Clinical Counselling for Mental Health in Nanaimo and throughout the Province of British Columbia

Welcome to J. Woychuk Counselling and Psychotherapy. Our Certified clinical counselling and psychotherapy services support trauma, ADHD, anxiety, depression, grief, relationships, addiction and more both in-person and through telehealth in British Columbia.

We all need a safe space in times of struggle, stress and loss; a space from which we feel heard and we can begin a journey of healing and growth. Healing begins with connection to a person who is able to attune to you and can help you anchor and connect to your own inner compass and wisdom.

As a clinical counselling professional, I bring a calm, compassionate and stable presence to our interaction together and I direct your attention toward your inner experience. This allows you to validate where you are right now, to learn how to regulate difficult emotions and to set a course toward recognizing and meeting your needs.

I recognize that it takes courage to face some of the challenging aspects of our experiences and I commend you for taking this important first step.

I am currently accepting new clients into my practice for both virtual and in-person counselling. I encourage you to read more about my approach to counselling, review pricing and policy and contact me to book an appointment or a no-cost 15 minute phone consultation.

Home: Welcome

ABOUT ME

I'm a Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC), Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional, ADHD-Certified Clinical Services Provider and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional based in Nanaimo, BC and offering virtual counselling throughout the province of BC. I offer a number of treatment approaches including Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Trauma Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST), Mindfulness and Spiritually-focused counselling.

I find it an honor and privilege to walk along side another person in their time of need. Here are six key things that I bring to support you in as your journey towards healing and wellness. If this resonates with you, I hope you will reach out connect with me to book a no-fee consultation.

Non-judgmental listening

You get to speak and be heard and seen for who you are and where you are. Not only is it incredibly validating and healing to be heard and seen without judgement or reaction, the way in which I hear you non-judgmentally provides a model for you to hear and see yourself. This will be made explicit in our time together. When you learn to see yourself without judgement the rest of life is much easier to cope with.

Empathy and compassion

My intention is for you to feel the power of empathy through being understood. In our counselling time together, empathy comes through an effort to understand you through deep listening and clarifying as well as communicating accurate understanding back to you. Compassion follows empathy and you will feel compassion in our relationship through my continuous care and concern for your wellbeing.

Openness and curiosity to learn about you

I do not assume I know what is happening for you or that I have the answers. Through openness and curiosity, we will collaboratively explore what is happening for you and what solutions might work best for you. Openness and curiosity is a practice that will be made explicit in your therapy with the chance to practice it for yourself. When you know it’s okay not to have all the answers, you become more tolerant to uncertainty and more open to new perspectives and solutions.

Authenticity and direct feedback

I often hear clients say that a previous therapist they worked with listened, but didn’t give them enough direction or feedback. I believe that being authentic in a relationship means giving feedback even when the feedback is challenging. Direct feedback is important as the therapeutic relationship can in many ways emulate how you interact in other relationships. Hearing feedback can help you form new perspectives and commit to making changes.

Tailored approach to treatment

I have not met two people who needed the exact same treatment plan. I believe in working collaboratively with you to identify your goals as well as how it works best for you to reach your goals. I bring my full presence and experience with a variety of counselling approaches and you bring your expertise in what works for you – between the two, we will find a treatment plan to meet your needs.

Body, mind and spirit approach

Therapy is about the mind, but it’s impossible to separate our thoughts and beliefs from the way they interact with our physical responses, emotions and behaviors. Most people do not want to feel physical pain or negative emotions – that is natural. But in the pursuit of suppressing or numbing unwanted feelings a number of problems emerge. In our work together, I will support you in re-establishing a connection with your body by learning that negative feelings and pain can be allowed. When you learn to allow yourself to feel what is happening in the body, layers of resistance and avoidance slowly begin to drop and there is immediate relief in this act.

I invite you to bring in your own spiritual truth or perhaps spiritual questions into your therapy if you would like to. Difficult times can make you more open to exploring what spirituality means to you and it can be an enriching and meaningful part of your healing and growth.

INDIVIDUAL COUNSELLING SERVICES

PROVIDED BY A CERTIFIED CLINICAL COUNSELLOR

We all have the need to be seen and heard and it's important that we can both name and understand what's happening in our experience. I provide individual counselling using an approach that honors your experience and works on the levels of mind, body and spirit. There is hope for long-term healing and growth from trauma, ADHD, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship challenges, and addiction.

I am an ICBC approved counsellor and an approved counsellor for the First Nations Health Authority.

Contact me to get started with a no cost initial consultation.

FREEDOM FROM DEPRESSION

Often clients feel that depression is a personal failure, or they worry that something is wrong with them or even that they’re going crazy. Fortunately, psychological research has provided a good understanding of the reasons depression happens and none of the above is true. Read more.

OVERCOMING ISOLATION TO FIND LOVE AND BELONGING IN RELATIONSHIPS

Breakthroughs in the science around love and attachment show that healthy, mature adults need emotional responsiveness (someone who is both accessible and responsive to our distress) from important people in their lives. Find out how to how to build strong, satisfying relationships in your life and overcome the barriers that stop you making improvements. Read more.

FINDING HOPE IN GRIEF & LOSS

Loss can take many different forms and no one can judge what constitutes a loss and the degree to which it is felt except ourselves – because it depends on the value we place on what is lost. Read more.

ADHD COUNSELLING

MINDFULNESS AND SPIRITUALLY FOCUSED COUNSELLING

Mindfulness has gained a lot of positive traction in psychological research as well as in the media. There is now lots of evidence that mindfulness can decrease stress and improve wellness significantly. Spirituality focused counselling, without any religious connotations or connections, goes a subtle step further. It asks, “who is the one who is able to observe all these things? Who is the observer? (who am I?)” Read more.

Whether you have been diagnosed with ADHD or are experiencing several its symptoms and suspect you have ADHD, our experienced counsellors can help you get your life and your emotions on track and moving in a positive direction. The goal is to help you design your life to fit how your brain works.

ALLEVIATING ANXIETY

It’s important to understand that the underlying emotion of anxiety is fear and therefore anxiety has a strong physical component, a fear response in the body.

A fear response of fight, flight or freeze is built into humans as a survival mechanism. Read more.