David Holmes

David provides Individual and Couples Counselling. He is an Adlerian Psychotherapist, Registered Clinical Counsellor, and a Canadian Certified Counsellor at Clear Counselling private practice in downtown Vancouver.

From a positive psychology Adlerian perspective, his belief is that everyone has a fundamental
need to connect with others, and that people thrive when they feel accepted, understood, and achieve a sense of belonging. “Community is fundamental to happiness and positive mental health; and life is about giving more, not getting more.”

David’s approach is to build on your strengths, moving you from where you are to where you want to be. His natural presence and skill fosters trust as an important natural therapeutic relationship to work in. He creates a caring and nurturing space for clients to express their feelings, emotions, behaviours, and relationships. David’s compassionate nature brings to the counselling relationship the sense of safety, support, and encouragement you need. When clients are facing difficult life tasks, he provides and encourages clients to explore new ways to approach their concerns, help shift perspectives, and provide fresh insights to achieve them.

Areas of client concerns have included:

• Anxiety
• Burnout
• Contemplating or facing life changes
• Depression
• Feeling “stuck”
• Feelings of “never good enough”
• Low self-confidence
• Negative self-talk
• Panic Attacks
• Poor communication skills
• Workplace stressors
• Working through barriers to be the Best Version of themselves

Within his areas of specialization, concerns may include:

Relationships – Determining where couples are stuck, whether it be ineffective communication, diminished trust, a fragile emotional connection, or an unsatisfying sex life, and refocusing the relationship to get things moving forward, so that couples can enjoy a more harmonious and satisfying life together. He observes unhelpful patterns, listens to needs, and tailors a plan that is unique to each couple.

Grief Counselling – Understanding that clients experience and express grief in unique ways based on factors such as culture, family history, and intrinsic beliefs, David’s approach to working with loss is to sit with you during your dark time, whether it is the death of a loved one, a relationship break-up, or job loss, and help you process difficult emotions such as sadness, anger, guilt, and regret. His caring presence helps you to reconstruct meaning from profound loss.

Men’s Sexual Health and Identity Concerns – Psychological, biological, social, and behavioral factors may contribute to sexual issues or relationship insecurities that are creating barriers and holding men back from connecting. He provides a supportive space for men to discuss intimate issues and help them explore these concerns.

David works with a clientele from a broad spectrum of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Whether you are feeling stuck, anxious, overwhelmed, or discouraged, David’s encouraging and patient presence with clients help facilitate connection to the essential domains of life such as community, love, and career. Regardless of the situation, you will be met with a warm, positive, and supportive presence so that you will be heard, which is the starting point of healing and growth.