Counselling & Psychotherapy
In-person in Nanaimo, British Columbia · Online across Canada and internationally
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Counselling and psychotherapy offer a space to slow down, reflect, and make sense of the experiences that shape how we relate to ourselves and to others. While people arrive for many different reasons, the work often begins with a shared curiosity about what feels important, stuck, or unresolved.
Across Canada and internationally, the terms counselling and psychotherapy are used differently depending on location and regulation. In practice, they describe the same core process: a collaborative, relational space that supports insight, emotional processing, and meaningful change. My work is grounded in the belief that healing happens through connection, understanding, and respect for the complexity of human experience.
How I Work
My approach to counselling and psychotherapy is relational, collaborative, and paced with care. I am attentive not only to what you are experiencing, but to how we are relating in the room together, understanding the therapeutic relationship itself as central to healing and change. You can expect me to guide our work with curiosity and intention, allowing the sanctity of the relationship to inform the pace and depth of the process. Along the way, I bring my strengths of compassion, honesty, and a quality of stubbornness that I hope will be felt as an unfaltering commitment to your growth and wellbeing.
I draw on Internal Family Systems, humanistic, and somatic-based approaches. Rather than applying a fixed method, I work adaptively, responding to what feels most supportive for you. We move with curiosity and respect, allowing insight and processing to unfold at a pace that feels grounded and sustainable.
I aim to offer a space that is thoughtful, honest, and non-judgmental. Together, we explore curiosities, emotions, and experiences with care, staying connected to your values, desires, and sense of agency.
Working with Individuals and Couples
I work with both individuals and couples, with focus on the internal and relational patterns that shape how we live, connect, and relate.
With couples, the work is grounded in the understanding that relationships are shaped by each partner’s inner world. Informed by Intimacy From the Inside Out (IFIO), this approach supports partners in developing greater awareness of their own internal experience as a pathway to deeper connection. Rather than focusing on blame or fixing one another, we slow down to explore how protective patterns, emotional sensitivities, and attachment needs show up within each person and between you. As each partner learns to relate to their inner experience with curiosity and compassion, new possibilities for intimacy, trust, and responsiveness can emerge within the relationship.
With individuals, the work often begins by slowing down and listening more closely to inner experience, particularly the patterns, parts, and emotional responses that shape daily life and relationships. Many people arrive feeling pulled in different directions, shaped by patterns that once offered protection but now feel limiting or confusing. Together, we create space to approach these inner movements with curiosity and care, allowing understanding to emerge without force or judgment. Over time, this process can support a deeper sense of self-trust, greater emotional clarity, and a more authentic way of being in relationship with oneself and with others.
Whether working individually or together, the emphasis is on creating space for reflection, understanding, and meaningful change within our relationship to ourself and to others.
Is This a Good Fit?
This work may be a good fit if you are seeking positive change, greater self-understanding, and a more authentic way of relating to yourself and to others. It tends to resonate with those who are open to a reflective, curiosity-driven, and relational approach rather than quick fixes or prescriptive solutions.
Many of the people I work with are adults navigating periods of transition, uncertainty, or questioning in their lives. This may show up in relationships, career paths, identity, or a sense of meaning and direction. While this often includes people in their 20s and 30s, it also resonates with those whose lives have been shaped by travel, cross-cultural experience, or living between places, roles, or worlds.
Some people arrive feeling stuck or overwhelmed. Others may be functioning well on the surface, yet sense a quiet disconnection, restlessness, or lack of meaning beneath the day-to-day. Therapy can offer a space to slow down, listen more closely, and make sense of these inner movements with care and curiosity.
I also work intentionally with couples who are willing to slow the process down and who want to better understand their relational patterns and the emotional dynamics that shape their connection. This work supports partners in developing greater awareness of their own inner experience, strengthening emotional responsiveness, and moving toward more supportive and secure ways of relating. Couples often come seeking not simply to resolve conflict, but to feel closer, more understood, and more connected over time.
If you are unsure whether therapy is right for you, or what you might want to focus on, this is something we can explore together in an initial conversation.
Location, Regulation, and Availability
I offer in-person counselling and psychotherapy in Nanaimo, British Columbia, and online sessions for adults and couples across Canada and internationally.
I am a Registered Psychotherapist in Ontario and a Canadian Certified Counsellor. These credentials allow me to work with clients online across multiple Canadian provinces and territories, including those living outside of Ontario and British Columbia, as well as with clients living internationally, in accordance with applicable regulatory guidelines.
Sessions are eligible for coverage under most Canadian extended health insurance plans.
Therapeutic Approaches
While my work is rooted in Internal Family Systems, it is informed by several therapeutic approaches that support healing through connection, curiosity, and embodiment.
Rather than working within a single framework, I draw from these approaches to provide a therapy that is unique to you:
You can learn more about each approach by exploring the individual pages linked above.
What Therapy Can Look Like
If you are curious about how therapy might unfold in real life, you may find it helpful to explore examples drawn from clinical experience.
These brief vignettes offer a sense of the pacing, tone, and relational nature of the work.
Fees & Practical Details
I aim to be transparent about fees while keeping the focus on the quality and care of the work we do together.
Discovery Call
20 minutes – Complimentary
Individual Therapy
60 minutes – $150
90 minutes – $220
Couples Therapy
60 minutes – $170
90 minutes – $250
Therapy fees reflect not only the time spent together in session, but also the care and intention invested outside of our meetings. This includes reviewing and writing notes, reflecting on the therapeutic process, and thoughtfully conceptualizing the work to support your growth. Fees also support ongoing education, training, self-care, and professional development, allowing me to offer work that is trauma-informed, client-centred, and unique to you. I will always do my best to ensure therapy remains accessible, including providing a scliding scale where I can and when it is needed.
Additional practical details and common questions can be found on the FAQ page.
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Next Steps
If you are curious about working together, the best next step is to book a complimentary discovery call. This offers a chance to ask questions, share a bit about what brings you here, and get a sense of whether working together feels like a good fit.
© 2026 Simon Erlich Counselling & Psychotherapy