Clinical
Counselling
Where stories meet, healing happens, and community thrives.
Who We Are
We are a collective of registered clinical counsellors that center their practices on ethics, inclusivity, healing, and accessibility for all people. What makes a Brave Sinergy counsellor is our common foundation of inclusivity. Everyone’s story matters, and when everyone has a place at the table, we grow and thrive.
What makes us different from other practices?
Our diverse backgrounds, counselling approaches and unique life experiences lay the foundation for inclusivity and accessibility. We show up for our clients with respect, honesty, and bravery.
- We know that it takes courage to seek help, and we see you as the expert in your own life—we are here to work alongside you.
- Our counsellors are also lifelong learners.
- Our work is not just about theoretical orientation, but also about meeting people where they are at and connecting in meaningful ways.
- Our work is ethically driven.
Benefits of our Counselling Services
Counselling That Sees You
- BSP offer collaborative, non-judgmental counselling grounded in listening and shared humanity.
Safe Spaces for Healing
- Trauma-informed, culturally rooted, and compassion-led, their practices centre on belonging and emotional safety.
Healing Beyond Talk
- Through somatic, mindfulness, and creative techniques, sessions move beyond words into embodied healing.
Our Values and beliefs
At Brave Sinergy, we value:
- Bravery and integrity
- Open-mindedness, curiosity and humility
- Social justice
- Love, kindness and empathy
- Gratitude and optimism
- Purpose and meaning
At Brave Sinergy, we believe:
- We believe in the importance of respecting and honouring people’s unique stories, needs, perspectives and diversity, which is reflected in the counselling work we do.
- We believe inclusive, culturally sensitive, strength-affirming, ethical and diverse practices are key to achieving individual wellbeing.
- We believe you are whole and don’t need to be “fixed”.
- We believe that everyone deserves to be seen, heard, respected and understood.
- We believe in you – dare to believe with us!
Counselling Team
My approach to work
I am a relational, client-centred, trauma-informed, and integrative counsellor.
- I focus on helping my clients understand their unique life stories, challenges and discover their strengths so that they can feel better about themselves and their lives.
- I respect, honour, and value everyone’s stories and experiences.
- Healing and growth are holistic (emotional, physical, spiritual and mental)
- I provide a nonjudgmental, confidential, safe space for my clients to explore their thoughts, behaviours and feelings and help them achieve their unique goals.
- I tailor my counselling approach to your individual needs.
How do I work?
- Creating a safe, ethical, and confidential space to share.
- I believe in the power of the therapeutic relationship to facilitate healing and growth, so as a counsellor, I have an open-minded, anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and anti-ableist approach. This allows me to build trustworthy relationships with my clients and support them in achieving change in their own lives.
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I know everyone goes to counselling differently, and I am here to support you on this fascinating journey of self-discovery, self-awareness, and a better understanding of yourself.
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We all have good things to give the world, and discovering our superpowers can help individuals improve their lives. I see everyone as a whole; nothing should be “fixed.”
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I will support you throughout this process and follow your lead. You are the expert of your life, and I’ll be happy to walk alongside you!
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I am an ally for the Black, Indigenous, People of Colour and Latinx communities.
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LGBTQ individuals are safe and welcome in my practice.
My areas of Expertise
- Grief and loss (Loss of a loved one, job, life changes, loss of a child, etc.)
- Anxiety and depression
- Mental illness (with or without formal diagnosis).
- Trauma (sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, childhood, intergenerational trauma, etc)
- Family issues (divorce, separation, family dynamics, life changes, etc).
- Substance Use
- Couples counselling (building relationships and communication)
- Immigration (life changes)
- Suicide ideation, self- harm and self-esteem.
- Disability identity (physical or invisible disabilities).
- Expertise in Group Counselling (clinical work and psychoeducational groups)
My approach to work
Blending existentialism, an internally-focused exploration into recurring problematic patterns you experience in your life, along with social models of wellbeing in exploring external influences and their impact on you, my approach is both integrative, drawing on the wisdom of multiple theories, and collaborative, working together with you as the focus. With you as the expert of your lived experience and me with my counselling insight and practice, together we can work to achieve your goals during our time together. I am here to help you through curiosity and collaboration. You will be seen, heard, understood and respected.
*I offer limited appointments reserved for reduced-rate counselling. Please get in touch with me directly at robin.ashforth@bravesinergy.com to inquire about reduced-rate counselling.
Types of therapy and approaches that can
be integrated into our sessions are
- Compassion-focused
- Existential
- Humanistic (person-centered, collaborative, relational)
- Integrative
- Positive psychology
- Social models of mental wellbeing
- Neurodiversity model
- Solution focused brief therapy (SFBT)
- Strengths-based
- Trauma informed
My Personal Background
As a neurodivergent, privileged, mature, cisgender female colonial settler, my personal background reflects the many interests I’ve been passionate about over a lifetime of learning, including psychology, counselling, alcohol use, and end-of-life.
Having only recently understood that I have been trying to live a neurotypical life and finding that detrimentally challenging, my current area of focus is on providing neurodiversity-affirming counselling, especially to others like myself.
Living with unrecognized neurodivergence, I spent many years turning to alcohol for support. I have been alcohol-free for over 12 years, during which I have taken the time to learn about and understand the impacts of alcohol use while exploring and researching ways and means of living life on life’s terms without it.
I have always worked and volunteered in the non-profit sector which supports my learned experience, including:
- Counsellor at Citizens’ Counselling Centre;
- Working at the BC Cancer Foundation raising funds for the research centre;
- As a volunteer in the psycho/social department of Victoria BC Cancer Center providing relaxation and therapeutic touch services to patients, families and caregivers;
- Working for the Victoria Hospice and Palliative Care Foundation;
- As a volunteer supporting hospice patients at or near end of life.
- Each of these experiences has led me to do a deep dive into the issues surrounding neurodivergence, alcohol use and end of life.
I love to work with all kinds of people and issues, but my ideal client is someone who:
- Identifies as neurodivergent, in particular as a highly sensitive or autistic adult who experiences the world differently
- Or Is questioning their relationship with alcohol, is interested in exploring its impact on their life and is curious about navigating a way forward
- Or is dealing with the unique and highly personal issues that come with the end-of-life experience and would like an unbiased, curious and compassionate person to talk to.
- I am someone who really understanding these issues and am here to help. Please don't hesitate to contact me. Feel free to reach out for a free 15-minute consultation. I look forward to connecting with you.
Credentials
- Certified Autism Specialist, PESI – 2025
- Certified End-of-Life Doula, Quality of Life Care, 2022
- Positive Psychology Certificate, Wilfred Laurier University – 2020
- Psychology of Human Relations, Ryerson Polytechnical Institute – 1986
Validated Knowledge
- Foundations of Neuro-affirming Practice, PESI
- Neurodiversity in Women, PESI
- Highly Sensitive Person, PESI
- Cultural Humility at End of Life, Victoria Hospice
- Victoria Hospice Volunteer Training
- Citizens’ Counselling Centre Volunteer Training
- Reiki Master
Feel free to reach out for a free 15-minute consultation. I look forward to connecting with you.
My approach to work
Types of therapy and approaches that can
be integrated into our sessions are
I am a Squamish Nation person with mixed German and Chilean heritage, and my counselling journey is rooted in the journey of cultural reconnection and in personal and collective healing. I am a gentle, non-judgemental counsellor and work from a trauma-informed, anti-oppressive lens. Sensitivity, creativity, gentleness and a listening-centred approach shape my commitment to decolonizing counselling practices and centring Indigenous approaches to wellness.
I work with people using open-ended/ongoing or brief therapy. Brief therapy means you can choose to do 1-12 sessions over 15 weeks. Brief counselling with me is collaborative, strengths-based, and goal-focused.
Brief therapy with me is collaborative, short-term, strengths-based, and goal-focused. I collaborate with clients and draw from a variety of approaches based on what fits you best, bringing curiosity, love, non-judgment, and some humour into our journey.
I believe we all have the inner knowledge and capacity to heal, overcome challenges and live meaningful lives. In my practice, I work to create a safe, compassionate, gentle and creatively free space to explore your life stories, to heal, and to work towards your goals. I believe in walking alongside others on their healing journey and building spaces where love, safety, and belonging can flourish.
*I offer limited appointments reserved for reduced-rate counselling. Please get in touch with me directly at celina.silva@bravesinergy.com to inquire about reduced-rate counselling.
- Humanistic (Person-centred)
- Culturally sensitive
- Indigenous worldviews
- Narrative
- Solution Focused
- Somatic and mindfulness
- Relational
- Emotionally Focused
My Personal Background
I have worked with youth as a Youth Outreach Worker for the NSNH and served as an Inclusion Facilitator for Steps Forward, supporting accessibility and inclusive education for individuals with developmental disabilities.
I hold a BA in Creative Writing, with a focus on writing poetry, and I enjoy incorporating creative expression into my counselling sessions.
I completed my MC practicum with Citizens Counselling Centre in Victoria, BC, an organization that offers affordable and accessible counselling to adults of Greater Victoria. These experiences have positively impacted how I work.
Areas I focus on
- Identity and belonging
- Anxiety – stress and anxiety management
- Situational Depression
- Grief and Loss
- Developmental disability
- Life transitions
- Creativity - creative blocks and creative practice
- Family Issues
Credentials
Master of Counselling, City Seattle University in Canada – 2025
- Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing – University of Victoria - 2017
- Bachelor of Arts in English – University of Victoria - 2016
- Liberal Arts Diploma in Peace Studies – Selkirk College – 2012
Validated Knowledge
- Mental Health First Aid - Supporting Youth, 2015
- Motivational Interviewing – Strategies for Supporting Change Certificate, Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute, 2021
- ASSIST, BC Crisis Centre, 2021
- Skillfully Responding to Distress, BC Crisis Centre, 2020
- Foundry Virtual Counseling Training Certificate, 2020
- UBC Learn Mental Health Literacy Certificate, 2020
- Mental Health First Aid, St. John Ambulance, 2020
- SafeTALK, BC Crisis Centre, 2020
I am someone who really understands these issues and I am here to help.
Feel free to reach out for a free 15-minute consultation. I look forward to connecting with you.
Fees & Cancellation Policy
- Individual Sessions: $150 CAN (60 minutes)
- Couples Session: $175 CAN (60 minutes - Offered only by Irene Cordero.)
- Our Counsellors have limited appointments reserved for reduced-rate counselling. Please get in touch with our counsellors directly to inquire about reduced-rate counselling.
- Cancellation Policy: Life happens, and things can change quickly. However, we will encourage you to cancel or reschedule your appointment 48 hours before without charge. Otherwise, and because our counsellors booked my time to work with you, we require you to pay for the full session if you cancel the appointment at the very last minute.
Codes of Ethical Conduct
All our counsellors follow the Code of Ethics of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) and the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC). Here you can find the links:
BCACC Code of Ethical Conduct: https://bcacc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BCACC-COEC-Effective-Nov.-1-2023.pdf
BCACC Standards of Practice: https://bcacc.ca/code-of-ethical-conduct-and-standards-of-clinical-practice/
- CCPA Code of Ethics: https://www.ccpa-accp.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/CCPA-2020-Code-of-Ethics-E-Book-EN.pdf
