At our core, we hold a joyful vision: to transform health care by embracing every dimension of wellness—mental, emotional, and physical. Through counselling, we support the healing of the mind, the calming of emotions, and the strengthening of the body’s overall resilience. We believe that caring for mental health not only nurtures clarity and emotional balance but also enhances physical vitality and daily well-being. Health is a tapestry woven from many threads—emotional stability, physical strength, social connection—and each deserves care and attention. At Willow Bark Wellness, we strive to create a welcoming environment where every person feels seen, valued, and empowered, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, nationality, faith, physical ability, or personal journey.
Willow Bark Wellness
Embrace the journey of mental wellness with our dedicated counselling services, empowering you to overcome challenges—both significant and minor—while offering unwavering support and guidance every step of the way.
Welcome to Willow Bark Wellness—a compassionate, trauma-informed counselling practice dedicated to supporting your mental and emotional well-being with care and expertise. We offer a range of services tailored to meet your needs, including trauma-informed individual, couples, and family counselling, evidence-based EMDR therapy, EMDR intensives for deeper, focused healing, and ICBC-authorized counselling for motor vehicle accident recovery. New clients are welcome to start with a free 15-minute consultation to find the right counsellor fit. Whether you choose in-person sessions in our calm and private New Westminster space or remote appointments via secure telehealth, our skilled team is here to walk alongside you on your journey towards resilience, connection, and lasting growth.
Willow Bark Wellness excited to introduce the newest member of our team:
Shira brings 20 years of experience as an educator and community organizer into a counselling practice that is warm, practical, and deeply grounded in real life. She works with individuals and couples navigating anxiety, ADHD, complex trauma, and the particular challenges of immigrant and 2SLGBTQIA+ experiences — and she has a rare gift for making hard things feel workable. We are thrilled to have her.
Our Team
Vanessa is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a background as a Registered Massage Therapist, bringing over a decade of experience supporting health and well-being. She recognizes that challenges affect the mind, body, and emotions, so her approach helps clients tune into all three to transform signs of distress into insight, self-soothing, and emotional regulation. She integrates EMDR, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Ego States work, and other experiential and body-focused techniques to create a personalized approach that meets each client where they are.
Vanessa works with clients of all ages, backgrounds, and identities, with a particular focus on supporting members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Areas of interest include anxiety, trauma, self-esteem, identity, organizational coaching, meaning-making, and managing chronic pain.
Vanessa lives in New Westminster with her wife and their two adorable cats. She spends her free time playing board games with friends, painting, and watching bad reality television or sci-fi.
Languages: English
In-Person: Monday and Thursday 9:00am – 5:30pm
Remote Only: Tuesday and Friday 3:00pm – 6:00pm
Service Highlights: Individuals (Adults), Individuals (Youth), EMDR
Training Highlights
- EMDR Training with EMDRIA Approved EMDR Professional Training Institute
- EMDR & Ego States Advanced Training
- Principles of Polyvagal Theory
- Indigenous Trauma Informed Practice – Honouring Resilience
- Conflict Dynamics and Strategies
- Combining Mindfulness and Cognitive Therapy to Create MBCT
Rhea is an EMDR Certified Therapist™, Registered Clinical Counsellor, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, and Holobody Coach. With nearly a decade of advanced training in trauma therapy, psychology, neuroscience, and mindfulness, Rhea brings both professional expertise and personal experience to her work. She is skilled in EMDR, EMDR Intensives, and a range of evidence-based approaches designed to support deep, lasting healing. Rhea also nurtures her spiritual side, and offers Access Consciousness sessions for those looking for deep relaxation.
Rhea offers compassionate, personalized care for clients seeking to release trauma, strengthen emotional resilience, and reconnect with their authentic selves. Having faced her own challenges, she understands the courage it takes to begin the healing journey and creates a safe, supportive space where clients feel seen, valued, and empowered. Her approach blends science-backed methods with genuine empathy, guiding people toward greater peace, confidence, and fulfillment in their lives.
Languages: English, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Gujarati
In-Person: Sunday 12:00pm – 6:00pm
Remote Only: Monday and Tuesday 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Service Highlights: Individuals (Adults), EMDR, EMDR Intensives
Training Highlights
- EMDR Trainings: Somatic Integration, Dissociation, Flash technique, Physiology of Defense States (shadow work), Acute Addiction and Complex Trauma in Women
- San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training
- Skill Building for leadership roles in work life: “Non-crisis Intervention Training” and “Managing hostile interactions.”
- Certificate course in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Trauma-Focussed Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT)
- Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Therapy, Level One
- Advanced Certificate course in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
- Motivational Interviewing Technique to break the vicious cycles of negative patterns and bad habits.
Jason is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with advanced training in trauma, couples counselling, and complex mental health challenges. He holds a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology and has pursued further studies in neuroscience, couple, and family therapy. Certified in Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST), Jason also draws on approaches such as EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), DBT, CBT, the Gottman Method, and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).
He works with youth, adults, couples, and families, offering specialized experience with East Asian, Chinese, Christian, first responder, and immigrant communities. Jason is committed to creating a safe, compassionate space where clients can move beyond past pain and build meaningful, fulfilling lives.
When Jason isn’t working, he is usually spending time with his dog, taking her on walks or reading while she’s cuddled up next to him.
Languages: English
In-Person: Tuesday 9:00am – 4:00pm; Wednesday 2:00pm – 9:00pm
Remote Only: Saturday 11:00am – 2:00pm
Service Highlights: Individuals (Adults), Couples, Families, EMDR
Training Highlights
- Certificate in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, University of Toronto
- Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST) Certified
- EMDR-Trained by EMDRIA
- Gottman Method Couple Therapy Level 2
- ICEEFT Emotionally-Focused Couple Therapy Externship
- Advanced Certificate in Couple and Family Therapy, University of Guelph
Ruby is a dedicated Registered Clinical Counsellor with over 22 years of experience in the field of clinical counselling, and is a certified ADHD therapist. Her practice is grounded in trauma-informed care, and she draws on evidence-based approaches such as EMDR, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Motivational Interviewing to support clients in meaningful ways.
She has extensive experience working with individuals across diverse brain functioning, cultures, and sexual orientations, with a special focus on helping youth, young adults, couples, and families navigate complex challenges. Her work emphasizes fostering emotional regulation, strengthening resilience, and empowering clients to discover their own voices. Passionate about ongoing learning, Ruby is committed to providing responsive and effective care. She finds deep fulfillment in supporting clients as they uncover strengths, build confidence, and move toward their fullest potential.
In her leisure, Ruby spends quality time with her family, and enjoying nature with her rescue dog LuLu. She loves to learn from different cultures, and is a student of Latin Dances.
Languages: English, Cantonese, Mandarin
In-Person: Tuesday and Thursday 7:00pm – 9:00pm; Saturday 10:00am – 3:00pm
Service Highlights: Individuals (Adults), Individuals (Youth), Families
Training Highlights
- EMDR Step-By-Step Plus
- DBT Skills: A Three-Day Training
- DBT Skills for Adolescents and Families
- Certificate in Applied DBT Skills for Trauma
- Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory with Stephen Porges, PhD: Trauma, Attachment, Self-Regulation & Emotions
- ADHD-Certified Clinical Services Provider
- Motivational Interviewing Foundations
Shira Stanford-Asiyo is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with 20 years of experience as an educator and community organizer — experience she brings directly into a counselling practice that is warm, practical, and grounded in real life.
You hold it together on the outside; inside, you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and carrying something nobody around you seems to see. That’s exactly what Shira works with. She draws on ACT, DBT, narrative therapy, and solution-focused approaches to support young adults navigating anxiety, ADHD, complex trauma, and the long reach of difficult childhoods, with particular depth in first- and second-generation immigrant experiences, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and those processing religious trauma or high-control group experiences. She also offers couples counselling and premarital support.
Outside the session, you’ll find her singing in choirs, working with fibre arts, and hunting down live music across the Lower Mainland.
Languages: English
In-Person: Tuesday 3:00pm – 9:00pm; Thursday 9:30am – 2:30pm
Service Highlights: Individuals (Adults), Individuals (Youth), Couples
Training Highlights
- Complex Trauma Certification Training
- ADHD, Neurodiversity, and Clinical Practice
- Advanced Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Training
- Narrative Therapy Training
- Religious Trauma, Spiritual Abuse, and Cult Recovery
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Internal Family Systems — Informed (IFS)
Check out our blog
Access Consciousness®: What is it, and how can it help you?
Understanding Anxiety
Get in touch
Phone
Reception Line: To book an appointment or ask for information
Office Line: To contact a counsellor around the time of your in-person appointment.
Office Location:
628 Sixth Avenue, unit 609
New Westminster, BC, V3M6Z2
Reception Hours:
MON-FRI 09:00 – 19:00
SAT-SUN: Closed
Above hours are for phone and email response only. Check on our booking website for counselling availability. We offer evening and weekend sessions.