WHAT IF YOU COULD BE YOURSELF?

welcome

Hello and welcome! My name is Tamaki [they/them/theirs] (鹿野環).

Many modalities call on a therapist to meet the therapy participants where they are at. This, to me, means my lived experience is a part of my competence, and I am open about who I am.

A bit of background. I grew up in a confusing mix of cultures, heritages, and trauma. There was no space to be my authentic self. Showing who I was conflicted with what I needed to do to get to safety. This theme is so deeply entrenched in our society, and no amount of work I do can abolish oppression in a few decades. But, today, I navigate the harsh society authentically rather than automatically conforming out of fear and habit. My trauma informs my wisdom rather than hijacks it. My relationships grounds me not terrify me. I believe in therapy, whatever form it takes for each person.

I am a member of the following communities: POC / BIPOC / QTBIPOC, Asian, immigrant, 2SLGBTQAIQ+ (trans, pan, demi), neuro-spicy, art, disabled (non-apparent / invisible), JC, Gen X, action-based anti-oppression, harm reduction, and an ally to Indigenous sovereignty, Land Back, and people in legislated poverty. I am a registered clinical counsellor (RCC) on the unceded traditional ancestral territories of the the Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, and Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw Peoples (colonially known as Vancouver). I am mindful of putting my colonizer and credentialism privileges toward concrete actions for equity and social change.

a chest-up portrait of an Asian person with a medium gold skin tone and short nearly cropped black hair.

Please feel free to contact me or book a free initial consultation to discuss any questions you may have about me or my practice.

WHY COUNSELLING?

Today’s society is very confusing. There is a lot of information on trauma, systemic -isms, anti-oppression, neurodivergence, and cultural sensitivity. But then after all, then what?

So, what are we supposed to do to do well, be safe, and also be ourselves? You hold the answer and solution to this, and you already have all the resources you need to do it. Counselling is the process of helping you connect them and with them.

If I have them, why do I need counselling?
Because often expressing who we were contradicted with getting through, if what we were getting through were expectations, normativity, supremacy, and/or authoritarian parenting / schooling / work. We had to tuck away a lot of our uniqueness deep inside.

I know this is all kind of vague.
Yes, but on purpose. Therapy is distinctly different from people making assumptions about you or giving unsolicited advice or cookie-cuttering your solution before listening to you fully. As the cliche goes, all my training and techniques are only as good as how well I listen.

specialty

I support people working to overcome familial / childhood, cultural, social, interpersonal, or systemic trauma, particularly chronic trauma such as authoritarian parenting, -isms (such as racism, ableism), neurotypical-normativity, unhealthy relationships, and conditional “love.”

a closer up of the moss-covered base of a tree in a forest

What do I mean by trauma? For how I am using the term here, it is anything that you have had to survive. It could be anything from violence to daily degrading interactions including being told “why don’t you just…?” The trauma presentation is very personal. It could show up as anxiety, intense emotional reactions, lack of emotional responses, depression, internal(ized) conflicts, difficulty with trust (too much or too little), neurodivergent masking exertion, and/or even a sense of constant confusion.

I also support people working to unlearn racism, ableism, transphobia, xenophobia, classism, and other -isms. This ideology forms a great portion of the society we live in, and it is likely integrated into the worldviews of people living in it at a deep level. A person who genuinely desires to unlearn these biases and reduce their harms deserve an honest, confidential space to process it.

More specifically,

Reducing or managing anxiety, depression, dysregulation symptoms
Developing insight into surviving and thriving,
- Living authentically vs giving up privilege/safety.
- aligning with power for survival vs. resistance / fighting for equity
- authentic self in a cultural, religious, or corporate contexts
- Healing / managing trauma of systems (systemic racism, systemic ableism), including the society as the system.
Reducing, mitigating, or managing symptoms of trauma, shifting trauma from an obstacle to wisdom.
Unlearning -isms, cultural and/or internal
developing confidence and mastery to protect from new trauma
Developing a health relationship to conforming, Neurospicy-(un)masking, and complicity in the systems.

What does a session look like?

The basic approach is for you and me to co-create an optimum-for-you space for healing, and customizing sessions for you already starts there. For instance, if people interrupt you a lot, you and I may create lots of space for you. If you are in choice fatigue, I will offer more structure. How the session feels is a therapeutic intervention.

One constant is me, and how I interact with you and the space that (hopefully) feels different from the status quo of the society. Partly it is because of my culture. We, for the lack of better word, exist differently. A lot of our feeling adjectives are onomatopoeia of the body sensations. We feel and engage with time and generations differently, and we have an active relationship with negative spaces. Another part is because I have done a lot of work to unlearn the assumptions, implicit biases, and supremacist ideology.

tiled stairs surrounded by shrubs and trees in a marbled light from trees above

For most people, because we tend to operate around thoughts and reason in day-to-day, I will likely at some points suggest a different way of being. This may relate to art, body-centred / somatic, or “mindfulness” (I know that some of these have been overused, sometimes in harmful ways. Don’t worry – you and I will only pick the ones that you want to try).

I am trained in talk therapy, art therapy, EMDR, DBT, CBT, body-centred psychotherapy, ACT, and trauma-informed therapy.

Fees

Services are offered in provinces and territories of so-called Canada where my credentials allow me to offer these services. If you are outside BC, please contact me first.

Online Counselling or online art therapy $140 plus GST for a 60-minute session or $210 plus GST for a 90-minute session. When covered by a program (FNHA, ICBC, etc), the fees may be adjusted.

A limited number of free or half-cost counselling spots are available. Please inquire at info@experiential.studio.

Peer Consulting: $85 – $120 plus GST / hour

Initial Meeting: Free – please email or book from the client portal.

For any questions about the process of counselling and/or just to get a sense of how it feels to sit with me, please feel free to book an initial meet at my booking site.

Accessibility

I do not require explanations for why you are requesting accessibility options.

The video platform has a “hide self-view” function.

I have an additional webcam that is angled to reduce eye contact.

I have multiple microphones with different sound qualities. Please let me know if you would like me to switch.

Sudden or intense stimuli are only introduced with consent of the participants. Examples include a meditation bell, strobe lights, pulsers, vivid colours, both artificial and natural smoke and smells, textures, bright or fluorescent lights.

Note: Currently, only online counselling is offered. When transitioning to in-person, 1. I will choose a wheelchair-accessible office and bathroom, 2. it will be fragrance-free, VOC-reduced, and low stimuli, 3. 4. Everyone will be asked to wear tightly-fitted N95 masks / respirators, and 5. I will continue offering virtual / online sessions.

CONTACT

There are two ways to contact me. In both cases, please inform me of your location if outside BC.

Use the contact form or email. Due to the limited security of emails, please be mindful not to include details.
Book an initial consult directly from the booking site. (Please look for the account verification email from notifications@owlpractice.ca in the spam folder)

All questions are welcome, and I typically answer within two business days.

For all virtual appointments, your email address is used to create an account. Please let me know in advance if you do not consent to this use.

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