Counselling & Psychotherapy

Online across Canada · In-person in Nanaimo, BC

 

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, 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.

I am a Registered Psychotherapist in Ontario and a Canadian Certified Counsellor. I offer in-person counselling and psychotherapy in Nanaimo, British Columbia, as well as online sessions for adults and couples living across Canada and internationally where permitted by regulation. My work is covered by most Canadian insurance plans.

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. I understand the therapeutic relationship itself as central to healing and change.

I draw on Internal Family Systems, humanistic, emotion-focused, 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 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.

For individuals, this work often supports people in becoming more aware of their inner experience, relating to themselves with greater compassion, and bringing that awareness into more satisfying and connected relationships.

Whether working individually or together, the emphasis is on creating space for reflection, understanding, and meaningful change.

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 others.

Many of the people I work with are adults in their 20s and 30s, including professionals and students, who are navigating life transitions, relationship challenges, anxiety, or the lingering effects of childhood or relational trauma. Some arrive feeling stuck or overwhelmed. Others may be functioning well on the surface but sense disconnection, dissatisfaction, or a lack of meaning beneath the day-to-day.

I also work with couples who want to better understand their relational patterns, deepen emotional connection, and develop more supportive and secure ways of relating. This often involves slowing down, increasing awareness of inner experience, and learning how to stay present with one another during moments of challenge.

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.

Therapeutic Approaches

While I am rooted in Internal Family Systems, my work is informed by several therapeutic approaches that honour the complexity of human experience and 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:

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS)

  • Somatic Therapy

  • Humanistic Therapy

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.

→ Explore What Therapy Can Look Like

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.

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.

→ Book a Discovery Call

INFO

Simon Erlich Counselling & Psychotherapy
✆ 343-321-1795
✉︎ simon@simonerlich.com

© 2026 Simon Erlich Counselling & Psychotherapy