Counselling in Nelson, BC
Counselling that integrates Somatic Experiencing®, mindfulness, and optional touch work for transformation that reaches beyond insight
I'm a Registered Clinical Counsellor offering integrated counselling that brings together talk therapy, body awareness, and practical tools for lasting change. Whether you're navigating anxiety, relationship patterns, or sensing that life could hold more ease and meaning, we'll work together to create transformation that reaches beyond intellectual insight into embodied experience.
My approach weaves Somatic Experiencing® principles, mindfulness practices, and optional touch work into sessions tailored to your needs. Most extended health plans cover RCC services.
How sessions work
Sessions are shaped by what you need and how your nervous system naturally processes experience. Some clients need to tell their story; others find that too much talking gets in the way of deeper healing. Both pathways are valid, and we'll discover together what serves you best.
Meeting you where you are
We might begin with the question or concern that brought you here today. Some clients find relief in being heard, in having space to unpack what they're carrying. If telling your story feels important, I'll listen fully—not derailing your train of thought, but also gently noticing what happens in your body as you speak. Where does your breath catch? When does your voice shift? These subtle cues often reveal what words alone cannot.
Other clients arrive already sensing that talking hasn't been enough—that something in their body needs attention. For them, we might move more quickly into somatic awareness, letting the body's wisdom guide our exploration.
Working with body awareness
Whether we arrive here immediately or gradually, body-centred work involves noticing physical sensations with curiosity: the tightness in your chest, the flutter in your stomach, the way your shoulders carry tension. I'll guide you to track these sensations, watching how they shift and change.
We work in small, manageable pieces—what Somatic Experiencing® practitioners call titration. We might touch briefly on a challenging sensation or memory, then return to a place of calm or stability. This gentle oscillation allows your nervous system to process without becoming overwhelmed.
Following what emerges
As we track sensations and stay present with your experience, you may notice spontaneous movements, shifts in breathing, waves of emotion, or unexpected insights. These are signs of your nervous system finding its way toward resolution. My role is to support this natural unfolding, whether it expresses through words, sensations, movements, or silence.
Integration happens in multiple ways
For some, understanding creates the opening for change—making connections between past experiences and current patterns, seeing the through-line of your story with fresh eyes. For others, change happens through the body first, with understanding following later. Most often, intellectual insight and embodied transformation are an interwoven process.
Building capacity over time
Whether our work together emphasizes talking, body awareness, or a fluid integration of both, the goal is the same: expanding your nervous system's flexibility, deepening your capacity for self-awareness, and helping you live with more ease and authenticity.
Touch work in counselling
Touch work can support healing in ways that talk alone sometimes cannot. It may help when:
Talk therapy has created insights but you're seeking the felt experience of change
You notice your body holds tension, bracing, or shutdown patterns
You feel disconnected from your body or stuck in your head
You want to experience co-regulation—your nervous system finding safety and ease in connection
You're working with early developmental wounds that existed before you had words
You need access to healing that happens beneath the level of language
When touch work feels right for you, it may take different forms:
Brief seated contact during regular counselling sessions—a hand on your shoulder, grounding touch—to support regulation or deepen awareness of sensations as they arise.
Table work when appropriate and desired. This deeper somatic work can be part of your counselling sessions and is billable as counselling with RCC coverage. Table work is more interactive than pure craniosacral therapy, with ongoing verbal dialogue as we track your experience together.
Touch work is completely optional and always proceeds with your consent. Many clients experience profound healing through talk-based somatic work without any physical contact.
When to choose counselling
Counselling is often the right fit when you:
Want to address specific life challenges or patterns through talk integrated with body awareness
Value insurance coverage through extended health benefits
Are interested in understanding yourself more deeply while creating practical change
Have done traditional talk therapy but sensed something was missing
You might explore craniosacral therapy instead or in addition when:
You want deep nervous system regulation through primarily non-verbal work
You're drawn to accessing healing beyond words
You benefit from profound states of rest and integration
Learn more about craniosacral therapy →
Many clients integrate both modalities over time, discovering what combination serves them best.
Who this approach serves
This work particularly resonates with those who have done traditional therapy but sense something is missing—you've gained insights but haven't seen lasting change in how you feel, your relationships, or your stress responses.
You might feel disconnected from your body or emotions. You're ready to engage with your whole self—mind, body, and spirit. You appreciate depth and nuance over quick fixes, and you're seeking lasting transformation, not just symptom relief.
If you've never found talk therapy interesting or compelling, or if you're simply curious about body-centred approaches, you're welcome here too.
Practical details
Sessions: 50 minutes standard, with 70 and 90-minute sessions available for deeper work
Frequency: Starting with weekly or biweekly sessions is often recommended to solidify real change. Ultimately this is your choice—it's not a requirement for working together. Sliding scale options available if this would help you access more frequent sessions.
Location: In-person sessions in Nelson, BC. Online counselling available throughout BC and some other Canadian provinces—contact me to inquire about specific locations.
Insurance: Most extended health plans cover RCC services. Table work integrated into counselling sessions is also covered.
Ready to begin?
Choosing a therapist is deeply personal. While my words here might give you a sense of my approach, many people need to have a real-time conversation to feel into whether this is a match.
I offer a complimentary 20-minute consultation by phone or video. I'd be glad to talk with you about what you're experiencing and how we might work together.
“Vanessa is truly an extraordinary counsellor - she’s warm and empathetic, and I always feel like I’m in a calm and safe space during our sessions. She’s taught me about the mind-body connections that exist, and helped me take a deeper look at who I am (and why I am that way). I would definitely recommend her to anyone!”