Elevation Counselling Services

Elevation Counselling Services Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Elevation Counselling Services, Mental Health Service, 2206 Echo Valley Rise, Victoria, BC.

Founder of Elevation Counselling & Academy (MSW, RSW) offering trauma-informed counselling, community, and courses that empower people to strengthen connection and grow with purpose.

10/10/2025

Every year around this time, we start hearing it:
the sighs, the group chats, the “Who’s hosting this year?” chaos,
and, of course, someone quietly muttering,
“God, I hate the holidays.”

And honestly? That’s not cynicism.
That’s nervous system honesty.

Because holidays can be beautiful and brutal.
They stir up family roles, unspoken expectations, sensory overload,
and the old emotional scripts we thought we’d outgrown.

Here’s what you can do differently this season:
🧠 Prepare your nervous system — breathe before you speak.
💬 Use humour wisely — it can soften tension and keep you connected.
🫶 Set small boundaries early — not every invitation deserves a yes.
🥧 Build in micro self-care moments — even in the middle of mashed potatoes and mixed feelings.

You can love your people and still need space.
You can show up and still protect your peace.
You can laugh through it without losing yourself.

✨ This season, don’t just survive the holidays…regulate through them.
I’ve got tools, scripts, and support to help you do exactly that.

10/07/2025

“Who are these people?” Claire, Home for the Holidays (and also… me at every family gathering ever).

As we head into Thanksgiving and the start of holiday season, remember:
💫 You can bring your humour — it’s a resilience skill.
💫 You can set boundaries — that’s self-respect, not rejection.
💫 You can practice self-care — even in the chaos of group chats and gravy.
💫 You can choose playful, trauma-informed starts to hard conversations.

Whether it’s family dinners, office parties, or navigating relationships that feel… a lot you don’t need to brace yourself.
You can prepare yourself.

✨ I have tools to help you do just that from self-care resets to boundary scripts, and ways to make your humour work for you this season.

🧠 Elevate your mental fitness.
💛 Protect your peace.
😂 Keep your humour.

10/06/2025

There’s myth out there about humour and trauma processing, and I’m here to set the record straight.

I’ve had people tell me humour has no place in therapy. That it’s a defense mechanism. That it’s how people avoid the real work.

But here’s my controversial take: sometimes humour is the real work.

Laughter is how the nervous system regulates. It’s how we find safety again.

Research backs it up, humour is a top character strength linked to self-care, post-traumatic growth, and improved mental health outcomes (Boerner et al., 2017; Ogilvie & Carson, 2023).

Humour isn’t the opposite of depth.
It’s what helps us access it without drowning.

So yes, I care about what’s funny, because humour isn’t a deflection, it’s a declaration:
“I’m still here. Still human. Still finding light.”

For years, friendships were built on the sidelines, carpools, team snacks, late-night tournaments. When the kids grew up...
10/01/2025

For years, friendships were built on the sidelines, carpools, team snacks, late-night tournaments. When the kids grew up, those built-in spaces for connection seemed to disappear.

But connection doesn’t end with an empty nest. It just changes shape. Sometimes it looks like a floofy cat with big paws, sometimes it looks like coffee with a new friend, or joining a group you’ve never tried before. 💛

This chapter isn’t about losing connection, it’s about redefining it.

09/23/2025

This is the reason I like to talk about Fight Club 👊
Every relationship has conflict. The goal isn’t to avoid fighting—the goal is to learn how to do a soft startup, to repair after the fight, and to grow stronger because of it. Whether it’s a co-worker, a family member you can’t wait to see on Thanksgiving, or an intimate partnership—repair is what builds trust, intimacy, and resilience in the relationship you’re in.

It’s bear season on Vancouver Island 🐻🐟 and while they’re out there fighting for salmon, most of us are in here fighting...
09/23/2025

It’s bear season on Vancouver Island 🐻🐟 and while they’re out there fighting for salmon, most of us are in here fighting for… what? To be right? To be louder? To land the kill shot?

Here are the top 3 ways to LOSE an argument:
1️⃣ Be right. You’ll win the point but lose the connection.
2️⃣ Be loud. Volume doesn’t equal value…it just sounds like roaring.
3️⃣ Go for the kill shot. That one jab? Sure, drop it… and watch trust walk out the door. 🚪💔

✨ What to do instead:
✔️ Get curious — ask what actually matters.
✔️ Slow down — lower the volume, raise the connection.
✔️ Repair, don’t rip — remind them, “I want us to figure this out.”

Conflict doesn’t have to look like bear season.
It’s not about domination rather it’s about collaboration.
Because unlike the bears, you actually want to stay in the same den. 🏡

Address

2206 Echo Valley Rise
Victoria, BC
V9BOY2

Telephone

+16136616926

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About Gillian

"WE CAN NEVER OBTAIN PEACE IN THE OUTER WORLD UNTIL WE MAKE PEACE WITH OURSELVES"~ DALAI LAMA

I am dedicated to helping people move ahead by providing therapeutic services, specializing in PTSD, and chronic pain. In offering the best of evidence based practices rooted in neuroscience. I am devoted to integrating conventional therapy with the wisdom of mindfulness and yoga form eastern philosophies. My approach to life and work is one that embraces mindfulness, compassion and well-being.

As a Clinical Social Worker and Yoga Instructor, I empower individuals to take positive control of their lives by teaching them to become more resourceful and resilient. At Elevation Counselling Services, I give people the practical tools and skills to become more independent and proficient in navigating the challenges and obstacles that often prevent emotional healing and self-development. I am passionately dedicated to helping people live for the present and discover their true destiny. This is achieved by employing the best in evidence based practices in Yoga, Mindfulness, EMDR and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. In a positive, confidential and empathic environment I will assist you in acquiring the skills that lead to a harmonized and joyful existence.