Services Archive - Expressions Counselling

Online Counselling

KIAI Agency — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 16:07:54 +0000

Online Counselling

Expressions Counselling

Confidential Secure Virtual Counselling

Online counselling is available for all of our clients, whether it is for online individual counselling, counselling for an ICBC accident, or marriage counselling. We can assure you all of the online sessions are secure and confidential. The first session is complimentary for all new clients who are unsure as to whether or not our Registered Clinical Counsellors are a good fit for them.

Should you wish to book an appointment online, you may book through our booking system Jane or by directly contacting us.

Zoom Technology

We use Zoom as the primary means to meet with our clients online, whether for your complimentary first session or if for any reason you are unable to reach our office in person. Zoom’s video technology is state-of-the-art and can be used in your browser or on your phone. You do not need to download any software to use Zoom. You simply need to click on a link that is sent to your by your clinical practitioner and you will directed to your online counselling session.

Do you have questions about our online counselling services?

Contact Us

Send us a message or call us at (778) 229-0029 or email info@expressionscounselling.com. We want to make sure your online counselling session is a smooth and successful one.

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Prepare for Counselling

KIAI Agency — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 16:03:51 +0000

Preparation for Counselling Sessions

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How to Prepare for Your Counselling Session

How to get ready for your first session (Adult)

Most adults experience anxiety before their first session. That is a very common experience for first-time clients. You may worry about doing it wrong, saying the wrong things, or being a “bad” client. The good news is that there is no such a thing as a “bad” client. It is your counsellor’s job to guide the first sessions and to ask you the right questions to get a background on you. They probably will be jotting down some notes. By the end of the first session, they will convey their understanding of your challenges back to you and tell you about the general direction of therapy that they will be using in the following sessions.

Most often people wonder if they should tell everything to their counsellor in the first session. The answer is no if you do not feel comfortable doing so. You can tell as much as you are comfortable with and over time once you have built more trust with your counsellor, then you can share more intimate matters with them. If your counsellor asks you a question that you are not comfortable answering, then simply say so. Counsellors do not judge. They understand how hard it is to come in for your first session and how vulnerable you feel. Most likely, your counsellor is just simply proud of you for walking in through the door.

In summary, you cannot do your first session wrong! All you need to do is to simply show up and be yourself.

How to get ready for your first session (ICBC)

During the first session, your counsellor will do an assessment with you in order to get your sessions approved by ICBC. You will need to bring a doctor’s note stating that you would benefit from counselling related to your Motor Vehicle Accident if your accident has occurred previous to the last 3 months. You will also need to provide your counsellor with your adjuster’s email address. Most clients get approved for a minimum of 12 sessions over 3 months.

How to get ready for your first session (Child)

The first session is when the counsellor needs to meet with both guardians in order to get them to sign the consent form first. Counsellors are not allowed to see any child or youth unless both parents provide a written consent. In the first session, your counsellor will get a background from each parent individually and then briefly introduce the child to the room. For future sessions, the counsellor will work one on one with your child for four to six sessions before a parent session. During a parent session, the counsellors meets with one or both parents and shares her experiences of the child with the parents and provide them with some tools and support.

What should your child wear for the session? (Art Therapy)

Make sure that your child is wearing comfortable clothes that can potentially get stained through the art therapy process. This rarely happens but it is better to be prepared for the rare chance of getting paint on their clothes.

Do you still have questions for us?

Would You Like To Book Your Appointment?

To schedule your appointment with Expressions Counselling, you may:

Call (778) 229-0029
Email info@expressionscounselling.com

The post Prepare for Counselling appeared first on Expressions Counselling.

Family Counselling

KIAI Agency — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 17:00:58 +0000

Family Counselling

for families of all kinds

Need some parental support?

Families of all kinds exist and naturally within each family there is occasionally struggle. However, there is a big difference between the occasional disagreement and full-blown conflict between family members that tarnish each other’s familial relationships. Some people say it is impossible to reconcile with their parents or vice versa, while others seek to escape an abusive situation. Whatever the conflict may be, know there is professional help here at Expressions Counselling.

Family Counselling

We give parents and families the tools and guidance they need to rebuild their closest connections, understand each family member a little better, and improve everyone’s communication skills. Our family counsellor assists parents and families of all kinds to build healthy connections and attachments with children or partners using flexibility, creativity, and knowledge. Our aim at Expressions Counselling is to help families overcome their obstacles, nurture their current connections, and create healthy family systems to combat and avoid conflict and disconnection.

There is no limit on the kind of family our counsellor serves. We encourage everyone of diverse backgrounds to reach out to us, from the traditional mother and father structure to LGBTQ+ groups and more.

Would You Like To Book Your Appointment?

To schedule your appointment with Expressions Counselling, you may:

Call (778) 229-0029
Email info@expressionscounselling.com

The post Family Counselling appeared first on Expressions Counselling.

Relationship Counselling

KIAI Agency — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 17:00:01 +0000

Relationship Counselling

for couples

Would you like to strengthen your bond with your partner?

Everyone can hit a rough spot in their marriage or relationship. However, not everyone seeks out professional couples or relationship counselling, nor are many even aware that there is a process to reconnect with your partner successfully. Some couples will say it is an impossible thing to reignite the same level of passion and love that was there before, but this is not true. With professional guidance and enough determination and willingness between the two partners who are facing issues or obstacles, relationship counselling can help.

Relationship Counselling

At Expressions Counselling, we give couples the support needed to improve their communication, understand each other better, and strengthen their connection. Our relationship counsellors are patient, flexible, and knowledgeable. We aim to empower couples to instill confidence and overcome obstacles in their relationships.

We welcome couples of diversified backgrounds. Some of our past clients have included straight married couples, gay and lesbian married couples, straight relationships, LGBTQ relationships, engaged couples, and more.

Book your appointment with Jane, email info@expressionscounselling.com or call (778) 229-0029.

Are you not sure how to start? Learn how to prepare for your first relationship counselling session below.

How to Prepare for Couples Counselling

Most people that think about or want to start relationship or couples counselling have little knowledge of the process since they have rarely, if ever, sought out professional help for their relationship issues. This section is designed to help you and your partner prepare and be able to effectively maximize the time put into therapy and how the process will work.

Objective of Couples Therapy

The main objective of relationship and couples therapy is to find out more about yourself and your partner, while also understanding the interactions between the two of you. This new knowledge is then used to break old, ineffective patterns and help build and develop healthier interactions.

Some key things to think about before your first session:

What kind of person do you want to be?
What kind of life do you want to build with your partner?
What are your own individual barriers stopping you from building this life?
What goals do you want to achieve in Relationship or Couples Counselling?

When thinking about the goals of relationship or couples counselling, try and keep the focus on yourself rather than making goals for your partner, for example:

The focus should be on what you want to change about you rather than your partner
Focusing on how you can improve your responses to situations
Letting go of your own assumptions about your partner or a situation

One of the hardest things for individuals is to come to the conclusion that both partners are needing to change and come to a healthy compromise rather than talking about how your partner is the problem and how they need to change to fix the issues presented.

The first session in relationship or couples counselling would be a free 20-minute consultation where we observe your relationship dynamics and we will give you some information on my background and how we work as a counsellor. We will then explore what has brought you to counselling and what you are looking to get out of it. The sessions following this will be to unpack the story at hand on the relationship dynamics and working on the goals that were presented. We may ask for an individual session with each partner at certain points in therapy to get a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the relationship.

Final Thoughts

You can’t change your partner and your partner can’t change you; that is not the goal of relationship or couples counselling. The hardest part about relationship and couples counselling is understanding and accepting that you need to improve your attitude and responses to conflict rather than building a strong case against your partner and “winning” the argument. Remember, you and your partner are a team and it should be both of you against the problem not one person versus the other.

Would You Like To Book Your Appointment?

To schedule your appointment with Expressions Counselling, you may:

Call (778) 229-0029
Email info@expressionscounselling.com

The post Relationship Counselling appeared first on Expressions Counselling.

Art Therapy

KIAI Agency — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 16:59:47 +0000

Art Therapy

Expressions Counselling

Art Therapy

We facilitate art therapy sessions with our child and adult clients who are drawn to creativity and art. Through this approach, we help clients to reach a deeper level of understanding regarding their challenges. Art therapy gives clients the chance to work through their issues, using metaphors and symbolism. This approach is a fun and gentle way of working with hard topics. A common use for art therapy is for children whose parents are going through divorce as well as for adults who are sorting through negative childhood experiences. Art therapy is effective for clients who have experienced traumas such as motor-vehicle accidents or sexual abuse.

How art therapy works

For each session we facilitate the expression of feelings through drawing, painting, sculpting, or creating crafts. The focus is on the healing process rather than the final art outcome. No art experience is necessary. This is a creative process designed to help the person suffering express themselves.

Who can benefit from art therapy?

Our clientele for art therapy sessions is diverse. We work with children and youth who are dealing with family changes, school issues, behavioral issues, anxiety, and depression. We also work with young adults and adults who struggle with stress, anxiety, panic attacks, nightmares, memories of trauma, depressive states, self-loathing, low self-esteem, immigration issues, identity issues, social anxiety, Autism Spectrum disorder, LGBTQ+ matters, and life transitions.

Would You Like To Book Your Appointment?

To schedule your appointment with Expressions Counselling, you may:

Call (778) 229-0029
Email info@expressionscounselling.com

The post Art Therapy appeared first on Expressions Counselling.

Play Therapy

KIAI Agency — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 16:59:40 +0000

Play Therapy

Expressions Counselling

Play Therapy

Play therapy is often a therapeutic technique designed to help children express their true emotions in an environment that is safe and non-judgmental. If your child is dealing with issues such as panic attacks or anxiety, they may not be able to manage their emotions on their own. You may also not know how to help them. That’s why at Expressions Counselling we do our best to ensure your child can fully express themselves using various play therapy techniques and we do our best to support you through our parenting sessions.

How play therapy works

We intentionally set a therapeutic atmosphere with toys and art in preparation for the child client. The child often plays out their life experiences by using various types of play therapy materials, including miniature characters, the doll house, the sand-tray, and other playroom objects. We validate the child’s feelings and foster a healing process by creating an unconditionally accepting relationship. We also work with the child’s parents too by giving them some tools to support their child.

Who benefits from play therapy?

Our clientele of children is diverse. We work with children and youth who are dealing with family changes, school issues, behavioral issues, anxiety, and depression. We work with children as young as 3. We also work with children who struggle with stress, panic attacks, nightmares, memories of trauma, self-loathing, low self-esteem, immigration issues, identity issues, social anxiety, Autism Spectrum disorder, LGBTQ+ matters, trauma of a motor-vehicle accident and life transitions. We have the passion, knowledge, and experience to support highly sensitive children.

We offer services to children and their parents in Farsi as well as English.

Would You Like To Book Your Appointment?

To schedule your appointment with Expressions Counselling, you may:

Call (778) 229-0029
Email info@expressionscounselling.com

The post Play Therapy appeared first on Expressions Counselling.

EMDR Consultation

KIAI Agency — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 16:59:32 +0000

EMDR Consultation

EMDR consultation for therapists

Discover a new way to support others

EMDR Consultation

Consultation services are provided for EMDR therapists wanting basic training consultation hours, EMDR certification hours, and for support of their EMDR practice.

Yasaman Madanikia is a Certified EMDRIA Approved therapist, EMDR consultant, and EMDR Training Facilitator. This means that 20 hours of consultation with her can be used towards EMDR certification or towards becoming an EMDRIA Approved Consultation. The aim of the consultation would be helping consultees to get a better grasp of the EMDR protocol and better overcome some common EMDR therapist challenges such as looping or getting blanks.

Her areas of practice and expertise include sexual abuse or rape related PTSD, first-responder PTSD, motor vehicle accident-related PTSD, medical PTSD, complex trauma, attachment trauma, and grief. Yasaman has experience in working with diverse populations including individuals from immigrant communities and LGBTQ+ communities.

Yasaman provides services in English and Farsi.

Therapists working with:

EMDR Consultation

Yasaman Madanikia

Registered Clinical Counsellors, Individual Counselling, EMDR Consultation

English, Farsi

Would You Like To Book Your Appointment?

To schedule your appointment with Expressions Counselling, you may:

Call (778) 229-0029
Email info@expressionscounselling.com

The post EMDR Consultation appeared first on Expressions Counselling.

OCD Treatment

KIAI Agency — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 16:59:24 +0000

OCD Treatment

What is OCD?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) has two major symptoms; obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that cause significant anxiety or distress. Compulsions, or rituals, are repetitive behaviors, thoughts, or images that one feels they must do in order to reduce the distress caused by the obsession. OCD can significantly impact your quality of life, relationships, and ability to engage in the activities.

Some common examples of obsessions include thoughts related to:

Harm of self or others
Contamination
Sex
Religious themes
Health
Symmetry
Aggression

Some common examples of compulsions/rituals may include:

Excessive hand washing
Checking and re-checking
Repetitive behaviors until they feel “just right”
Counting
Thoughts to counteract negative thoughts
Arranging and Rearranging
Seeking reassurance

How can my OCD be treated?

The gold standard evidence-based treatment program for those with OCD is Exposure Response Prevention (EXRP or ERP). Collaboratively with the EXRP therapist, a fear hierarchy is created to gradually approach certain obsessions, without doing the compulsions. Ritual prevention, refraining from doing the compulsion, reduces anxiety and distress in the long run. At the end of treatment, clients will be able to tolerate uncertainty and they will have learned to manage their symptoms, thus resulting in a significant decrease in distress and an improved quality of life.

If you are unsure if you have OCD, our therapist always begins with an assessment to ensure this treatment is right for you.

Learn more about EXRP, read more here.

To book an appointment or learn more, contact us.

Would You Like To Book Your Appointment?

To schedule your appointment with Expressions Counselling, you may:

Call (778) 229-0029
Email info@expressionscounselling.com

The post OCD Treatment appeared first on Expressions Counselling.

Grief Counselling

KIAI Agency — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 16:59:16 +0000

Grief Counselling

supporting you in your time of need

Grieving is not easy

Nothing can prepare you for what you feel after a major loss. You are left with an overwhelming sadness and yearning for something or someone that is no longer there. These feelings are all a normal part of grieving. Grief is a part of life and happens to all of us. Grief is a powerful emotion, and managing a loss can be difficult. The world can feel as if it is flipped upside down.

What is grief?

Grief is an emotional response to a loss of some kind. Grief counselling is inclusive to all types of losses. There is no right or wrong way to feel after a loss. Everyone experiences grief differently and when it is too much to handle, talking with a counsellor can help.

Grief is not only experienced when losing someone. Some reasons to seek grief therapy are the following:

Physical injury
Job loss
Financial loss
Death of a pet
Divorce/Separation
Loss of a friendship
Loss of a romantic relationship
Retirement
Pregnancy loss
Child leaving home
Leaving parents’ home
Change in health
Life changes and transitions

How Can Grief Counselling Help?

At Expressions Counselling, we help you navigate the grief process in a non-judgmental, supportive manner. We help you process and unravel your emotions that come along with grief. You will begin to find meaning through it all as to not let the waves of grief turn into depression. You will also begin to find acceptance of this new normal. Although it may seem impossible when you begin, it is possible to move forward.

Would You Like To Book Your Appointment?

To schedule your appointment with Expressions Counselling, you may:

Call (778) 229-0029
Email info@expressionscounselling.com

The post Grief Counselling appeared first on Expressions Counselling.

Pregnancy and Postpartum Counselling

KIAI Agency — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 16:59:10 +0000

Pregnancy and Postpartum Counselling

for moms and parents from all walks of life

Do you need help?

The pregnancy and postpartum period is expected to be a time filled with happiness and joy. Many feel that anything other than positive feelings in this time makes them a bad mother, however, this is far from the truth. Although change is exciting, change can also be scary, stressful, and overwhelming. Mental health challenges are common during this time as this is a stressful life transition.

There are many reasons why this time can be challenging:

Hormonal changes occur during and after pregnancy
Lack of sleep and normal routine (work, school, exercise, social life, self-care)
There is another person to take care of and more responsibilities
Shift of attention in a romantic relationship
Lost sense of identity

Simplifying Terms

The terms can be confusing and we don’t want that to hinder your ability to seek help. Your counsellor will provide the best care depending how far along you are.

Prenatal – The time period before birth

Perinatal – The few weeks before birth and after birth

Postpartum – The time period after birth

Management of Perinatal Depression and Anxiety

Seeking counselling during pregnancy and postpartum can help you move out of feeling stuck. You will begin to feel better and experience the joy of this time. Counselling can be beneficial during this time not only for the mother, but also the father, the child, and the family as a whole. Couples counselling can also be helpful for navigating all of the changes. At Expressions Counselling, our counsellors’ experiences in reproductive mental health lends itself to a treatment plan that uses a combination of evidence-based practices. The counsellor will listen to the needs and tailor the treatment to each unique client. We provide both individual and couples counselling. Whether it is mild to severe mood changes, adjusting to this life transition, processing a traumatic birth, or grief of a miscarriage or stillbirth, we can help.

Would You Like To Book Your Appointment?

To schedule your appointment with Expressions Counselling, you may:

Call (778) 229-0029
Email info@expressionscounselling.com

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