Counselling & Support Services

Nan Hsieh, BScN, MA, RCC is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with over 35 years experience providing educational and personal counselling for adolescents, adults, couples, and families. In her professional role as a nurse, Nan worked in psychiatric settings and oncology and, as a nursing instructor, she supervised student nurses developing their clinical relationships with clients, primarily in psychiatry and gerontology. During this time, she developed a workbook/manual with strategies to assist caregivers in dealing with a family member with dementia. She has also worked with clients who have experienced abuse and trauma and received training from Victoria Sexual Assault Centre (VSAC) and Vancouver Island Counselling Center for Immigrants and Refugees (VICCIR), where, at the former, she served as a senior support resource for the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART).

In her role as a counsellor, Nan values establishing a confidential and collaborative relationship with her clients. She uses a variety of therapeutic approaches specifically geared to the needs of her clients and works in consultation with them to establish goals and strategies that she and they, both agree will be helpful and beneficial. Nan firmly believes that everyone has their own unique strengths, abilities, and self-knowledge and, with support and guidance, can develop the skills needed to address their current concerns.

Nan’s approach takes into account that, as human beings, most of us need a little assistance to work through some of the challenges that life throws our way. Sometimes we develop unhealthy and negative thought patterns and resulting behaviours that can leave us with feelings of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. These feelings can further manifest as relationship problems, unhealthy coping mechanisms or a general sense of dissatisfaction and lack of meaning. Or we may feel overwhelmed by situational life changes that we feel are out of our control such as parenting issues, caregiver fatigue, and work-related problems including bullying. Some may be in an abusive relationship or dealing with past trauma.

Nan’s approach is client centered and draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Narrative Therapy, Parts Therapy (IFS style), Somatic Therapy, Imago Therapy, visualization, and solution-focused therapy. She also employs mindfulness techniques, and self-compassion theories to assist clients to lean into the changes that they wish to make in their life. Nan’s goal is to partner with her clients to increase resilience and trust her client’s ability to face each challenge in life as it arises. Based on experiences and cultural backgrounds, we have a variety of ways of processing information and communicating and we can learn about ourselves and others by being curious and seeking to understand where the other person is coming from. Nan’s hope always is that her relationships with clients will be a shared learning opportunity for both client and counsellor. Nan welcomes clients from a diversity of cultures, religions, ethnic, gender and sexual backgrounds.