Our own life has to be our message.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Sonia Plewa
Registered Clinical Counsellor
I hold a Master of Counselling degree and a Registered Clinical Counsellor designation with the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors.
My specializations in psychotherapy and counselling services range from one time crisis intervention to a long-term trauma psychotherapy. I support individuals, couples and families facing a broad scope of concerns. These include anxiety and depression, loss and grief, PTSD and trauma related issues such as addictions, domestic violence and suicidal ideation.
Approach
I use a holistic, integrative approach to healing which involves working with all aspects of our being such as mind and body, soul and spirit. Beyond the traditional talk therapy, I utilize somatic/body-oriented healing practices, EMDR, mindfulness, focussing and narrative therapy.
Teaching
Besides working with individual clients, I also have a passion for teaching. I facilitate a variety of courses as an Associate Faculty member with the Master of Counselling Program at City University of Seattle (in Vancouver). I also serve as a panel member for their Master of Counselling comprehensive exams.
Experience
My most significant therapeutic experience involves 4 years of living and working in a small indigenous community on the central coast of British Columbia. For the first time in my life I was faced in such a real way with the effects of colonization and genocide against the Indigenous Peoples that have taken place in Canada in the last 150 years. The work with my clients called for bearing witness to their pain of dislocation and the loss of culture and identity, which over generations have resulted in substance abuse, domestic violence, sexual abuse and self-harm.
And yet, what I witnessed and what inspired me the most was the incredible resilience of the human spirit in spite of very difficult life circumstances. If you would like to hear more about my experience there, please follow the link which will direct you to the article I wrote “Trauma and Resilience in the First Nation Community”, published in the Insights magazine for clinical counsellors in the Spring 2020.
Trauma and Resilience in a First Nation Community,
~ Sonia Plewa
Through Midlife Crisis to Personal Growth
~ Sonia Plewa
Thesis for the Master of Counselling (MC), City University of Seattle, Vancouver, BC. 2018
There are no classes in life for beginners; right away you are always asked to deal with what is most difficult.
~ Rainer Maria Rilke