Hi, I'm Natasha!
I am a queer, disabled settler of Croatian and Ukrainian ancestry (pronouns: they/them) living on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen-speaking people (Victoria, BC). I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC – #24890) and an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) Candidate with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors. I bring over a decade of experience in the mental health and substance use field, having worked in various community and government roles. After many years working for publicly-funded programs, I decided to open my private practice in March 2025.
Counselling is a lifelong learning journey for both the counsellor and the client alike. I believe the space co-created between a counsellor and their client is sacred and should be treated with the utmost care and respect. I take accountability for my side of this professional relationship by:
- Engaging in my own counselling regularly
- Seeking consultation and advice from peers and mentors
- Continuously practicing self-reflection and self-care
- Dedicating time to learn new techniques, skills, and knowledge to enhance my craft
- Learning from and taking ownership over my mistakes when they happen
- Asking for feedback from my clients and incorporating any changes as needed
I request all new clients book a complimentary consultation to see if we are a good fit before working together. The rapport developed between the counsellor and the client is often the most important factor in the client being satisfied with therapy, so it’s essential that we work well together.
For those who join me in-person at my office in Fernwood, you will have the pleasure of meeting my shiba inu Joy (pictured below). While the shiba is not known to be the most therapeutic of animals, Joy is a 7 year old angel who is very sweet and cuddly. (She only shows her devious side at home, where she is quite the criminal when it comes to wayward cardboard and plastic).
Please note: If you do not get along with dogs, I am unable to offer you in-person appointments as Joy is a non-negotiable presence in my practice.
My Approach to Counselling
In my practice, I gently push my clients to set goals and achieve them, and to deepen their connections with themselves and the world around them. This happens in many ways, whether it is through learning new skills, psychoeducation, trauma processing – we will co-create the space needed for you to thrive.
I have training in the following modalities: Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), solution focused therapy (SFT), single session therapy (SST), general psychiatric management (GPM), internal family systems (IFS), and a number of other techniques in the treatment of PTSD and C-PTSD.
While there are many protocols that exist to treat specific conditions, I often find a blended approach that caters to each individual’s needs is generally the most successful in reducing distress and improving quality of life.
More About Me
My road to becoming a counsellor was different than most.
I started with a bachelor’s degree where I majored in psychology, primarily with the intention of working in research. However, a pretty cataclysmic event happened halfway through my undergraduate education – I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. To put it lightly, that completely upended my life.
Through the lens of being a patient in the mental health system, I began to realize two different things. One – I loved research, but I saw how big the gap was between research and reality. And two – I wanted to help people in a room, not a lab.
In my recovery, I had become a peer support worker and spent years facilitating peer support groups and working with individuals 1-1 who were struggling with their own mental health issues. At the same time, I was also getting into public speaking, designing workshops, and generally being loud about the lack of knowledge that ended up in the hands of the people who needed it most.
I’ve never been good at doing just one thing – I’ve always needed a bit of chaos in my life. So I decided to pursue a Master’s degree in something called Human Development, Learning, and Culture – which I think is best summarized by its location in the department of educational and counselling psychology at the University of British Columbia. As my many mentors and supervisors have told me over the years – “You took a different path, but you ended up in the same place.”
It was necessary for me to choose a degree that allowed me to take an interdisciplinary approach to the way I wanted to help people. I saw the pitfalls of having a siloed education from only one perspective, so I created a way forward for myself that was in alignment with my values. It wasn’t easy, but eventually I got permission from my graduate program to design my program the way I wanted – which essentially meant I got to explore my tirade of interests in research, education, and counselling simultaneously.
It wasn’t as intense as it sounds. In fact, the only hard part was having to continually advocate for my vision, which I pieced together through working with a variety of agencies and organizations. I ended up with the research, teaching, and counselling experiences that I wanted. My three passions on their own seemed incomplete, like a half-completed picture – but combined, they painted every corner of the canvas.
I didn’t jump into counselling immediately after school. In fact, I was actually really struggling with depression at the time and was feeling rather lost. But I quickly found myself back in the mental health and substance use world where I have spent many ups and downs over the last decade. I meandered through an exceptional number of opportunities before I decided on a private counselling practice.
I never wanted to have just one job, which is also why I only do private practice part-time. I still find myself in the educational sphere doing consulting work when I’m able to, as well as peripherally involved in research in advisory capacities. I think it’s a shame our education and work systems funnel individuals into very specific paths that tend to be rigid and linear – especially because as a person with a disability, that’s not always realistic or possible. So yeah, I did my own thing. It was a wild ride, and I doubted myself for half of the journey, but I’m pretty happy with how things have turned out.
