Cookie Bain

What I most love in this world is to see people thriving as they live their most authentic life. I understand that many of us have grown up in a way that hasn't supported us to be our authentic self. Often we are surrounded by systems and structures that can keep us confined to only being permitted to show aspects of ourselves, while other parts we sometimes feel we need to hide away. Sexuality is an area where most people have experienced this struggle, as we are programmed from an early age to conform to gender, sexual, or relationship scripts that maybe don't fit us. It can be hard to find a safe, supportive, and judgment-free space to explore this part of ourselves. This is what I am here to offer. A welcoming and inclusive space where you can receive the support you need to grow into your full empowered self, including your relational and sexual self. To move from surviving to living into thriving. 

I work with folks around any areas of stress and mental health, including compassion fatigue, burnout, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. However, I specialize in supporting folks from all types of backgrounds to move from a place of uncertainty, confusion, or suffering to a place of empowerment in their sexuality. I am particularly situated to work with queer, LGBTQ, Neurodiverse folks, kink-friendly and those with non-traditional relationship styles. I am very happy to work with people with any sexual orientation and relationship style. My therapy is gender-affirming, inclusive, anti-oppressive, harm-reducing, feminist, body positive, and sex-positive. To be sex-positive means that I believe that sexuality is an inherently positive and natural aspect of the human experience that deserves to be honored and celebrated. Since sexuality is a developmental process that changes and evolves with us over time, I'm interested in working with people at all different ages and stages. In my work, I acknowledge the systems that surround us as individuals and communities that add complexity to how we move through the world. I also work with couples or partnerships around relationship concerns and sexual concerns. 

My background comes from 15 years working as a registered nurse in complex trauma, mental health, substance use, sexual health and gender-affirming care. My nursing background is supplemented with being an educator and a sex and relationship coach. Therefore, in my sessions you can anticipate seeing these different components of counseling, education, and coaching come forward. I previously worked as a Registered Nurse for Vancouver Coastal Health in their Trans Specialty Care program and Primary Care. I am presently an associate of Bianca Rucker, sex therapist.