REDISCOVER WHOLENESS, PURPOSE, AND EASE.
Counselling and Nature Therapy in Vancouver & virtual counselling across BC.
Burnout / compassion fatigue
Life transitions
Stress & overwhelm
Anxiety & Depression
Navigating life as an LGBTQ2S person
Navigating life as an immigrant
If you have been carrying the heavy weight of :
You don’t have to go through it all alone.
Rediscover ease through counselling that centers the reconnection of mind-body-heart and our interdependence with each other and Nature.
Feb 2025 Update: Accepting new clients
for in-person, virtual, and ‘in-nature’ counselling.
Hi, I’m Shila.
I am a Registered Social Worker with the BC College of Social Workers (13297) and a member of the BC Association of Social Workers.
Before private practice, I spent 15+ years working in community health, education, social services, policy research, and political organizing in Canada and my home country, Indonesia. Among others, I have worked for Vancouver Coastal Health, BC Office of the Human Rights Commissioner, AIDS Vancouver, REACH Community Health Centre, and RISE Community Health Centre.
The human and more-than-human Nature beings I met in this journey taught me that our inner and outer worlds are undeniably interconnected, and that inner peace is inseparable from ‘outer’ peace. This lesson forms the core of the therapeutic work I do in counselling today.
These days, friends know me more as an avid birdwatcher, a dedicated ecological restoration volunteer, and a devoted cook for loved ones.
My happy place is either outdoors, joyfully lost in wonder in and with nature, or in the kitchen, cooking dinner with my wife while entertaining our adorable cat, Kit Kat.
These ‘simple’ daily practices supports my commitment to center wholeness as a pathway to healing – one that deeply informs my counselling collaboration with clients.
The excitement of meeting hsh’o (Chumash)/Sycamore Tree for the first time.
My work is informed by embodied/somatic, mindfulness, Nature-Based Therapy (NBT), arts-based, and narrative approaches.
This means that in addition to providing a trauma-informed and supportive environment in our therapeutic work together, I try to facilitate a re-connection:
between our body-heart-mind through awareness of the present moment (mindfulness approaches),
between us and the more-than-human natural world (Nature-Based Therapy),
between us and the stories that support and enrich our lives (Narrative approach), and
between us and our sense of creativity and play amid life’s storms (Arts-based)
Warmth, openness, collaboration, and kind curiosity will be at the core of our working relationship together.
Services
Virtual, in-nature, or in-office* appointments
Sessions available in English & Bahasa Indonesia
INDIVIDUAL COUNSELLING
1:1 counselling for adults in-person in Vancouver or virtually across BC to reconnect mind-body-heart and cultivate wholeness and ease.
MINDFULNESS-BASED THERAPY
Individual or small group Mindfulness-Based Therapy (MBT) training program for anxiety, depression, and chronic stress.
NATURE-BASED THERAPY
Rediscover wholeness and our undeniable interconnectedness through counselling in and with nature. Available at select Vancouver & Burnaby parks.
GROUP PROGRAMS
Cultivate empathy and solidarity with others as we rediscover wholeness and healing together. Corporate or tailored group program requests are welcome.
*My office is located near Waterfront Skytrain in Downtown Vancouver, with an additional location at Boundary & Kingsway.
WHAT IS NATURE-BASED THERAPY?
WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?
FREE GUIDED PRACTICE & RESOURCES
Fees
50-minute counselling session –––– $150
75-minute counselling session –––– $225
Counselling services by a Registered Social Worker are exempt from GST, and can be claimed as a medical expense on your income tax.
Kindly check with your extended health provider/Third Party Insurer whether your plan covers counselling services provided by a Registered Social Worker.
At the moment, I have limited sliding scale spots available at $100/50-min session for those facing systemic barriers. Feel free to reach out if you would like to learn more.
DEEPENING MY LEARNINGS
I am committed to deepening my skills, knowledge, and practices. Below are highlights of the ongoing learnings I’ve taken:
Doctoral study in Philosophy of Education - Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC (ongoing)
Master of Social Work - York University, Toronto, ON
Bachelor of Social Work - University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Teacher Training - Center for Mindfulness Studies, Toronto, ON
Internal Family Systems Meets Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness – Govinda Bader, MFT & David Treleaven, PhD
Narrative Therapy courses - The Dulwich Centre, Australia
Nature-Based Therapy Level 1 - Human Nature Counselling, Victoria, BC
Volunteer Lead, EcoStewards & Dedicated Invasive Removal Team - Stanley Park Ecology Society
Yearly participation at Insight Meditation retreats with teachers such as bruni davila, Pascal Auclair, and Anushka Fernandopulle - Insight Retreat Center, Santa Cruz, CA & BC Insight Meditation Society
GET IN TOUCH.
If you would like to book a complimentary 20-minute Discovery Video Call consult or have any questions, please reach out to me by filling out the form below.
If you have not heard from me in more than 1 week, please check your spam folder.