Enliven Counselling and Wellness

“Virginia is thoughtful and compassionate and this informs her [therapeutic] choices as well”

Beth Triano, RCC, MACP, DCP (2023)

My Story

My passion is to support you though difficult life events or emotions and learn positive mental health habits. I integrate empirically tested practices such as mindfulness, ecotherapy, and Control Mastery Theory with current best practices for trauma in a culturally sensitive way. I am deeply honored to do this work and take pride in my integrity and cultural considerations when working with diverse clients and issues.

Outside of counselling I am passionate about hiking, my family, music, and am an avid traveler.

My Path

My path has not been straight, but I have gathered much along the way. I first started as an educator, teaching outdoor/nature skills to children, and came to greatly appreciate the power of nature for human wellbeing. Then I transitioned to the somatic art of massage therapy, which I loved and excelled in, and developed a deep understanding of the (inseparable) connection between the body and mind for healing. Through this time I also seriously studied Vipassana meditation and it transformed my life. I continued to become a Certified Teacher of Mindfulness Meditation. After more than a decade of work in these fields I built extensive knowledge and wellness expertise in a wholistic way, yet something was still missing. I wanted the ability to work with the power of thoughts and help others in more profound ways, which led me to counselling. In many ways psychotherapy is a culmination of my career and personal journey towards wellbeing.

I have since led multiple workshops in Forest Meditation, mindfulness meditation, and self-compassion, and volunteered with Hospice and Immigrant Women’s groups. I have counselled in post-secondary environments and graduated with distinction with an MA in Counselling Psychology from the University of British Columbia.

My life path informs who I am and therefore my values for therapy: connection, collaboration, and compassion. I use an integrative, humanistic approach, formulated for your needs. My goal is to create a safe, non-judgmental, and caring session to fully listen and offer you the support you need.

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I follow the BCACC Ethical Code of Conduct