Guiding Your Path to Healing
Embark on a journey of self-discovery and positive change with professional counselling services specialized to your unique needs. Sylvana is dedicated to guiding you through life's challenges and empowering you to create a fulfilling future.
Key Questions
- What do you want instead?
- What is going on?
- How might you get the what you want?
How it Works
- Evaluate your needs
- Understand hopes and expectations
- Discuss possible solutions
- Focus on personal strengths
Comprehensive Assessment and Support
- Sylvana helps you explore your needs and understands your hopes and expectations.
- Knowledgeable with various professional resources, she can provide counselling to clients who have extended care programs, EAP (like Sunlife, Telus Health, Metropolitan Family Services, Arete, Blue Cross, Green Shield, Canada Life) and others.
- Also, Private Sessions offered.
- She's affiliated with CVAP (Crime Victims Assistance Programs), when event file number is provided by the police.
- Trauma Counselling & Support for victims of car accidents (covered by ICBC, subject to adjuster approval).
Practical Details and Availability
- Sessions payable by cash or e-transfer with receipts provided.
- Services can be tax-deductible as medical expenses on your income tax return.
- Appointments available in person Vancouver for your convenience, and online.
- Professional counselling services available in English and Spanish.
- Wednesday's and Fridays In person or online 1:00-8:00PM.
- Thursdays online only.
- Benefit from a free fifteen minute phone consultation by calling (778) 297-6066.
Coping Through Challenges
Addiction
Addiction is a complex condition that affects both the brain and the body, driven by biological, environmental, and social factors. It is crucial to understand that addiction is not a choice, moral failure, or a trait of "bad people." Instead, it is recognized as a disease characterized by compulsive substance use, leading to harmful consequences. Whether it involves substances or processes like gambling, addiction is a progressive issue, often beginning innocently as a social activity.
As addiction takes hold, tolerance develops, making the person increasingly dependent on the substance or behaviour for its effects. Recognizing addiction symptoms can be challenging in the early stages, as behaviours may seem normal. Denial is common, with individuals attempting periods of abstinence to refute the presence of addiction.
Symptoms of Addiction
- Denial of addictive behaviours
- Concealing addiction behaviours
- Failed attempts to stop; relapses
- Strong, compulsive desire for the substance or behaviour
- Craving
- Compulsivity
- Fixation on addiction
- Loss of control
- Withdrawal symptoms
- Escalating engagement in the addictive behaviour
- Low self-esteem
- Loss of control
- History of abuse
- Co-occurring mental illnesses like depression
The addicted person's brain undergoes changes, impacting judgment, decision-making, learning, memory, impulse control, and behaviour. Tolerance builds over time, necessitating larger amounts for the same effects. Addiction can manifest with various substances, including alcohol, drugs, and behaviours like compulsive gaming or social media use.
Recovery Steps
- Acknowledge the problem
- Seek professional help
- Increase awareness of addictive symptoms
- Develop strategies for overcoming addiction
- Explore coping mechanisms
- Consistent, confidential support is essential
Remember, recovery is possible, and seeking help is the first step towards sobriety. Contact me for a confidential consultation to address your concerns and embark on your journey to recovery.
Divorce & Separation
Ending a marital relationship is a highly stressful experience that evokes a range of emotions, including ambivalence, sadness, grief, anger, guilt, fear, and shame. The decision to separate or divorce is complex and may take months or even years to solidify. Couples facing challenges in their relationship have the option to explore couple's therapy, a valuable tool to assess the viability of saving the marriage.
Abuse, whether physical, sexual, emotional, mental, psychological, financial, or destruction of property can contribute to irreparable damage in relationships. In cases where divorce or separation is inevitable, couples need to navigate settlements, co-parenting arrangements, and effective communication. Achieving consensus is challenging but crucial for mitigating grief and overwhelming emotions.
Child-Centered Approach
- Trained counsellor/therapist for children during divorce
- Unconditional love and respect for children
- Avoiding manipulation against either parent
- Assisting children in coping with confusion, pain, and loss
Consulting and Legal Preparation
- Confidential counselling for individuals
- Understanding parental responsibilities and rights
- Exploring child custody, financial support, and visitation/access rights
Whether considering separation or already in the process, seeking the guidance of a respectful counsellor can significantly impact the well-being of individuals and their children. Confidentiality is assured, providing a safe space for emotional exploration and resolution.
Partnership Relationship & Domestic Violence
Intimate Partner Relationship and Domestic Violence transcend barriers of ethnicity, education, class, and age. Abusive behaviour, whether verbal, emotional, physical, or financial, is never acceptable. Both men and women can be victims, although most cases are women, and it occurs across heterosexual and same-sex partnerships.
Identifying Abuse
- Emotional, physical, psychological, sexual, and economic abuse
- Recognition of abuse cycles and severity escalation
- Deliberate choice by the abuser to control
Signs of Abusive Relationship
- Fear of the partner
- Humiliation or yelling
- Avoidance due to fear
- Criticism and degradation
- Loss of self-worth
- Unpredictable temper
- Isolation from friends and family
- Blaming the victim for abuse
- Control over daily activities
- Jealousy and possessiveness
- Restriction of access to resources
Abuse is never justified and is not due to loss of control but rather a deliberate choice by the abuser. Recognizing the signs is crucial for ending the cycle. Confidential counselling offers support, understanding rights, and alternatives to break free from the cycle of abuse.
Co-Parenting
Effective co-parenting revolves around prioritizing children's well-being, ensuring they maintain close relationships with both parents. Whether parents are together, separated, divorced, or never-married, cooperative parenting is vital for children's development.
Co-Parenting Tips
- Love and support from both parents
- Avoid using children as allies
- Minimize conflicts in children's presence
- Resolve disagreements privately
- Keep the other parent informed
- Direct communication between parents
- Avoid negative talk about the other parent
- No use of children as messengers or spies
Navigating co-parenting after separation or divorce can be challenging, but not impossible. Focusing on the child's needs and maintaining open communication is key. Strengthening the parent-child relationship ensures a positive environment for children to thrive.
Depression & Anxiety
Depression is a pervasive condition affecting emotional, cognitive, and physiological aspects, lasting longer and causing significant impairment. Recognizing symptoms is crucial for seeking timely help.
Depression Symptoms
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Increased crying or tearfulness
- Loss of interest in daily activities
- Changes in appetite or weight
- Sleep disturbances
- Anger or irritability
- Neglect of responsibilities
- Isolation
- Thoughts of worthlessness or guilt
- Decreased energy
Depression often coexists with anxiety, worsening if untreated. Seeking professional help early is essential for effective strategies and coping mechanisms.
Anxiety Symptoms
- Intense, excessive worry
- Trouble controlling worry
- Difficulty concentrating
- Sense of impending danger
- Increased heart rate
- Sleep disturbances
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Avoidance of triggering situations
Seeking Help
- Consultation for worry interference
- Upsetting fear, worry, or anxiety
- Depression, alcohol, or drug use concerns
- Anxiety linked to physical health problems
- Suicidal thoughts or behaviours
Addressing these symptoms promptly is crucial for a healthier life. Confidential counselling provides a supportive environment for understanding and overcoming depression and anxiety.
Emotional Tune-Up
Feeling stressed, powerless, and exhausted may signal the need for an Emotional Tune-Up. Recognizing emotional, physical, or psychological symptoms is crucial for preventing emotional breakdown.
Indicators for an Emotional Tune-Up
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Frequent negative thoughts
- Increased aches and pains
- Appetite changes
- Irritability or aggression
- Isolation and loss of interest
- Decreased joy and pleasure
- Decreased productivity
Assessing emotional well-being is a personal responsibility, and seeking professional help can lead to positive changes. A confidential consultation offers insights and alternatives for emotional wellness.
Self-Assessment
Evaluate your emotional well-being with this self-assessment checklist:
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Frequent negative thoughts
- Increased aches and pains
- Appetite changes
- Irritability or aggression
- Isolation and loss of interest
- Decreased joy and pleasure
- Decreased productivity
If you identify with these symptoms, seeking an Emotional Tune-Up through counselling is a proactive step towards emotional wellness. Remember, professional help is available, and your well-being matters.
Emotional Tune-Up
Feeling stressed, powerless, and exhausted may signal the need for an Emotional Tune-Up. Recognizing emotional, physical, or psychological symptoms is crucial for preventing emotional breakdown.
Indicators for an Emotional
Tune-Up
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Frequent negative thoughts
- Increased aches and pains
- Appetite changes
- Irritability or aggression
- Isolation and loss of interest
- Decreased joy and pleasure
- Decreased productivity
Assessing emotional well-being is a personal responsibility, and seeking professional help can lead to positive changes. A confidential consultation offers insights and alternatives for emotional wellness.
Self-Assessment
Evaluate your emotional well-being with this self-assessment checklist:
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Frequent negative thoughts
- Increased aches and pains
- Appetite changes
- Irritability or aggression
- Isolation and loss of interest
- Decreased joy and pleasure
- Decreased productivity
If you identify with these symptoms, seeking an Emotional Tune-Up through counselling is a proactive step towards emotional wellness. Remember, professional help is available, and your well-being matters.
Trauma & Anxiety After Accident Counselling (ICBC)
Experiencing an accident can leave lasting emotional scars that may manifest as trauma and anxiety. The aftermath of an accident, both physically and emotionally, can be overwhelming, impacting one's ability to cope. Seeking counselling after an accident, especially through ICBC (Insurance Corporation of British Columbia), provides a valuable avenue for addressing the psychological toll of the experience. Whether it's reliving the event, grappling with anxiety, or facing the aftermath of the accident, counselling offers a supportive environment to process emotions, develop coping strategies, and work towards reclaiming a sense of control and well-being. If you've been involved in an accident and find yourself struggling emotionally, ICBC counselling is here to help you navigate the path to recovery.
Trauma (Childhood Trauma)
Childhood trauma can cast a long shadow, influencing emotional well-being well into adulthood. Whether it involves physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, neglect, or witnessing domestic violence, childhood trauma can leave deep emotional scars. The impact may surface as difficulties in forming healthy relationships, challenges in regulating emotions, or struggles with self-esteem. Acknowledging the existence of childhood trauma is the first step towards healing. Counselling provides a safe and confidential space to explore these experiences, understand their impact, and work towards building resilience and reclaiming a sense of empowerment. If you've carried the weight of childhood trauma, know that help is available, and seeking support is a courageous step towards breaking free from its enduring effects.
Schedule an Appointment
Your well-being matters, and Sylvana is here to help. Contact her now to schedule a confidential consultation by calling or through email. She can explore healing strategies tailored to your unique journey.