Megan Hughes

*Now offering video and phone sessions.*

*My practice is currently accepting new clients, to book please email or call*

Megan Hughes has been counselling in private, educational and institutional settings for 24 years. She has worked successfully with a variety of populations, including children, adolescents, individual adults, couples and groups. She has specialized training in the areas of trauma, PTSD, pain and illness management for adults, adolescents and children, using, CBT, Play Therapy, Attachment Therapy, Imago Relationship Therapy, EMDR and Clinical Hypnosis.  She has also worked with adults, couples and groups with anxiety, panic, phobias, depression, stress related illness, marriage and relationship issues, PTSD, chronic pain and illness, and childhood trauma.

Megan's research into the fields of chronic pain, illness and trauma has been published in the Canadian Journal of Counselling, the Journal of  EMDR, BC Psychologist Publication, and Insights Magazine. She has presented at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Annual Conference in Buenos Aires. She worked in the Complex Chronic Diseases Program at BC Women's Hospital until COVID.

Megan's biggest strength as a counsellor is in her ability to create a safe, empathic environment in which clients can explore their experiences. Her ability to insightfully connect thoughts, feelings and behaviour patterns, while keeping clients at ease keeps the work always moving forward. Megan believes that when people feel truly safe and authentically connected, they will grow naturally and in a healthy direction. This is true for children as well as adults. 

Megan believes in the power of the mind/body connection. The body holds on to past traumas, illnesses and stresses until we actively work to integrate them and let them go. Many of Megan's clients with chronic illness have histories of trauma, stress, and loss as well as family cultures of self-care skills amounting to "pushing through" and "getting the job done". Eventually an overtaxed nervous system burns out. Megan focuses on relieving the built up trauma, stress and anxiety in order to properly regulate the nervous system and allow the body to heal. This is especially true for those with Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease) and Central Sensitivity Syndrome.