Radha Ortiz

You don’t have to struggle with what you’re going through alone. Whether you want to heal or push yourself to grow, I want to build a strong relationship with you so that we can better understand your challenges and set you on a path to feeling better.

When you feel heard and supported, you can find more resilience. Together we will build on the strengths, resources, and wisdom that lies within you so you may feel relief from your struggles and the future becomes brighter. Many unique life experiences have shaped where you are today - so I bring a holistic approach so I can support you in all areas of your life - mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.  

My approach aims to be trauma-informed and justice-oriented (or anti-oppressive). This means that I want to understand how social, environmental, cultural, political, and economic factors influence your well-being. Bringing this into our awareness in therapy can allow us to build a more self-compassionate and empowered understanding of our experiences, our suffering, and our path toward healing. 

I work with adults and kids (age 10 and up) experiencing issues related to:

• Relationship challenges (eg conflict, communication, boundaries)

• Trauma, PTSD, and complex trauma

• Being children of immigrant parents

• Bicultural identity

• Understanding and managing emotions

• Eating disorders

• Latinx issues (machismo, enmeshment)

• Impacts of growing up with emotionally immature parents/caregivers

• Perfectionism and high achiever burden

• Anxiety & depression

• Narcissism, narcissistic behaviour patterns, narcissistic relationship abuse

• Building self worth and confidence

• Grief & loss

• Discrimination and experiences of oppression (eg sexism, racism) 

• Career development and work stress

• Sexual violence

• Immigrant & refugee issues

• Religious community and identity challenges

The following therapies, frameworks, and perspectives inform my approach to therapy:

• Somatic Experiencing ®

• Mindfulness-Based Therapy

• Acceptance & Commitment Therapy

• Cognitive Behavioural Theory

• Dialectical Behavioural Therapy

• Motivational Interviewing

• Narrative-informed Therapy

• Attachment Theory

• Anti-Oppression

• Antiracism

• Intersectional Feminism

• Trauma-informed Yoga

• Harm reduction

• Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

About Me

I am a Latinx, cis-gender woman who is a settler to Canada. I arrived in Canada as a political refugee from Argentina before age 5. Adapting to Canadian society as an immigrant has inspired me to grow a deep interest in how identity and belonging develop and the support we need for both to flourish.

I am a Registered Social Worker with the BC College of Social Workers and also a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors. My range of experience and training allows me to support your unique needs in therapy. Alongside counselling, I also engage in research with UBC in early intervention and prevention in mental health.