Welcome! I am pleased to announce the launch of a new website for my practice as a Registered Clinical Counsellor and psychotherapist. I encourage you to take some time to have a look around my site and learn about how I help people like you successfully face tough challenges. You may already be familiar with the services that are offered by Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCC). Even so, it is worth knowing that RCC’s have:

• a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology from a recognized and accredited university
• completed a comprehensive clinical internship
• the ability to develop and implement treatment plans for clients, and to evaluate the effectiveness of their work
• the professional obligation to adhere to a Scope of Practice and Code of Ethics.

In order to be effective in my work with clients, I engage in consultation with experienced counsellors, ongoing training, and have an active commitment to looking after my own well-being.

People from all walks of life come to counselling for a variety of different reasons, and look to get different things out of participating in therapy. Counselling can be about seeking support working through something difficult currently happening in your life. It can be about tackling a long-standing problem that just won’t seem to go away. Therapy can even focus on taking what is working ‘well enough’ in your life and finding ways for you to thrive. I work with people facing a variety of challenges including:

• grief after a significant loss
• difficulty adjusting to transitions in life
• anger that has the upper hand in relationships
• loneliness and isolation
• difficult or traumatic experiences that make returning to work difficult

I have a strong focus on depression, anxiety, and relationships in my practice. These are very common concerns that bring many people to seek out working with a therapist. I regularly support clients to successfully deal with these challenges.

Have your health care providers suggested to you that some of the physical problems you are trying to heal might be related to your mood, anxiety, or have a ‘psychological’ aspect?

Has receiving bodywork or discussing a health issue with your GP brought up strong emotions?

Do you have the sense that ongoing stress, relationship conflicts, anxiety, or low mood, are impacting your health?

If so, you are not be alone in this. Why? Because, our bodies are not separate from our emotions, what is happening in our minds, or how we act. These aspects of yourself are not only inter-related but are in fact different aspects of one and the same thing – YOU! It’s like the different faces on the dice you use for playing games or the individual panels on a soccer ball. Different parts of the same thing; not separate, and all completely inter-related. It may seem like a small and obvious thing but the impact on your well-being is immense.

With this in mind, one way to practice therapy is with an awareness of your body as part of the process of promoting healing and creating change. I bring ongoing training and an active focus on the role of the body in therapy, to my work with clients. Some people refer to this as somatic or body-oriented psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy is not a ‘cure-all’ for your tough challenges, although it can be an effective way to enhance your well-being and work through difficulties. As I have mentioned, counselling can complement the care you are receiving from your Registered Massage Therapist, GP, Acupuncturist, Chiropractor, Physiotherapist, or Naturopathic Physician. By creating a safe space for exploring your concerns you can develop a deeper understanding of what is happening to you, and how you can create positive change in your life. You might be dealing with very difficult problems and change isn’t always easy. But timely and effective counselling can make the difference in how you overcome obstacles.

Check back over the coming months! I will be posting blogs related to wellness topics and counselling. This will be a way of sharing helpful information that can support you with the challenges you are facing. In future blogs, I’ll touch on more deeply on topics related to depression, anxiety, relationships, somatic psychotherapy, emotional health, and creating positive change.

Be well!

Grant is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC #11135) and psychotherapist practicing in Vancouver, BC. He brings a warm, caring, and clear-minded, approach to working with his clients. Depression, anxiety, and relationships are important areas of focus in his practice. He received a Master of Counselling degree from City University in Vancouver, and he is actively engaged in ongoing training and education as a psychotherapist. Outside of his work he can be found spending time with family, hiking, dancing, indulging in his love of reading, enjoying the arts, and spending time outdoors in our beautiful region. Find out more about Grant’s counselling practice at www.grantmcmahon.ca. He can be contacted by email at therapy@grantmcmahon.ca, and by phone or text at 778.865.4908.