Niki Blakely MC RCC

I work from a strength-based, person-centered approach. I believe each client brings their own wisdom and inner resources, and my role is to walk alongside them as they build on their strengths. I welcome people from all walks of life and strive to create a safe, supportive space for healing, resilience, and growth. In our work together, clients discover personal resources, develop new skills, deepen self-awareness, and build greater autonomy -often finding healing through both shared stories and moments of laughter. Alongside my professional journey, I bring a wealth of lived experience that shapes my counselling approach. I am an artist, an ally, a lover of nature, a mom of two adult children, and a believer in lifelong learning. Playfulness, creativity, and connection are core parts of who I am, and my background in visual art and art therapy continues to influence my work. I feel grateful to live in such a beautiful place, surrounded by forest trails, beaches, and a vibrant arts community. **Approach** I draw on a variety of evidence-based approaches, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT), Attachment-Focused Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Narrative Therapy, Expressive Arts, mindfulness, and somatic techniques such as Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). These methods are tailored to each person’s needs, creating space to process challenges, reconnect with strengths, and move toward meaningful change. My goal is to support you with compassion and curiosity as you create the life and relationships you want. I have supported clients through: - grief and loss - chronic illness - anxiety - trauma - depression **Professional Designation and Education** I hold a Master’s Degree in Counselling from City University in Vancouver, BC, as well as Bachelor’s Degrees in Psychology and Education from the University of Victoria. I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors. My professional path has taken me through a wide range of experiences, including working in a therapeutic hospital setting for children and youth, teaching primary grades in Northern BC, supporting young men with schizophrenia in a group home, assisting victims of violence in a shelter, working within a local school board, and collaborating with a theatre company. Across all of these roles, the common threads have been listening deeply, supporting emotional growth, fostering skill development, encouraging creative expression and empowering others. I offer direct billing to the following insurance providers: Pacific Blue Cross; Provider Connect/GreenShield and Sun Life.