SaradaBhagavatula, MA, RCC Candidate (She/Her) Registered Clinical Counsellor #Pending

Warm Greetings! I am grateful that you are here and recognize your innate strength to choose to be here. I work with clients who are navigating through their relationships with self, others, and the world. This may show up in different ways and intensities, and/or in multiple areas of life, and I value the intersectionality, complexity and uniqueness that comes with addressing and exploring your life and experiences with you. You may be experiencing anxiety, depression, grief, loss, or stress. Maybe you are wanting to rebuild trust and compassion towards yourself or navigate transitions in your life or changes in relationships. Or perhaps you want to work through some things from your past that are showing up in the present. My clinical philosophy when sitting with clients aligns with curiosity, recognition, collaboration, warmth, and space. The approach I take is based in a strong belief that you have the answers within and that our time together can be a space to explore and build. I joyfully honour your choice and your voice taking up the therapeutic space. You’ve got this, and I’m here with you. Some more about me: I am a cis, able-bodied, woman, born and raised in so-called Vancouver BC, with Indian ancestry. I am a second-gen, racialized settler living and working on the unceded and traditional lands of the sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), and S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō) nations. Outside of my counselling work, I enjoy laughing with loved ones and connecting to practices and activities that spark creativity and joy. I understand that finding the right counsellor for you is in itself a process. I would be honoured to meet you through a free consultation and see if we may be a good fit or help you in your process to finding it (yay for rhyming)!

SaradaBhagavatula, MA, RCC Candidate (She/Her) Registered Clinical Counsellor #Pending Warm Gree... Read More

Abby Chow, MA, RCC, PHCP (She/Her) ONLY ACCEPTING CLINICAL SUPERVISEES + BUSINESS CONSULTING CLIENTS

Registered Clinical Counsellor #14742

Hey, welcome! Question for you: what’s causing you to deal with everything life throws at you alone? Maybe you’re trying to break free from hurtful relational contexts, self-questioning, and other distressing emotions like loneliness. Many folx I work with have also experienced histories of trauma (not just trauma with a capital T) and have had to navigate invalidating environments. In working together, we can co-create sustainable systems of self-exploration and relational engagement so that you can connect to rootedness in joy and groundedness in purpose.

A little about me: I’m a cis, queer-with-straight-partner-privilege, (mostly) able-bodied, working-turned-middle class, half-gen, racialized settler from Hong Kong. I found my way to this work through exploring and navigating my own relational trauma through the lens of privilege and systemic oppression.

For the last decade, I’ve had the privilege of working with folx resisting multiple systems of oppression, which often manifests as being impacted by the criminal punishment system, addictions, and relational trauma. Through our work we’ve dissected the paradoxes of life, cultivating growth and healing by exploring the stories we subscribe to and the stories we tell. My approach centers on co-creating spaces of change by cultivating a culture of compassionate curiosity and discernment; often with a dose of humor and creativity (and lots of questions!). We look at your experience through an intersectional, systemic, and political context, often incorporating things like EMDR, Art, and Somatic work to further contextualize your exploration, compassion, and growth.

While I am continually engaging in direct clinical work with clients within a counselling context, I am currently specializing in providing clinical supervision + business consulting services from a justice-grounded perspective. Many practitioners are not supported in accessing business development education, let alone one that is in alignment with our ethics, knowing, and the world we are trying to create. If you relate to this, my role is to support you in developing a sustainable practice without having to sacrifice the ethics you hold dear.

In addition to my work here at Venturous, I teach and supervise counsellors-in-training at Adler University and Vancouver Community College. I also founded and run Reflecting on Justice, a mutual aid/wealth redistribution-based virtual platform for therapists to unlearn systemic oppression within ourselves and our profession, through community with other therapists. To ensure continual alignment with ethical practice, I engage in ongoing clinical supervision with Vikki Reynolds.

Abby Chow, MA, RCC, PHCP (She/Her) ONLY ACCEPTING CLINICAL SUPERVISEES + BUSINESS CONSULTING CLIE... Read More

Julianna Lei, MCP, RCC (She/Her)

Registered Clinical Counsellor

Hello and welcome! Come and sit, let’s chat for a while. In my own lived experience getting counselling, I know how uncomfortably vulnerable it is to reach out for help; I’m glad that you are here, bravely making that first step for yourself.

My work is grounded on the perspective that how we story our lives is incredibly powerful, and it is through these stories that we make sense of the world, ourselves, and our experiences. These stories can be taught, inherited, passed down, adopted, melded, and combined. Some stories are helpful and empowering, and some stories can cause us to feel trapped, frustrated, and helpless. And for some stories that we have, we would rather them be forgotten, hidden, and ignored because of how much pain and shame these stories bring us.

We would approach our counselling from a place that perceives healing from a holistic and relational perspective - creating a safe place where we feel free to be our whole self and reconnect with the parts of ourselves that may be tangled up in hurt, shame, and hopelessness. Part of our work together will be exploring all parts of your story with compassionate and thoughtful curiosity. We will be tracing the threads that make up our stories, examining how we came to know what we know about ourselves, others, and the world. As we slowly unravel the threads of our story, we will rebuild and reclaim our stories anew - learning new insights, new perspectives, new skills, and new (and rediscovered) strengths. Our time together will be collaborative and co-created. I may bring forward experiential exercises, questions, promptings, and tidbits of knowledge here and there, but ultimately, you are the author and the expert of your story, setting the topic and pace of where and how we will go.

A small glimpse about myself. I am an uninvited settler currently occupying the unceded and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. I am a cis-het, non-disabled Chinese woman, and am a 1.5 generation immigrant, born in BC to a dad from Guangdong, China and a mom from Hong Kong; I’m no stranger to navigating the nuanced and complex intracultural clashes between colonialism, Eastern traditions, and Western philosophies. I am familiar with the challenge of straddling multiple cultures, trying to satisfy conflicting expectations whilst trying to find a place where I can plant my feet and live out my full authentic story. Outside of the counselling room, I love to immerse myself in the rich worlds found in books and video games. Unsurprisingly, I also enjoy watching anime and streaming series – especially with friends and loved ones! That being said, my ultimate pastime is spending many hours curled up with a book, a cup of tea and a cozy blanket.

I’m excited to meet you and hear the stories you will share. I would love nothing more than to walk with you on your journey towards transformative healing and discovery. If you are interested in journeying together, feel free to email me or book a consultation with me. I can’t wait to meet you!

Julianna Lei, MCP, RCC (She/Her) Registered Clinical Counsellor Hello and welcome! Come and sit... Read More

Esther Jaang, MA Candidate, Currently completing thesis and awaiting registration (She/Her)

SUPERVISED BY ABBY CHOW, MA, RCC #14742

Hi there, thank you for being here. I work with clients who often feel overwhelmed by what life is bringing, and who may be re-visited by the past in ways that are painful and difficult to manage. Does this sound like what you’re going through as well? If so, I would love to support you as you journey through these tougher landscapes. Each of us has unique layers of wounds and protections that play a role in our lives. As we work together by engaging your healing capacities, you can move through and re-process challenging experiences and anchor in your strengths, so that they can be more helpful to you and the future you want to create. It is absolutely possible to experience life with more love, connection, and a vivid sense of well-being.

I ground my practice in approaches that support trauma healing, including trauma theory, mindfulness and body-based exercises, EMDR, parts work and narrative therapy. What can you expect from this? I will invite us to lean in with our expertise to build a collaborative relationship. For example, I can offer prompts for deeper insights and tools to help manage overwhelming emotions — but you are the expert of your lived experiences and the decision-maker for what is to come. To best support our therapeutic relationship, I strive to co-create safer, accepting, and anti-oppressive environments. With your permission, I will also welcome mind, body, and spirit to be part of the process.

A bit more about me… I am an able-bodied cis/het woman, born and raised in BC with South Korean ancestry. Prior to pursuing my vocation as a counsellor, my work was centred in leadership development consulting, coaching and facilitation. I currently live with my husband and two cats on the unceded and ancestral lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. I was raised with Christian traditions, although I do not identify with a particular religious community. I regard spirituality to be a connection with that which is sacred, and I believe we can encounter the sacred in ways as unique and diverse as we ourselves are.

I have also lived through my own share of wounds and can relate to the courage it takes to begin working with a counsellor. If you are interested in exploring whether we might be a good fit for each other, please email or book a session with me. I would love to meet you, and I would be honoured to be part of your process.

All MA Counselling Psychology degree requirements have been completed except for my thesis, which I am pursuing to explore the relationships between developmental trauma healing and spirituality.

Esther Jaang, MA Candidate, Currently completing thesis and awaiting registration (She/Her) SUPE... Read More

Jane Whitlaw, MEd, RCC (She/Her)

Registered Clinical Counsellor #17343

Welcome! I’m so happy you’re here and I want to congratulate you on taking the first courageous step toward healing and wellness. Let me provide you with a brief introduction so you have a sense of what to expect in working with me. My clinical philosophies are rooted in the values by which I both live and work. Authenticity, I believe contributes to the development of a trusting and real connection. Who I am in session, is who I am as a person, and the congruency of my own presentation is integral to supporting you to live your life according to your own values and beliefs. I am not here to tell you what to do. I’m here to remind you of the agency you have within yourself to heal from whatever is troubling you; to be the person you know yourself to be.

I maintain a trauma-informed, holistic perspective within my practice, and I approach every new client with a deep understanding of how early life experiences have the potential to impact current, day-to-day functioning. How we internalize our experiences, the ways in which we process the world, and how we use that information to help us navigate our relationships, are unique processes, and it is of utmost importance to me to meet you where you’re at, doing what I can to understand your world as you’ve experienced it.

Together, we can explore the source of what is challenging you. We can investigate why some things may be playing out the way they are. And we can process those experiences in a way that encourages healing, growth, and transformation. Let’s get started!

Jane Whitlaw, MEd, RCC (She/Her) Registered Clinical Counsellor #17343 Welcome! I’m so happy y... Read More

Parveen Boyal, MCP (She/Her) Registered Clinical Counsellor #19801

Hi! Thanks for being here and taking the time to find someone to support you on your counselling journey. I know how difficult it can be to reach out for support, regardless of whether or not you’ve accessed counselling before.

To give you a better idea of what to expect when working with me, allow me to share a bit about my approach. In my work with clients, I endeavour to create a space in which you can talk about topics and concerns that are difficult or have felt taboo. I am a big proponent of accepting and experiencing the whole spectrum of emotions and developing more compassion towards ourselves. Counselling is a collaborative process where maintaining your autonomy is the most important part of our work. We go at whatever pace feels most comfortable for you, and you will never have to try an intervention or share something that you do not feel comfortable with or ready for. I help my clients accept themselves and their emotions and connect with their values and what matters to them.

On a more personal level: I am a non-disabled, cis-het, South-Asian woman. I was born in BC and currently live and work in Vancouver on the unceded and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. Outside of my work as a counsellor, I am an avid reader and TV binge-watcher, I love baking, and try to soak in the sun whenever I can. I like spending time hanging out with friends and family, but also cherish times when I can unwind on my own. I also engage in my own counselling sessions and have lived experience with anxiety and panic attacks, body image concerns, and grief and loss.

From my own experiences as a client, I know how much of a difference it can make to find a counsellor that feels like the right fit. I invite you to book a free consultation with me to see if I’m the right counsellor for you. I look forward to meeting you soon!

Parveen Boyal, MCP (She/Her) Registered Clinical Counsellor #19801 Hi! Thanks for being here and... Read More