** April 2021 COVID-19 UPDATE: I am currently offering limited in-person sessions, as well as continuing to offer tele-behavioural health sessions (telephone or internet counselling, I have received training in both modalities). To see more about the precautions I am taking to keep all of us as safe as possible, please check out my ‘COVID-19 Office Safety Protocol’ page : http://simmscounselling.com/index.php/covid-19-gradual-re-opening-protocol-may-2020/
I’m glad you are here, it usually means you want something different or something is missing in your life, and you are wise enough to know you don’t have to do this alone.
Many misconceptions exist regarding psychology, therapy and counselling, for instance, it doesn’t mean you are ‘crazy’, it is not a sign of weakness, and you don’t have to talk about your past or blame everything on your mother. It is wise to examine one’s life intelligently, and it takes courage to reach out for support. While it can be beneficial to reflect on your earlier life experiences, the purpose is never to cast blame, but rather to understand what you lived through, the meaning you made of it, how you’ve coped with it, and how it continues to negatively intrude on your life.
The process of counselling elicits insights – if you are interested in seeing situations in a different light, shifting how you feel about situations, or better tolerating situations that can’t be changed, you’ve come to the right place. Through counselling, the way you carry your challenges will change: problems don’t disappear, they start to feel more manageable. People gain a different awareness of themselves, connecting with inner resources, inherent strengths and what they want to create. They also learn they aren’t ‘crazy’ for reaching out, and maybe even that what they are feeling and thinking isn’t unreasonable, it could make sense based on what they are going through.
The experience of counselling should be empowering, as understanding ‘why we do what we do’ gives us the choice to start doing things differently, changing patterns or habits that may no longer be serving a useful purpose, and developing new mindsets.
As you browse around the website you will notice there is a ‘Resource’ page, in addition to a ‘Blog’, which is simply food for thought. Knowledge is power, it allows us to recognize choices, and make different decisions. Recognizing you are not alone in your struggles, and that you don’t have to do this alone, shines a light on hope and possibilities that things can be different. Counselling doesn’t make problems disappear, but it does make a difference regarding how we carry on in spite of our challenges, less burdened.
There is lots of information out there to help people with the change process, and sometimes people need more than information, they are looking for a sounding board, a different set of eyes on a problem, or a comfortable space to hear themselves think outloud, without judgement, without advice. This is the counselling experience I aim to create for you. Counselling is a relationship, and research indicates the best predictor of success in counselling is the alliance or relationship between therapist and client. I work in collaboration with clients, the client leads the way and sets the pace. There are many ways to do therapy, I work with your particular goals and preferences, and I invite your feedback about our work together, to ensure we are staying on track and that you are getting what you want out of the process. My hope is to help people start feeling better sooner.
We are a counselling clinic that assists with a variety of concerns, including but not limited to:
- feeling overwhelmed by life challenges
- experiencing a lack of support from their usual network
- feeling stuck in rut or without direction, like a ship without a rudder
- unable to stop self defeating or self sabotaging patterns of thinking or behaving
- using alcohol, drugs, gambling, or other measures as a coping strategy for life challenges, and starting to experience consequences as a result.
We offer counselling support for:
*Addictions, both substances and behaviours
*Free Problem Gambling Counselling
*Mental Health Counselling, for challenges related to depression, stress, anxiety, relationships
Please get in touch by calling me at 604-888-9294 or sending me an email at shannon@simmscounselling.com
SOME FREE RESOURCES DURING COVID-19:
** Here are a multitude of free resources being offered by one of my favourite Psychologists, Dr. Rick Hanson, who teaches us how to use our brain ‘for us’ rather than ‘against us’: ‘Being Resilient During Coronavirus’ https://www.rickhanson.net/being-resilient-during-coronavirus/
**Many people I speak to are struggling with a lack of things to do during our current semi-lockdown state, here’s a list of pleasant events during Coronavirus: https://blog.zencare.co/big-list-of-pleasant-activities-coronavirus/
**And a list of free things that weren’t free before Coronavirus: https://www.npr.org/2020/03/20/818670715/getting-bored-heres-a-list-of-free-things-that-werent-free-before-coronavirus
**Here’s a short video which explains ‘exponential growth’ and the time it takes for the number of cases of the virus to double – which is why physical distancing and keeping your social bubble small, continues to be important, to continue managing the spread of the virus and not overwhelm our health care system: https://www.pbs.org/video/what-this-chart-actually-means-for-covid-19-ybsbtd/?fbclid=IwAR3vT0Em-QSKES9rLjkzwLBXF74FV4wRLVkbnzRPc6dJcfZqF5yyx9t-vdY
Providing mental health and addictions counselling in Langley, also serving Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Port Kells, Cloverdale, Surrey, and throughout the Fraser Valley, and the metropolitan Vancouver region. And with the remote options available, my location is no longer a barrier to accessing the services you are looking for.