David Renaud
Format
Ages Served
Client Types
Languages
About David
I work with people experiencing difficult problems. Such problems go by many names, and may be new or old, but all share the common trait of stubbornly obstructing our happiness. You might feel depressed, anxious, or stuck, unable to steer toward a more hopeful future. You might struggle with the overwhelming complexity of your life, or feel paralyzed by the choices it presents. You might find yourself caught in recurring patterns, unable to break free despite the hardship they cause. Often, the people I work with describe one or more of these ongoing experiences:
- Panic, unease, a sense of dread, despair, or lack of fulfillment in one's pursuits and in life
- Disconnection from oneself, low self-regard or self-worth, feeling lost or aimless in life
- Reliving the past, feeling trapped by the past, or struggling with fear, guilt, shame or anger about the past
- Preoccupying negative thoughts, intrusive thoughts, or repetitive thoughts
- Intense or persistent inner critics, self-judgments, or harsh storytelling about oneself.
Whatever they do, however they operate, these problems make life needlessly hard.
Working together
My approach can be either practical and goal-oriented, or exploratory and insight-driven, depending on your preferences. This looks different for everyone, but people who work with me are usually pursuing one or more of these forms of change or growth:
- Tools for managing and handling tough problems
- Treatment for resolution of mental health concerns
- Encouragement and accountability in change journeys
- Assistance with self-growth and self-discovery processes.
If you're looking to make focused progress toward clear outcomes, I offer structured, evidence-based treatments aimed at reducing symptoms below clinical thresholds, ideally within three to four months when appropriate. These include CBT and the Unified Protocol for anxiety and depression, Inference-Based CBT (I-CBT) for OCD, and CPT and EMDR for PTSD and other trauma-related difficulties.
If you're experiencing something harder to name, or want to move beyond solutions to answering the question "why," you might want to go deeper. Whatever the hardships they cause, I believe our problems also carry essential insight about what is needed for their resolution. I work with you to reveal these insights, to gather their wisdom, and to transform them into opportunities for greater well-being and engagement with life.
Ultimately, I believe that true well-being involves more than just quieting problems: it involves restoring the parts of ourselves that enable us to be full participants in this world we share. Whatever direction we take, my emphasis is on helping you realize your vision of a happy, well-crafted life.
My background
Since 2014 I have been privileged to sit and talk with thousands of people, and to accompany them for at least a short distance in their journey. I view these expeditions as essential not just for our individual happiness and well-being, but also for our movement toward a world that is more kind, just, and humane for all.
Before hanging my shingle, I spent fifteen years in the public and non-profit sectors, starting out in frontline care and legal advocacy, before arriving in the field of therapy. Most recently, I served for five years as Clinical Lead of BC’s largest mental health treatment centre, where I led a team of nurses, counsellors and caseworkers in delivering comprehensive mental healthcare services.
You can find my full CV on my website.
Taking the first step
You can click "Book a Consultation" to easily book a free, unhurried conversation about the problems you're experiencing, and the life you'd like to live. We'll talk about ways to help you move toward that life, using approaches that feel natural, intuitive, and possibly even exciting.