Leanne Stepp

Whatever brought you here in search of a therapist, you've already taken the first step toward change. Something in your life, relationships, or sense of self may no longer feel quite right. Perhaps you feel disconnected from love, struggle with intimacy or sexuality, are trying to navigate a major life transition, or maybe you just want to stop repeating destructive patterns. The cool thing is that even if you haven't felt like yourself in a while, part of you believes things can be different and that's why you're here. Let's honour that part with curiosity and compassion, and explore what healing might look like together.

At Heart Work, I support individuals and couples in Victoria and across BC and Ontario who seek deeper connection with themselves, the people they love, and in the lives they want to embody. My practice integrates psychotherapy, sex therapy, yoga-informed somatic work, and clinical supervision for helping professionals.

Sessions may involve:
• Conversation/traditional talk therapy
• Body-based practices in the chair or on a yoga mat
• A combination of both, you choose.

I am a Registered Social Worker with a Master of Social Work degree, a sexologist, Registered Yoga Teacher, adjunct professor at the University of Victoria, and writer. 

I have nearly 20 years of experience supporting individuals, couples, families and poly groups through:

• Relationship challenges
• Trauma
• Burnout
• Identity exploration
• Major life transitions

As a therapist and sexologist, I offer a compassionate, sex-positive, inclusive space to explore:

• Intimacy
• Desire
• Sexuality
• Relationships

Clients come to me with questions about:

• Communication
• Sexual identity
• Dating
• Mismatched desire
• Changing bodies
• Infidelity
• How to create and enjoy deeper connections

I believe conversations about sex and intimacy deserve the same care, curiosity, and attention as any other important part of our lives.

My work is also deeply informed by yoga and somatic practice. I believe healing happens not only through insight, but through the body. 

Together, we may explore:

• Nervous system awareness
• Embodiment
• Mindfulness
• Movement
• The ways our experiences shape how we relate to ourselves and others

We always go at your pace.

In our sessions, online or in my therapy office and yoga studio at the Fort and Oak Bay junction, we will make sense of your story and create new possibilities for the future. 

Drawing from:

• Sexology
• Internal Family Systems (IFS)
• Narrative Therapy
• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• The Gottman Method
• Other approaches tailored to your unique experiences, values, and goals

Finding the right therapist is important, and I want you to know I hold this work and your life with great care. My hope is that our time together creates space where you feel understood, supported, and able to take meaningful steps towards whatever imagined life you want to be living. I'm taking new clients and invite you to reach out.