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The counselling process can help transform our losses into new values, beliefs, and goals. Our past does not have to be our future. We can create new beginnings and meaning in life.
Through our services, we will join with you to move towards greater self-knowledge, confidence, and healing.
Our program provides free individual and group counselling for women who have experienced sexual assault, childhood trauma, and/or intimate partner abuse. We acknowledge that abuse can be emotional, mental, physical, sexual, and /or spiritual.
We offer Short-Term, Long-Term and Group Counselling:
Short-Term Crisis Counselling
Women who have experienced a physical assault by an intimate partner or a sexual assault within the past six months are eligible for up to eight (8) sessions of immediate crisis counselling. We emphasize your safety planning and emotional stabilization through skill-building and emotional support.
Long-Term Counselling
Women often experience extended periods of depression, anxiety/panic, low self-esteem, and relational difficulties related to traumatic stress. We provide longer term one-to-one counselling for those who need more support to recover from the effects of traumatic stress.
Please note: there is usually a waiting list for this type of counselling.
GROUP COUNSELLING
We strongly encourage you to participate in our groups. Groups help to lessen feelings of shame and isolation. Women report that the group experience is an especially self-empowering one.
We offer a variety of groups such as Anger, Boundaries and Communication (ABC), Assertiveness for Women, Self-Esteem, Emotional Eating, Moving Forward: Beyond Survival (childhood sexual abuse) and Understanding and Coping With Trauma Stress.
All our Trauma Counsellors have a Masters-level education, plus specialized training to work with women who have experienced abuse.
We can also create trauma-related educational presentations for laypersons and professionals.
We use a “three-phased” approach to trauma counselling:
- PHASE ONE will help you establish safety, educate yourself about the psychology involved, and learn how to manage your trauma responses (e.g. feelings of being overwhelmed and unable to cope).
- PHASE TWO looks at your past experiences of personal trauma. It explores how that trauma has – and continues to - affect you.
- PHASE THREE involves addressing any remaining difficulties in your life, as well as working to fully connect in your relationships with others.
Groups are offered at various times throughout the year,
for more information or to register please call our In-Take Service at
604-536-9611 ext. 230
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ABC (Anger, Boundaries & Communications)
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 Our ABC Group is for women who have experienced childhood trauma, sexual assault, or relationship abuse
Anger is one of the most common emotions for women with a history of abuse. It is a healthy emotion – but one that is often acted-out in an overly-aggressive manner or passively withheld.
Learn how to better express your anger in a respectful, non-abusive, appropriately assertive manner, through guided mini-talks, self-scored quizzes, artwork, and rehearsal of new skills.
This is a ten-week closed group.
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Assertiveness Training For Women
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We discuss the factors that often make assertiveness more difficult for women. These include stress, the expectations of others, one's gender, and deeply-held beliefs about assertiveness relating to one's own place in the world.
Learn useful strategies through direct teaching, demonstrations, in-session practice and between-session practice. The group will introduce a variety of assertiveness skills, designed for use in different situations.
This is a ten-week closed group.
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Emotional Eating Group
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Trauma survivors often use food as a coping strategy.
This group will focus on the underlying emotional triggers to emotional eating. It will also examine new ways to help you create healthier eating patterns.
This is a ten-week closed group.
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Moving Forward: Beyond Survival
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Our Moving Forward Group is for women who have experienced childhood sexual abuse. Participation can provide you the opportunity to better understand its impact in your life.
Topics will include: up-to-date knowledge about the effects of childhood sexual abuse; common responses to the abuse; feelings toward the offender; flashbacks and nightmares; feelings of shame, anger and depression; and sexuality.
* This is a therapy group. Potential group members must have done considerable individual and group counselling prior to joining. A screening session with the group facilitators is required in order to ensure that we can provide a good fit for the participants.
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Self Esteem Group
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 Our Self-Esteem Group is for women who have experienced childhood trauma, sexual assault or relationship abuse. Most women who have suffered trauma experience feelings of low self-esteem.
This group explores how our own thinking, our family-of-origin, women’s socialization and media images can all influence your self-esteem. Learn how you can let go of impossible perfectionism, how you can practice self-care, how you can assert your needs and maintain healthy relationships.
This is a 10-week closed group.
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Understanding & Coping with Trauma Stress
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This group provides important information for women who have experienced childhood trauma, sexual assault, or relationship abuse
All of us experience stress in our lives. Unfortunately, too much stress plays havoc with our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Abuse and violence are extreme traumatic stressors. The focus of this group is to help you better understand the real effects that such traumatic stress has on your wellbeing.
You will be able to identify your current survival strategies, then work to develop new, healthy, self-soothing techniques, grounding, and other coping skills.
This a six-week closed group. Participants are not required to share their personal stories.
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