Yaari Dyer

Hello! I am a Licensed Psychologist (#1014135) and see individual clients and couples in my peaceful Kitsilano office.

My practice focuses on couples therapy and individual therapy related to life transitions, loss, relationships including dating, friendships and family, emotion management including depression, panic, anxiety and anger, and questions of identity and meaning. I aim to provide a warm, compassionate space where clients can slow down, understand what is happening beneath the surface, and discover new ways of relating to themselves and others.

I have extensive training and clinical experience in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for Couples. I completed my EFT Externship and Core Skills training at the Vancouver Couple & Family Institute, where I subsequently worked for six years providing couples therapy under the supervision of Dr Veronica Kallos-Lilly, a founding Director and internationally known EFT trainer. My work at VCFI included intensive ongoing consultation, supervision and regular review of videotaped therapy sessions. This targeted deliberate practice over several years means couples therapy with me is experiential, dynamic and skills-based, with a clear roadmap for change. EFT is considered a short-term, structured and evidence-based approach. 

EFT helps couples understand the deeper emotional patterns underlying conflict and develop new ways of responding to one another, not just keep repeating endless unhelpful debates or analysis. I particularly enjoy working with couples struggling with recurring conflict, emotional distance, trust, intimacy, communication blocks, relationship transitions, and the aftermath of hurt or betrayal.

With individual clients, I draw particularly on mindfulness- and acceptance-based approaches, (EFIT, AEDP, MBCT) while using leading-edge science on emotion and attachment. I see adults at different ages and stages navigating periods of transition and change—when an old way of living or understanding oneself no longer fits, but the path forward is unclear.

I work with loss, including relationship breakups, identity and relationship concerns, loneliness, anxious and avoidant attachment patterns, family of origin issues including neglect and abuse, and questions about meaning and purpose. Mood difficulties such as depression, anxiety, panic, and anger can be managed and often transformed through curious kind awareness and practical tools. My approach is collaborative and compassionate, helping clients develop greater self-understanding, emotional flexibility, and clarity about what matters most.

My perspective has been shaped by extensive study, work, and travel in different parts of the world, as well as counselling training in spiritually informed approaches in India and Japan. Until recently, I taught in the graduate program in Counselling Psychology at the University of British Columbia.

In short, I love helping people find happier and less stressful ways of living.