Services
Counselling Services in Whistler for Mental Health & Wellness
I offer a range of counselling services designed to support individuals and families in Whistler and the Sea-to-Sky region.
My services are tailored to meet the needs of those dealing with addiction, trauma, grief, anxiety, and other mental health concerns.
One-on-one sessions focused on supporting your personal mental health and wellness. I work with clients dealing with a wide range of issues, including anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and life transitions. Together, we’ll develop a personalized approach to help you heal, grow, recover, and achieve your goals.
$160 per session
Helping couples navigate relationship challenges, improve communication, and strengthen emotional bonds. Whether you're working through conflict, rebuilding trust, or seeking to enhance your connection, couples counselling provides a safe space for both partners to express themselves and find common ground.
$190 per session
Providing specialized support for children and adolescents facing emotional, behavioural, or developmental challenges. From anxiety and peer issues to trauma and family changes, I help young people build resilience and develop coping strategies in a nurturing and supportive environment.
$160 per session
Supporting parents through difficult transitions and challenges, such as high-conflict separation and divorce. Co-parenting counselling fosters open communication and provides parents with necessary skills in order to communicate more effectively and with a better understanding of each others perspectives. The primary focus is to ensure their child/children's interests are met.
Co-parenting Counselling:
Protecting children from the conflict of separation or divorce is central to the collaborative process. Children often get caught in the middle when emotions run high between parents and are exposed to adult issues they are not prepared to experience. Co-parenting counselling assists parents with creating a plan that fits the needs of the children and assists with communication in the collaborative and co-parenting process. Ian helps parents prioritize their needs and goals for their family and addresses problems and concerns around parenting issues.
$265 per session
Offering compassionate, evidence-based support for those struggling with addiction, including alcohol, drugs, gambling, and other addictive behaviours. Together, we’ll explore harm reduction strategies, recovery plans, and tools to help you regain control and find balance in your life.
Addiction is a complex and challenging battle, often accompanied by feelings of pain, shame, frustration, and fear. Whether you’re grappling with your own addiction or supporting a loved one through their struggle, finding effective guidance and support is crucial.
With over 20 years of experience working in mental health and addictions and applying evidence-based addiction techniques, Ian is well equipped to support you or your loved one navigate this difficult journey. His deep understanding of addiction, both from a professional and personal perspective, allows him to offer compassionate and informed support through a non-judgmental lens. Ian is dedicated to helping individuals and families achieve recovery by providing comprehensive care, including assessment, education, advocacy, and access to community resources.
Ian’s approach is grounded in professional ethics and a commitment to living in the present while working towards a fulfilling and healthy future. Ian’s approach is not just to treat the symptoms of addiction, he empowers clients to regain control of their life and build a meaningful and fulfilling future.
His lived experience with the challenges that families face when addiction affects a loved one enhances his ability to offer empathetic and effective support. Whether you need guidance, resources, or just someone who understands, Ian is here to help you find a path to recovery and well-being.
$160 per session
A person becomes traumatized when the circumstances of their life become so overwhelming that their nervous system is not able to process what is going on. When left untreated, trauma tends to become “stuck” and may form patterns that are difficult to break. This can take the form of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, or simply unhelpful ways of relating to the world and other people. Trauma takes away our ability to problem-solve and invites us to become reactive rather than responsive.
Ian’s approach to treating trauma is gently, proactive and evidence-based. In many cases it is important to look into the source of negative patterns, where our thought patterns come from, and why we think the way we do. When dealing with difficult material, it is important to take this slowly, so that the client is able to remain present, and does not become overwhelmed. By carefully processing trauma this way, clients can begin to engage in even the most difficult aspects of their life in a productive and healing way.
$160 per session
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the
therapeutic potential of psychedelic substances for mental health treatment. Psychedelic Assisted Therapy (PAT) is an emerging therapeutic approach that combines the use of psychedelics and psychotherapy. Research studies suggest that psychedelic-assisted therapy can help improve symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), addiction, and end-of-life anxiety. It is important to note that the use of psychedelic substances is not without risks and should be
approached with caution and guidance from a certified
psychedelic therapist to ensure safe use.
What is Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration Therapy?
Psychedelic therapy involves four key processes, assessment, preparation, harm reduction, and integration, to support safe and meaningful psychedelic use. Psychedelics can produce intense and powerful experiences, both positive and negative, and preparation (set and setting) and integration can help you navigate these experiences in a way that elicits healing and supports your mental and emotional well-being.
Preparation: Some common practices involved in psychedelic preparation include journaling, meditation, mindfulness exercises, breathwork and connecting with a trusted support system. Reflecting on the reasons for taking psychedelics, what outcomes you hope to achieve, and any concerns of fears that might come up for you prior to dosing is an important part of the process. Cultivating a positive mindset is essential, as it can help you approach the experience with an open mind, curiosity, and a willingness to learn and grow. With careful planning and preparation, you will enhance the safety and effectiveness of your psychedelic experience, which will support you through continued growth, personal development, and healing.
Psychedelic Harm Reduction: Also known as PHR – is a client-centered approach to working with people in a therapeutic environment which involves educating clients on the substance being used for therapeutic journey’s, assessing client’s suitability – contraindications, dosing recommendations, setting intentions, and creating a safe and supportive environment for the experience. Additional harm reduction approaches will be discussed during the preparation phase.
Psychedelic Integration Therapy: Is a crucial, if not the most important step in the psychedelic journey. Integration involves taking the insights, lessons, and experiences gained from the psychedelic experience and integrating them into your everyday life. Without integration, the insights and lessons will fade away and the experience can feel like a distant memory. By integrating the experience, you can create and develop meaning which reinforces learning and insight, promoting long-lasting change in your life.
Psychedelics have been proven to promote neuroplasticity, the process through which the brain modifies, changes, and adapts structure and function in response to the environment. New neuroplasticity allows for greater change and adaptability. When combing psychedelics and psychotherapy, integration offers the opportunity to reinforce change in beliefs and behaviours that may have been initiated through altered states of consciousness.
Who is Psychedelic Assisted Therapy for?Psychedelic therapy is an approach meant to support clients who have treatment-resistant depression, suicidal ideation, or who have tried multiple treatment modalities such as medication and/or talk therapy with limited success. PAT is also proven effective with ameliorating end-of-life anxiety.
This therapeutic paradigm can be helpful if you are wanting to gain insight, expand the mind, and/or are feeling stuck with traditional therapy modalities.
Ian is a trained and skilled psychotherapist and Psychedelic Assisted Therapist with years of clinical and psychedelic experience who will guide you through your journey in a safe, comfortable, and supportive environment.
*Disclaimer: The therapist is in no way involved in helping the client obtain psychedelic substances and therapy will not be conducted while clients are under the influence of psychedelics.
Have more questions about psychedelics?
Feel free to set up a phone call, online, or in person meet and greet to discuss if psychedelic harm reduction and Integration is right for you.
Resources:
Michael Pollan Quote: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9694300-mendel-kaelen-a-dutch-postdoc-in-the-imperial-lab-proposes
Ethical and Legal Issues in Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration Therapy: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33827588/
Behavioural Psychedelics: Integrating Mind and Behaviour to Improve Health and Resilience: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35360129/
Individual Experiences in Four Cancer Patients Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29666578/
Dying to live: The power of Transcendence in the Treatment of Existential Anxiety: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338686381_Dying_to_live_The_power_of_transcendence_in_the_treatment_of_existential_anxiety
$160 per session
