I have worked as a body-oriented and expressive arts therapist in Vancouver for many years in private practice, and formerly as a school counsellor. I have studied Dance/Movement Therapy, Process Work, and other body-oriented modalities.

Currently in my practice, I focus on working with developmental trauma, attachment, illness, loss, and spiritual issues. I completed the SE training in 2004, and since then one of my greatest joys has been to assist at SE trainings in many different countries and communities in Canada, the U.S., Asia, India, Australia, and New Zealand, including Diane Poole Heller’s Somatic Attachment Training. I have taken Kathy Kain’s Touch Skills for Therapists, Somatic Resilience and Regulation, Somatics of Emotion, and several of Peter Levine’s Master Classes.

My most recent interest is in Collective Trauma, and working to bring awareness of how the legacy of historic and societal trauma interfaces with individual healing.

I keep myself grounded with both sitting and movement mindfulness practices, and love spending time in the mountains and the forest. I bring a spirit of curiosity and play to my sessions, and look forward to supporting your learning in whatever way I can.

I work with groups and individuals, remotely and in-person, focusing on early surgical trauma, issues of self-worth, resilience, creativity-blocks, integration of plant-medicine experiences and life-meaning. Helping people to re-connect with their innate resilience and aliveness is vital to my own sense of wellbeing and meaning.

In my work, I use a variety of approaches (SE, IFS, Satir-Model, Psychodrama, Reichian bodywork, Focusing, etc.) all grounded in a ‘Bottom-up’, Body-Wisdom’ approach that is tailored for each client.

I’m a member of the core faculty at www.haven.ca and a Manitoba Satir Centre approved trainer / facilitator. I have worked cross-culturally in both North America and China and live on Gabriola Island, unceded territory of the Island Hul’qumi’num-speaking Snuneymuxw First Nation. I am approved to offer personal sessions at all levels.”

I am a visitor to the Coast Salish and Straight Salish Territories. I live and work on the traditional territory of the W’sanec People. My mother was Dene (TliCho and Chipewyan) from Behcho’ko, NT and raised by a Metis family, Henry and Helen Lafferty, and my father is German. I enjoy reading, time alone and time with my family. We have two cats and a dog.

My work as a counsellor grows from my perspective as an Indigenous person, which includes connectedness of all things, the importance of family, and that we hold the knowledge to heal.

I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor who lives and works on Northern Vancouver Island. I attended The University of Victoria for both my Bachelors degree in Child and Youth Care and my Masters Degrees in Counselling Psychology. I also had the pleasure of completing a certificate in play therapy through The Justice Institute.

I worked for many years in a non-profit in my community specializing in supporting children and youth who have experienced sexual abuse or assault, family violence, and trauma. I now work in private practice and I see a lovely balance of children, adolescents, and adults. Currently I see a variety of clients and some of my areas of specialty include: children and youth who are in the foster care and child welfare system, families in the various stages on the adoption process, first responders, grief, adolescents, and victims of crime.

I love to work in a playful manner and in my free time I can often be found singing, dancing, and hanging out with my own teenagers.

I’ve been involved with SE for 22 years, and an SE Practitioner since 2004. I went on to take Kathy Kains’ Post-Advanced “Touch Training for Psychotherapists” in 2009, and “Somatic Resilience and Regulation: Early Trauma” training with Steve Terrell and Kathy Kain in 2016. Also important in my SE journey have been Peter Levine’s SE Master Classes (“Eye of the Needle” and “Aggression, Depression and Life Force”). The SE Touch work forms a significant part of my approach.

I have been counselling adults and facilitating groups for 24 years, including 15 years in a non-profit agency for women who have experienced sexual trauma. While with the agency I developed and ran groups in conjunction with the local addictions clinic, where of course trauma shows up as the root cause of many concurrent issues.

Assisting with SE trainings in many locations in Canada, America, Australia and Japan has helped me hone my SE skills and keep apace of developments in the work. And meet hundreds of amazing people! I value counsellor education and have supported many practicum and internship students, and I’m clinical case consultant for a number of local agencies. I now devote my time to private practice in counselling, consultation and supervision in Victoria, BC, and any spare time I have is spent with my dear horse Abe.

Mercedes is an African American-Irish-French-Danish-Native American-mixed race-hetero-cisgendered-fat bodied-able bodied-middle aged-female identified human who grew up on the unceded land settlers call Vancouver.

She is a psychotherapist, writer, performing artist, instructor and facilitator. Mercedes relishes deep dives into the known unknown, the numinous and exploring liminal spaces. Mercedes delights in embodied practices that support reintegrating mind-body-spirit experiences…

In her practice she supports folks who are struggling to navigate issues around body image/radical body acceptance; trauma; living in a racialized or marginalized body; grief & loss & chronic illness/pain. In addition to her training in Somatic Experiencing, she is also trained as an Adlerian therapist and finds that the two modalities in combination with her experiences and practices as a theatre artist provide a useful integrated lens for healing work.

’m grateful to be part of the S.E. learning process with you. A bit about me, I’m of Irish decent and respectfully acknowledge that the land I live, work, and play on is the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. I enjoy taking part in activities in the nature that surrounds Vancouver.

I am a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor- RTC and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner-SEP, in private practice in Vancouver, BC. My work integrates Somatic Experiencing® trauma healing (including early developmental trauma from pre-verbal periods), Therapeutic Counselling, Hakomi (a body-centered system of psychotherapy) and Biodynamic Breathwork & Trauma Release. My passion is leading group processes including facilitating a men’s group.

Hello! I’m Prema McKeever. After a 15-year career as an acupuncturist and herbalist I changed direction and dived into the world of understanding trauma’s impact on the mind and body. I obtained my SEP in 2018 and have assisted at beginner, intermediate and advanced SE trainings. I have taken additional advanced SE courses including Syndromes ~ Working with the Somatic Side of Trauma with Dr. Levine and Somatic Resilience and Regulation from Kathy Kain and Stephen Terrell. Touch work forms a large part of my private practice.

Today I facilitate transformational workshops and have a full-time practice on zoom and in-person from my home in East Van. My goal is to provide a safe, heart-centred place of openness and acceptance in which individuals are able to develop greater awareness of their body, feelings, strengths, and connect to their own wisdom and joy. I am client-centred and use approaches such as mindfulness, Somatic Experiencing, Hakomi, and BioDynamic Breathwork & Trauma Release System. In private sessions and groups, my focus is on releasing the trauma held in our bodies so that we can create healthier, more authentic and passion-filled lives.

I love Somatic Experiencing and am thrilled to be one of the organizers of the SE trainings in the Vancouver area! I look forward to working with you and being a part of building the SE community in Vancouver and across Canada.

Rahul works as an integrative medical physician, professional coach, mindfulness instructor, and advocate for provider wellness.

He is a Certified MBSR Teacher through the Center for Mindfulness to facilitate Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Programs and offers this service to both providers and patients.

He also is a professional coach accredited by the International Coaching Federation. He is completing his training as a Somatic Experiencing (SE) Practitioner, through the SE Trauma Institute.

He supports healthcare providers as a coaching consultant through the Physician Health Program of BC and offers team coaching for interprofessional healthcare teams.

He lives and works in Gibsons, BC and travels throughout the province to speak on the topics of patient self-management and provider self-care.

I am a Registered Counsellor and Psychotherapist working in private practice in Lekwungen-speaking territory (Victoria, BC).

I studied at the Gestalt Institute of Toronto, and am currently completing my MA in Child and Youth Care.

I integrate my decade-long experience as a performance artist, designer and community-engaged theatre artist into the therapeutic process. As a therapist, I work to support individuals to connect to their vitality and sense of agency through relational, experiential and trauma-informed practices. I also offer nature-based therapy for individuals and groups.

Thank you!