Counselling for people Who carry a lot and need a place to set it down
A steady, collaborative space to think clearly, feel honestly, and find the next move that actually fits your life.
How I work
A grounded, collaborative approachTherapy with me is steady, respectful, and centred on what matters most to you.I don’t diagnose your personality or look for what’s “wrong.”We start from your strengths, your values, and where you want to go.
What we focus on
We stay close to your present experience — the pressures you're navigating, the responsibilities you're holding, the moments that feel heavy or unclear.From there, we look at the life you want to move toward: small signs of change, a sense of direction, conditions that help you feel more like yourself.And we pay careful attention to what's already working — the resilience, the anchors, the moments of clarity that are easy to overlook.
My style
I work in a way that's practical, concrete, and non-pathologizing. Sessions tend to feel calm and unhurried — focused without being heavy, supportive without pressure. Clients often tell me it's a place where they don't have to perform.
What the first few sessions look like
The first session is mostly about meeting each other. You tell me what brought you in, whatever shape it arrives — sometimes that's a clear concern, sometimes it's a harder-to-name sense that something needs attention. I listen, ask questions that try to be useful rather than exhaustive, and we get a feel for whether this is a good fit.The next session or two tend to be about getting oriented — what you're hoping might be different, what's already working that we don't want to lose, and what kind of pace feels right.
I don't use long intake forms or a battery of assessments. I'd rather spend that time actually talking with you.From there, the shape of the work follows what you need. Some people come for a focused stretch of six or eight sessions around a specific situation. Others stay longer, using the space as part of how they think and move through their life. Both are fine. We'll figure it out together.
Who this approach helps
I work especially well with people who appear composed on the outside while carrying stress, overwhelm, or uncertainty within.This often includes people in high-pressure or high-responsibility roles, high-functioning or masked neurodivergent adults who value non-judgmental support, men navigating overwhelm, emotional confusion, or relational strain, spiritually inclined or reflective clients, and creatives holding themselves to high internal standards.It also includes people navigating a complicated relationship with alcohol or substances, and those rebuilding in recovery who want a contemplative space rather than a clinical one.
If this feels like the right fit
I’d be glad to meet you and learn more about what you’re hoping for.
About Me
Hi, I’m Conlan.I’m a clinical counsellor based in Vancouver.My clients are often thoughtful, capable, people — the kind of others rely on.They’re used to holding things together.
They’re not used to having a space where they can set things down.That’s what I offer.
My Approach
I work from a grounded blend of Solution-Focused Therapy, which helps us find clarity, direction, and small steps that make a real difference, and Narrative Therapy, which helps us understand the stories shaping how you see yourself and where they came from. I listen with presence and curiosity, working from the belief that change emerges here, in this moment.I also bring advanced training in CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy), an evidence-based approach for PTSD and trauma-related concerns, gained through my work in a day-treatment based recovery program.My graduate training focused on what makes therapy actually work — not which model is fashionable, but the craft of responsiveness, collaboration, and fit. That interest still shapes how I practice. Our work together is practical and centred on what matters most to you. You won't find jargon or judgement. Just honest, steady conversations that help you see things more clearly.
Also worth knowing
I'm autistic — identified after years of of getting by without the frame. It shapes how I practice: I say what I mean rather than leaving it to be inferred, and I don't assume that coping well on the outside means everything's fine underneath.I don't see autism, or neurodivergence more broadly, as something to fix. Different wiring isn't a deficit — it's a different way of processing, relating, and being in the world, and a lot of what gets labelled dysfunction is really just friction between that wiring and environments built for something else. If that's part of what you're navigating, we won't spend our time trying to make you more typical.If you'd like to read more about what it's like to work with an autistic counsellor, I've written a short introduction.
The rest of my work
Alongside my private practice, I work as a clinical counsellor in a public Vancouver Coastal Health substance use program. That work keeps me close to the realities of recovery, harm reduction, and the ways people rebuild — and it grounds everything I do in something
un-precious and real.
Outside of counselling
When I’m not working, I spend time training in fitness and martial arts, cooking, spoiling my cats, and studying philosophy.
Working with an autistic counsellor
I'm autistic.I'm sharing this here, on a page I pass along directly, because it's useful information rather than a headline. It shapes how I work, and knowing it may help you get more out of our time together.This page isn't a warning or a disclaimer.It's the kind of thing I'd want to know about anyone I was trusting with my story.
What you might notice
I say things plainly. If I think something, I'll usually just say it, gently. I'm not hiding a second meaning underneath.I may ask what you meant. When something could be read two ways, I'd rather check than guess. That isn't me missing the point. It's me making sure I've got your point, not mine.Eye contact may vary. Sometimes I'll look away while I'm listening closely. It usually means I'm paying more attention, not less.I sometimes pause before answering. I'm thinking, not stalled.
What I'll ask of you
Tell me directly if something doesn't land. A question that felt off, a word that didn't fit, a pace that's too fast. You won't hurt my feelings, and it helps.Say it out loud rather than hinting. I'll do my best to catch the unspoken, but the spoken version reaches me more reliably.Let me know your own preferences. Some people want more silence, some want more structure. Our work is a shared project, and we can shape it together.
What this does and doesn't mean
It doesn't mean I assume you're autistic, or that I only work with autistic clients.It does mean I bring lived experience to conversations about masking, sensory load, and being misread. You never need to explain those from scratch unless you want to.My training and approach are the same as always: collaborative, focused on what's already working for you and where you'd like things to go.
You're welcome to ask me anything about this page. I'll answer as plainly as I can.
Fees & Contact
Rates:$170 per 50-minute sessionReceipts are provided after each session.I am fully licenced, insured, and registered with the Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), Canada's largest national certifying body.Many extended health plans cover counselling; I encourage you to check your benefits for details.
Location & Format
Sessions are offered online to clients across Canada.Working this way lets me offer flexibility and privacy, and it works well for most of the people I see. If in-person matters to you, it's worth mentioning in our first conversation — I can let you know my current thinking and whether that might be possible down the road.
Booking
If you’re interested in working together, the easiest place to start is a brief consultation.It gives us a chance to meet, talk about what you're looking for, and see whether this feels like the right fit.You can also reach out directly by email — I read every message personally and reply within a day.