Shannon Simms

For over 20 years I have been working with people struggling with various challenges, including stress, depression, anxiety, addictions, relationships, and life transitions. During challenging times, our experiences can become burdensome, counselling helps to reconnect with strengths and resources, and develop new ones, resulting in life feeling manageable again. Counselling doesn't make problems disappear, but the therapeutic process reduces the negative impact of challenges & contributes to a sense of hope & possibility.   

I work in collaboration with clients, the client leads the way and sets the pace.  There are many ways to do therapy, I work with your particular goals and preferences, and I invite your feedback about our work together, to ensure we are staying on track and that you are getting what you want.  Counselling helps people start feeling better sooner.   My goal is to provide a comfortable space where people can hear themselves think out-loud, without judgment or criticism, and feel supported as they navigate their challenges.  

Talking helps, & while family & friends can provide much needed support, counselling is a different type of conversation, with a trained listener, and trained helper. 

Common client concerns include:

• feeling overwhelmed by life challenges
• experiencing a lack of support from their usual network
• feeling stuck in rut or without direction, like a ship without a rudder
• unable to stop self defeating or self sabotaging patterns of thinking or behaving
• using alcohol, drugs, gambling, or other measures as a coping strategy for life challenges, and starting to experience consequences

Counselling elicits insight - seeing situations in a different light, thinking about situations in a different way. Through counselling, the way people carry their challenges changes: problems start to feel manageable again and people gain a different awareness of themselves.  The experience of counselling should be empowering, as understanding 'why we do what we do' gives us the choice to start doing things differently, changing patterns or habits that may no longer be serving a useful purpose

Counselling is a relationship, and research indicates the best predictor of success in counselling is the alliance or relationship between therapist and client.  I offer a free 15 minute consultation to assist in your sense of us being a good fit.

I'm an approved Crime Victim Assistance Program Counsellor (CVAP) – the Crime Victim Assistance Program pays for counselling services for victims of crime, their close family members, and some witnesses. More information about CVAP can be found on their website.

I'm contracted with GAMBLING SUPPORT BC, which is the primary Provincial clinical resource for anyone with a problem with gambling, or is affected by someone with a gambling problem. This service is free of charge, funded by the BC government. 

If using Extended Health Benefits, I may be able to direct bill through Telus Health. If your Insurer is not yet part of the Telus Health network, I can provide a receipt for reimbursement.  Please confirm your Insurer will cover a Masters Level Counsellor certified with the CCPA..