience, my focus as a counsellor is to help you develop a deeper understanding of the things you are hoping to change or overcome, hone skills and tools for facing life’s challenges that work best for YOU, provide a non-judgemental space to be heard, and to process, together, the concerns that you decide to bring forward into our counselling session. My counselling experience has predominantly centred on overcoming relationship, family, and intergenerational trauma, working with adults who have experienced childhood abuse or neglect, rebuilding self-esteem and developing healthy boundaries with self and others.
Approach
I believe healing happens when we learn how to meaningfully re-integrate past wounds into present life without having to re-experience the past; in other words, no need to scratch old wounds, but let’s observe the scars from a safe distance and see what they are telling us. Healing/positive change also includes learning how to make healthier choices for yourself, understanding your own needs better, and creating healthier relationships with yourself and others. I have tools and strategies for getting there and we choose together how to explore these goals.
Maya have been working in the counselling field for the past 20 years. She is as a specialist in trauma and stress psychotherapy. Maya offers different coping strategies for the issues related to distress, anxiety, dissociation and specific techniques to help clients heal from stress and trauma. Maya is a registered clinical counsellor and she holds PhD in Psychology. She has been working in the stress and trauma counselling field for more than two decades and over this time she was trained in the approaches, such as IFS, DBT, EMDR, assertiveness training, mindfulness, CBT, conflict resolution, effective leadership strategies, etc. Over the years she supported clients with PTSD, complex trauma, DID, anxiety and depression.
Healing is one of the bravest choices we can make for ourselves. I am passionate about supporting clients to navigate this journey and live a life aligned with their needs and goals.
My experience in working with clients who have experienced trauma has afforded me a deeper understanding of the mind-body connection. I have supported clients in navigating different challenges, including anxiety, depression, relational conflict, and self-worth. My counseling approach is deeply rooted in empathy and a diverse set of therapeutic modalities. Healing looks different for each and every individual, therefore I tailor my methods to suit each individual’s specific needs, drawing from techniques such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Person-Centered Therapy, mindfulness practices, and inner child work. Furthermore, my work is embedded in non-judgmental, trauma-informed, and multicultural practices. I have a Masters Degree in Counselling Psychology and am a registered clinical counsellor.I hold deep regard for the stories each person carries and strive to create a safe and nurturing space for my clients to explore their emotions, reinforce strengths, and build tools and awareness that fosters the life they want to live.
