Lavender Counsellors

Finding the right counsellor to support you is incredibly important.
Finding the right counsellor to support you is incredibly important. You want someone who is professionally trained in supporting your specific issue and who feels comfortable for you to talk with. Research has consistently shown that the relationship you have with your counsellor contributes more to you making change than any other factor.1 Relationship is considered the single most curative component in therapy.2 It might surprise you that your relationship with your counsellor has so much influence on you making change. But, take a moment to consider how much you respond to support from someone you don’t genuinely like or respect. Clients attribute their positive therapy outcomes to therapists3 who are “warm, attentive, interested, understanding, and respectful”.4
Our team is made up of highly skilled counsellors who go through rigorous hiring practices to ensure they meet the Lavender Counselling standard for care. As a group, we value the client-counsellor relationship so highly that all of our counsellors offer a complimentary conversation (20 minutes) so you can get a sense of the counsellor and ensure that it is a good fit. If you don’t feel like you connect, we welcome you to do a complimentary conversation with as many of our counsellors as you wish in order to find just the right counsellor for you. If 20 minutes doesn’t feel long enough for you to get a sense of the counsellor, you can book a full 50 minute session and we will pro-rate your fee to half price to ensure you get the benefit of our complimentary conversation.
Take a look at our individual bios and pay attention to which counsellor you seem to be drawn to. We look forward to meeting you.
Registered Clinical Counsellors
Jenn Moudahi
MA, RCC, CCC
- Teens 14+ | Adults | Clinical Consultation | FNHA
- Parenting
- Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Infertility
- Life Transistions, Self-Growth
- Grief and Loss
- Trauma, PTSD
Andrea Colliar
M.Ed., RCC, CCC
- Teens | Adults | Couples
- Anxiety & Depression
- Parenting & Relationship Issues
- Trauma & PTSD
- Grief & Loss
Jane Whitlaw
M.Ed., RCC
- Teens 17+ | Adults | FNHA | Clinical Supervision/Consultation
- Complex Trauma CPTSD
- Attachment
- Relationships
- Anxiety
- Addictions
- PTSD
Andrew Peterson
MA, CCC
- 6+ | Adults
- Depression/Anxiety
- Self-Harm
- Neurodivergence
- Gender Identity
- Stress/Burnout
- CVAP
Caitlin Zalm
MCP, RCC
- Adults
- ADHD/Neurodiversity
- Anxiety/Depression
- Trauma/PTSD
- Self-worth/Not good enough
- Gender Identity
Hannah Nguyen
M.Ed., RCC, CCC
- Children | Teens | Adults
- Anxiety & Depression
- Intercultural concerns
- Relationship & Boundaries
- Teachers & Administrators
- CVAP
Heidi Maxwell
MA, RCC
- 13+ | Adults
- Post-Trauma
- Meaning & Purpose
- Emotional & Somatic Work
- Gender Identity
- Grief & Loss
- CVAP
Chantel Van Vliet
MC, RCC
- Teens | Adults | Couples
- Chronic Pain
- Chronic Illness
- Infertility
- Womans Health
- CVAP
Jo Sawa
MC, RCC, RSW
- 13+ Teens | Adults
- Anxiety & Depression
- Eating Disorders
- Overwhelm, Stree & Burnout
- Identity Exploration & Self-Development
- Parent-Teen Conflict
Brittany Lasanen
MA, RCC
- Adults | Clinical Consultation
- Feeling inadequate
- Perfectionism
- Grief & Loss (pet loss)
- Fear & Overwhelm
- CVAP
Allison Esau
M.Ed., RCC, CCC
- Teens | Adults | Clinical Consultation
- Challenges for Teenagers
- LGBTQ+ Issues
- Religious /Spiritual Trauma
- Regulating Emotions
- CVAP
Selena Light
MA, RCC
- 15+ | Adults | Couples
- Interpersonal/Familial Issues
- Depression/Anxiety
- Life Transitions
- Self Esteem Issues
- Emotion Dysregulation
- Grief & Loss
John Murray
MA, RCC, CCC, CT
- Adults | Couples
- Clinical Consultation
- Trauma, PTSD
- Chronic pain
- Suicidal thinking
- Grief & loss
Kate Mackay
M.Ed., RCC
- Teens | Adults
- Academic/school related issues
- Anxiety & Depression
- Emotional distress
- Relationship issues
Carolynn Turner
MA, RCC, CCC, CT
- Only working with
- Counsellors
- Supervision, Supervision of Supervision,
- Consent Agreements
Ali Alexander
MA, RCC, CCC
- Teens | Adults | Clinical Consultation
- Sports related stress & anxiety
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Trauma
- CVAP
Jenn Moudahi
MA, RCC, CCC
Sometimes in life we experience a loss of connection with ourselves and those around us, leaving us feeling unfulfilled and looking for change. Perhaps you’re feeling overwhelmed, distressed, numb, or detached. Maybe you bounce around feeling many of these things, frustrated to be stuck on an emotional rollercoaster.
Counselling can help with navigating and making sense of these emotions, moving you towards connection, clarity, and purpose. In our sessions together, I commit to creating an environment of warmth and acceptance. I encourage curiosity and openness. And I believe that you are the expert of your story.
My path to counselling was a winding adventure. I grew up dancing and am truly at home in the dance world; previously teaching and performing as a semi-professional dancer. However, this lifestyle wasn’t a good fit for me, so I shifted into a Registered Massage Therapy career—the human body amazes me! Aside from my clinical work, I taught and supervised massage therapy students at Vancouver Career College and assisted with continuing education courses for RMTs. But…I felt like I was missing an important part of the human experience. Turns out, I don’t just love the biology of the human body, I love PEOPLE and everything we encompass. I completed my MACP and have found another place that I am at home…here at Lavender Counselling. In addition to 1-on-1 counselling, I enjoy leading workshops and psychoeducational groups, and have co-authored an Advanced Empathy group for counsellors and Burnout workshop for health professionals. Currently, I am grateful to engage in many passions; working as a counsellor, teaching dance fitness, and authoring children’s books. You can also find me reading or crafting, exploring BC’s beautiful outdoors with my husband and kids, or playing board games a little too competitively.
I offer counselling for individuals 14+ looking for support in various areas such as: parenting and pregnancy, miscarriage and infertility, stress and life transitions (eg. becoming a parent, pursuing new passions/changing careers, or any change in your life), trauma and PTSD, grief and loss, emotional distress or numbness, and personal development and growth. I would love to meet you and find out if we’re a good fit! Staying connected to my own Indigenous background, I am delighted to be a Mental Health Provider with First Nations Health Authority. If you are able to access support through FNHA, please send me an email to confirm availability and discuss pre-approval. Rate: $165/ 50min Session
Email:
jenn@lavendercounselling.comLocation
Andrea Colliar
M.Ed., RCC, CCC
Phone
Location
Jane Whitlaw
M.Ed., RCC
Email:
jane@lavendercounselling.comPhone
Andrew Peterson
MA, CCC
Location
Caitlin Zalm
MCP, RCC
Location
Hannah Nguyen
M.Ed., RCC, CCC
Location
Heidi Maxwell
MA, RCC
Location
Chantel Van Vliet
MC, RCC
There is immense change that can occur through being heard and seen and I believe that every person is deserving of such a space, especially when we are faced with obstacles and challenges in life.
I offer counselling for adults, teens/tweens, and couples, with a specialization in chronic pain, chronic illness, infertility, and supporting caregivers. Other areas I work with include: women’s health, depression, anxiety, life transitions/stress, first responders and sex therapy/ sexuality.
Living with chronic pain, illness, or infertility can be a debilitating and confusing experience that not only wreaks havoc on you emotionally and physically, but it can leave you feeling invalidated and invisible. It can make you feel like you no longer have any choice over what happens to you, or that your choice was not even considered, whether it be medical treatment or personally. You might feel weighed down by an array of emotions such as sadness, anger, hopelessness, or anxiety, and at other times it can make you feel not much at all, stricken by a sense of emptiness, feeling lost or stuck.
As a caregiver you might be yearning for a space where you canbe truly heard in your experience whether it be to explore burnout, discuss feelings of isolation, or coming to terms with what it means to take care of someone who is sick or no longer the person you use to know.
For whatever reason you find yourself here, I offer a space where you will feel deeply seen and understood. As you are the expert of your story, my approach stems from a place of curiosity and open-mindedness. In the space we create together, I will honor your story, allowing space for any emotions, thoughts or physical experiences to be felt and gently explored.
My lived experience, as well as my volunteering in the support groups and support line at Pain BC, have provided me an opportunity to develop a multidimensional understanding of chronic pain and illness and how to support this population. Moreover, I devoted my capstone to better understanding the mental health impact of infertility in females, which has shaped my counselling perspective.
Through my own experiences with counselling, I recognize the impact that talking to a counsellor can have and hope to provide similar benefits to others. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my adorable cat Nyah, and my loud and large family, which includes our weekly family dinners.
I recognize that it takes a lot of courage to not only start counselling but share your life story with a counsellor. I look forward to exploring your story together.
$145.00 per session
Location
Jo Sawa
MC, RCC, RSW
Email:
jo@lavendercounselling.comLocation
Brittany Lasanen
MA, RCC
Location
Allison Esau
M.Ed., RCC, CCC
Location
Selena Light
MA, RCC
Location
John Murray
MA, RCC, CCC, CT
Email:
john@lavendercounselling.comLocation
Kate Mackay
M.Ed., RCC
- -anxiety & depression
- -stress & life transitions
- -relationship issues
- -trauma
- -grief & loss
- -personal development & growth
- -academic/school related issues
- -emotional distress
Email:
kate@lavendercounselling.comLocation
Carolynn Turner
MA, RCC, CCC, CT
Ali Alexander
MA, RCC, CCC
Email:
ali@lavendercounselling.comLocation
Master’s Level Practicum Student
Zahra Remtulla
Master's Level Practicum Student
- M.Ed.
- Teens | Adults
Stephen Anderson (he/him)
Master's Level Practicum Student
- Student, Masters of Counselling
- Teens | Adults
Zahra Remtulla
Master's Level Practicum Student
Phone
Location
Stephen Anderson (he/him)
Master's Level Practicum Student

