philosophy
I believe that growth emerges through authentic and safe client-counsellor engagement while we collaboratively work towards goals by exploring personal perception, beliefs, past experiences, and core values that are influencing present-moment well being to empower self-awareness, authentic identity,
and emotional regulation.
This perception has been shaped by my early environment, being a survivor of abuse, and my struggles
with complex trauma, anxiety, and depression while navigating neurodivergence and sexuality.
Cultivated by my passion for Person Centered Therapy (PCT), Existential Philosophy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and the creative arts, my deep belief in the effectiveness of psychotherapy
is why I stand before you today, loving my job.
journey
With creativity as my guide, I began my educational journey in Fine Arts.
Embracing each moment with curiosity and wonder, my hands-on artistic pursuits support personal expression, meaning making, regulation, and embracing the unknown.
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I am endlessly inspired by the beauty and diversity in the world.
I love traveling, meeting people, exploring new places, and learning new languages.
I have lived across Canada, from British Columbia to Alberta and Manitoba. I am grateful to be settled in the Comox Valley. ​
I am deeply honored to support and provide a healing space for clients as they grow and change over a lifetime.
indevidual identity shifts and alters over a lifetime
career transition
Continuing the family legacy of Architects, I began my journey
studying and designing the built environment.
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When selecting an architectural master’s thesis topic,
I jumped at the opportunity to research the thresholds of environmental design and human cognition.
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In my professional career designing mixed-use residential high-rises in the Metro-Vancouver area, I positioned myself doing what I enjoyed most:
client mediation, project development, and creative design.
After seven years of colleagues finding their way to my desk in search of compassion, humor, and understanding when grappling with both personal and career conflicts, I knew it was time
- time to follow my own dreams.
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Now, all I can do is look back and be grateful for the journey that brought
me here with you today.
i specialize in physically and mentally built environments
education
M.A.CP, Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology
Yorkville University (current)
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M.Arch., Master of Architecture
University of Manitoba
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B.Env.D., Bachelor of Environmental Design
University of Manitoba
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B.A.US, Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies
University of Calgary
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Fine Arts
Langara College
associations
​CCPA Student Member
Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association [CCPA]
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BCACC Student Member
British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors [BCACC]
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BC Regulatory Licensing (2027)
Health Professions and Occupations Act [HPOA]
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where to next?
walk&talk
therapy
nature
less pressure and
deeper conversations
mind-body
release tension and regulate emotions
resilience
reduce stress and
increase clarity
available this summer
@stephanie.sewall