Counselling West Vancouver - Chronic Illness, Chronic Pain, Trauma Counselling Counsellors, Psychologists, Therapists in West Vancouver

West Vancouver

Counselling West Vancouver contains information about counsellors, psychologists, and therapists in the West Vancouver area. These counsellors, psychologists, and therapists may assist individuals, couples and/or families. The therapists on this page work with individuals, couples and families using a range of effective approaches. Regardless of whether you are looking for individual counselling, marriage counselling or family therapy you will be able to find an effective therapist here.

West Vancouver consists of the following neighbourhoods:

Altamont, Ambleside, Bayridge, British Properties, Canterbury WV, Caulfeild, Cedardale, Chartwell, Chelsea Park, Cypress, Cypress Park Estates, Deer Ridge WV, Dundarave, Eagle Harbour, Eagleridge, Furry Creek, Gleneagles, Glenmore, Horseshoe Bay WV, Howe Sound, Lions Bay, Olde Caulfeild, Panorama Village, Park Royal, Porteau Cove, Queens, Rockridge, Sandy Cove, Sentinel Hill, Upper Caulfeild, West Bay, Westhill, Westmount WV, Whitby Estates, Whytecliff

These West Vancouver counselling therapists have designations from the following list:

Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC), Registered Psychologist (R Psych), Registered Social Worker (RSW), Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC), American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT), Registered Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT), and Registered Art Therapist (BCATR).

Explore the information within the counselling listings for West Vancouver to get a better sense of which counsellor or Counselling Psychologist might be a match for you.

If you want to search a nearby city then click on the check mark for West Vancouver to unselect it and choose another city.

Chronic Illness, Chronic Pain, Trauma Counselling

Chronic illness has the ability to affect you in more ways than just medically. In fact, it can impact you psychologically. The degree of impact is dependent on the person's personality and the circumstances before the diagnosis. Support structure plays an important role on a person's ability to cope, but oftentimes, a person has to go through various stages of dealing with the condition before they are able to adjust to the realities of the chronic illness.

When a person is diagnosed with a chronic illness, he or she will go through a number of stages similar to the stages of grief. Denial, disbelief and shock are just some of the emotions a person experiences when a diagnosis is made, and it's natural for them to resist major changes. Eventually, they will become exhausted, when all they really want to do is to recover. At that point, fear and anxiety will set in and worry in the face of uncertainty of the future.

Sadness, grief and depression are common emotions when they consider the possibility of lost goals, hopes and dreams. Losing independence is a real fear, which becomes inevitable if an illness progresses and that brings about the fear of being a burden to loved ones, which brings on more anger, resentment and even shame.

Counselling can help a person to deal with the emotions relating to chronic illness and to cope with the stress and anxieties of accepting and coping with life changes. It will help to regain personal control over life and yourself.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who works with in chronically ill individuals you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

Chronic pain brings hundreds of people to therapy every week. Many physical and psychological issues can cause chronic pain and it is important to rule out any medical causes and get treatment by speaking to a physician.

Some people experience chronic pain as the result of untreated emotional overwhelm, unexpressed anger, depression or grief. Symptoms of chronic pain typically include headaches; muscle tension, pain or fatigue;  shooting nerve pains, and tension in the back, neck and shoulders.

Many people with chronic pain disorder are reluctant to explore the emotional causes of their pain for fear of being told that they are inventing the symptoms. However, true somaticizing is a very real condition in which the emotions are unable to leave the body.

Another reason why people are loathe to admit the emotional roots of their pain, is that they fear that there would be no medical cure. Chronic pain with an emotional root requires that they confront the emotions that have been hidden away, and this can be challenging.

Therapists and psychologists who do  chronic pain therapy offer a confidential and safe environment in which people can explore pent-up emotions and as a result experience short term and long term relief. Symptoms caused by long term emotional build-up may require long-term treatment and due to the physical changes, some medical intervention and active physiotherapy is often very important as well.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who works with chronic pain you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

Trauma counselling can assist with a wide range of internal emotional reactions to devastating situations. Some people experience things as more traumatic than others, and therefore they will need help in coping the emotional burdens of an event or situation.

Stressful events such as death of a loved one, rape, abuse, accidents, divorce, violence or bullying can leave people unable to cope or process the emotional burdens. However, it is not only events linked to the individual personally, but also being a witness to events that might leave a person with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This includes being a victim to violence or natural disasters - there is no limit to the causes of trauma.

In the case of PTSD, people can develop many different psychological reactions, as determined by their own coping skills, emotional stability and background. Symptoms of PTSD include a anger, depression, flashbacks, insomnia, nightmares, social withdrawal, loss of self esteem and confidence, and substance abuse.

It takes a strong person to have the courage to stand up and request trauma counselling. This is no time to compare yourself to other people in similar situations, but rather to recognize that everyone has a different reaction to trauma. Therefore, it is important to address the symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder as soon as possible to help you deal with emotions in a healthy way and to overcome the difficulties you are facing. Trauma counselling can help avert potentially more severe psychological disorders, that can occur if PTSD is left untreated.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who provides  trauma counselling to address your posttraumatic stress management issues you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

Note: You may narrow your search by selecting more than one filter below.

Jennifer Scott

M.A., RCC
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Please note I am now offering virtual counselling by phone or video as well as in-person counselling. Many clients have found virtual counselling just as effective as in-person counselling. I welcome you to give it... Read more