Hello and thanks for stopping by!

My name is Athena (she/her). I live and work on the unceded homelands of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim speaking peoples (colonially known as Burnaby, BC). For over a decade I worked in the anti-violence sector supporting survivors of childhood abuse, intimate partner violence and adult sexual assault. After returning to school to complete my BSW in 2021, I’m now a student in the clinical MSW program at the University of Calgary, and working on my practicum.

I am a Black (Afro Caribbean), queer, cisgender woman, child of immigrants; fat, polyamorous, and living with invisible and visible disabilities, chronic illness, and pain. I’m also a neurodiverse parent with two incredible neurodiverse children.

As an individual belonging to multiple equity deserving groups, my lifelong liberatory work is shaped by anti-racism and anti-oppression theory, intersectionality, abolition, transformative justice, disability justice, queer theory, fat liberation, and a personal commitment to ongoing decolonial practice. These ideologies and their related past and present movements strengthen and empower me; shaping my perspectives and how I show up in the world.

At the heart of my therapeutic practice is the belief that regardless of our experiences, each of us possesses an inherent capacity for healing and transformation. With a trauma-informed and person-centered approach, I hope to join you on your journey towards brighter days. Frameworks that will inform and support our work include client-centered and narrative therapies.

Engaging in therapy is a brave and vulnerable act. If you wonder if someone like me could support someone like you in your healing, please contact me for a 15-minute consultation.

I look forward to connecting with you!

Hello and thanks for stopping by! My name is Athena (she/her). I live and work on the unceded ho... Read More

Janine Binanitan (she/her) is a first-generation immigrant from the Philippines, a woman of colour and a settler on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Katzie, Kwantlen, Semiahoo, Kwikwetlem, Qayqayt, and Tsawwassen Nations. As an able-bodied, cis, and middle-class woman, Janine acknowledge the points of privileges and oppression attached and experienced within the intersections of her identities and social locations that inform and shape her practice.

Janine is drawn into taking her master’s degree in counselling after working in education and settlement sector for over five years. Meeting and working with incredible individuals with diverse lived experiences from across the globe inspired Janine to continuously find ways to fill the gaps within the systems and make space for the voices that are often marginalized. She is passionate about community building and strengthening individuals’ capacities for growth. Janine sees the need for an equitable and inclusive practice that not only acknowledge but celebrate the lived experiences of many beautiful people who now call so-called Canada as their home.

Janine centers her counselling practice in kindness, joy, and humanizing the therapeutic space. She sees opportunities working with folx as a privilege and like herself, she acknowledges that life and experiences that come with it are a continuous process of being and becoming and it is worthy of holding a safe and courageous space to explore.

Janine Binanitan (she/her) is a first-generation immigrant from the Philippines, a woman of colou... Read More

Nav is a gay, cis, non-disabled, second generation, racialized settler. His parents immigrated to these lands from India and he was born and raised in what is colonially known as Surrey; the stolen unceded, ancestral territories of the Semiahmoo, Katzie, Kwikwetlem, Kwantlen, Qayqayt, Musqueam, and Tsawwassen Nations.

Nav has recently graduated with his Master of Counselling degree at City University and is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with the BCACC. He strives to practice from a place of cultural humility, and views the world through queer, social justice, and anti-oppressive lenses. He attributes his outlook to his lived experiences and positions, to the

journey of exploring and embracing his personal and cultural identity.

Nav is passionate about working with individuals who feel isolated from themselves or the world around them. He believes in the resilience of the human spirit, and the healing power of storytelling. His focus is on queer and gender diverse identity, minority experiences, identity exploration, life transitions, anxiety, and depression. He hopes to create anon-judgmental, compassionate, and collaborative space for clients to share and explore their stories.

When he is not working, Nav finds joy in other pursuits that nourish his mind and spirit. Experimenting in the kitchen, reading and writing, being a plant dad, and exploring worlds of make-believe with his partner and friends playing tabletop roleplaying games.

Nav is a gay, cis, non-disabled, second generation, racialized settler. His parents immigrated to... Read More

Hi, my name is Larissa and introducing myself as counsellor feels strange.

Introducing some of my identities and cultures seems like a common starting point, so I’ll begin there. I am queer. I am a cis-female. And I come from a mixed family. My mom’s family are settles from Europe, and my dad’s family, are Indigenous from Skowkale First Nation, and I am somewhere in-between (=

Beyond these identities, some others that are important to me are that I am a cat momma (we have two kittens, Winnie and Waffles that bring me so much joy). I love being outdoors, sometimes that means hanging out in the woods, sometimes going for a walk by the water and sometimes just sitting on our patio. I also enjoy watching the Edmonton Oilers play (though I am definitely not a hockey expert lol).

Thinking about my identity as a counsellor, it definitely stems from my personal values. One that is important to me is authenticity, with that, I commit to bringing my authentic self into sessions. Another that’s important to me is being present in the moment, with this, I like to incorporate meditation and mindfulness into sessions (though this is always an option and never a requirement). In general, I tend to look at counselling as a conversation. A conversation where folks share what they feel comfortable with. Sometimes that means coming to session with a specific problem or difficulty and sometimes that looks like exploring what comes up that day. Overall, my aim as a counsellor is to support folks and help them navigate their experiences, including any barriers, struggles, and/or achievements.

Hi, my name is Larissa and introducing myself as counsellor feels strange. Introducing some of m... Read More