Engage your natural wisdom
Welcome!
It is my honour to provide a therapeutic space for individuals to bring greater awareness and clarity to their life, both past and present, so that they may heal and cultivate a path toward greater contentment. I am grateful to have office space that is located on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
My name is Laurissa Kowalchuk and I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) working in Vancouver, BC. I identify as a cisgender woman and prefer the pronouns she/her.
I have been a meditation student and practitioner for the past 25 years and a member of the Vancouver Zen Centre.
My therapeutic approach draws from a mindfulness-based practice which supports the cultivation of tuning into our inherent wisdom. Part of our work together will be to uncover and to gain greater clarity in our ability to access that intuitive wisdom that already exists within each of us.
Work
I have experience working with both individuals and groups.
As well as working in private practice, I have worked as a therapist for Living Through Loss Counselling Society of BC, an agency that focuses primarily with grief and loss issues as well as outreach to women in the downtown east side.
Training Method
My counselling approach draws from my mindfulness/awareness practice as well as Person-Centred Therapy, CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. I am also trained in EMDR, an effective therapy used to treat trauma-related issues, as well as anxiety and depression.
Prior Experience
Prior to my work as a counsellor, I taught within the Vancouver School Board for 14 years as a Special Needs Resource Teacher. I have completed a Masters in Education in Counselling-Psychology through UBC. I am a member in good standing with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors.
