Senior Counsellor

Mia Maarika is a counsellor with over 30 years of experience supporting individuals on their journey toward healing and self-discovery. She holds a degree in Psychiatric/Medical Nursing and a Diploma in Counselling, and has trained extensively under the mentorship of a Registered Clinical Counsellor with over three decades of expertise in family systems therapy, childhood trauma, attachment theory, and relationship counselling.

Mia’s goal is to create a safe, supportive environment where clients can explore and better understand themselves—even when that exploration feels challenging. She believes growth often requires stepping outside of one’s comfort zone, and that feeling safe and supported makes meaningful change possible. Her approach focuses on strengthening inner resources, developing healthy boundaries, addressing anxiety and depression, building self-esteem, practicing assertiveness, and exploring parts of the self that may have been hidden or neglected.

With a deep interest in how early experiences and core beliefs shape the way we move through the world, Mia helps clients increase self-awareness, interrupt unhelpful patterns, and shift from survival mode to living with empowerment and choice. She brings a rich personal and professional background to her work, including her early career in nursing, her own journey of recovery from eating disorders and codependency, and her decades of service in community mental health—most notably as a volunteer coordinator at Nanaimo Family Life Association and later as a counsellor at NARSF, supporting families and neurodivergent youth in the Eating Disorder and Sexual Assault Intervention Programs.

Mia is deeply passionate about providing compassionate, trauma-informed support that honours each client’s unique path toward a more fulfilling and authentic life.

Ages Served: Ages 12 +

Support Topics Abuse (childhood abuse, domestic abuse, sexual abuse) Adapting to lifestyle changes and aging Addressing loneliness and isolation Addictions (drug and/or alcohol) Anger management Anxiety Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Authentic Self-Discovery: Unmasking Who You Truly Are Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Bereavement Body image issues Body positivity Building resilience in later life Chronic impulsivity Co-dependency Complex Trauma / C-PTSD Coping skills Coping with health changes Depression Discovering Purpose and Meaning in Life Dissociative disorders Divorce and separation Domestic violence Eating disorders / Maladaptive eating Emotional disturbances Emotional turmoil Facing end-of-life issues Family conflict Family dynamics Family of origin issues First responders’ mental health Gambling Gender identity Grief Impulse control disorders Infidelity Intergenerational Trauma Internet addiction Life management issues Life transitions Loss Managing grief and bereavement Marital discord Meditation Mood disorders Navigating family and caregiver relationships Non-ordinary experience integration (e.g., spiritual, extraordinary experiences) Obesity Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) Parenting children with special needs Parenting education Parenting issues (including child-rearing and education) Parent-teen mediation Peer relationships Rehabilitation from trauma Relationship and marriage conflict School issues Self-esteem issues Sexual abuse Sexual behaviours Sexuality (2SLGBTQIA+ inclusive) Sleep issues or insomnia Spirituality (non-emergency spiritual issues) Stress management Suicidal ideation Trauma and PTSD Transgender transition issues Transitioning into retirement Video game addiction Youth Mental Health 2SLGBTQIA+ challenges

Therapeutic Approaches Attachment Theory Complex Trauma Therapy Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) Narrative Therapy Person-Centered Therapy (PCT) Self-Compassion Therapy Somatic Therapy Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)

Senior Counsellor Mia Maarika is a counsellor with over 30 years of experience supporting indivi... Read More

Associate Counsellor

Dave Leitao, RCC, Associate Counsellor, He/Him/His

Profile

I believe every person has an innate capacity for healing, growth, and transformation. My approach integrates evidence-informed psychotherapy with humanistic, developmental, transpersonal, and integral perspectives. I understand psychological healing and human development as different expressions of the same unfolding process, and I see counselling as a collaborative relationship built on curiosity, respect, and trust.

Services

Individual Counselling • Child/Youth Counselling • Couples/Relationship Counselling • Co-Parenting/Parenting • Family Counselling • Walk & Talk/Outdoor Counselling

Ages Served Ages 12 +

Languages Offered English

Support Topics

Identity and self-discovery • Personal growth and transformation • Relationship challenges • Life transitions • Spiritual and existential concerns

Therapeutic Approaches

Person-Centred • Existential • Psychodynamic • Attachment-informed • Emotion-Focused (EFT)-informed • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-informed • CBT-informed • DBT-informed • Mindfulness-based • Transpersonal and Integral perspectives

Associate Counsellor Dave Leitao, RCC, Associate Counsellor, He/Him/His Profile I believe ever... Read More

Leo Liu (he/him) is a bilingual (Mandarin/English) Registered Clinical Counsellor, who brings a thoughtful and culturally responsive approach to counselling that blends clinical expertise with lived experience. With a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology and two years of academic training in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Leo supports individuals, couples, and neurodiverse families navigating anxiety, ADHD/ASD, relationship challenges, and the complexities of bicultural life and identity.

Having personally navigated a 10-year immigration journey to Canada, Leo deeply understands the emotional layers that can come with change, belonging, pressure, family expectations, and adapting between cultures. His approach is grounded, compassionate, and collaborative — offering clients not only therapeutic support, but also an empathetic “success map” built from both professional knowledge and personal resilience.

Leo believes that life can sometimes feel like a heavy storm, leaving us disconnected from ourselves or the people we love most. As a steady and supportive presence, he walks alongside clients at their own pace — whether they are healing from past wounds, navigating major life transitions, or working to rebuild connection and harmony within their relationships.

Clients often appreciate Leo’s calm, respectful, and authentic presence. He strives to create a warm space where people feel truly heard, safe to be themselves, and empowered to reconnect with their inner peace and strengths.

Leo’s primary areas of focus include supporting individuals navigating complex trauma and PTSD, as well as couples working to strengthen communication, rebuild connection, and create resilient, healthy relationships.

Mandarin: 我的愿望：为您提供一个温暖、充满尊重的空间，让您感到被真正听见，被允许展现真实，并有力量找回内心的平静 ：）

Education - Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology (MACP) - Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) - Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC)

Certifications - Two years of academic training in Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) through the University of New Brunswick - Trained in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) - Completed Gottman Method Couples Therapy Levels 1 & 2

“As Viktor Frankl noted, when we can no longer change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. Together, we will look within the storm to discover your immutable freedom to choose your own path and reclaim your inner meaning.”

Leo Liu (he/him) is a bilingual (Mandarin/English) Registered Clinical Counsellor, who brings a t... Read More

*Practicum Student Counsellor

Daniela is a student counsellor who works with youth (ages 12+), young adults, and adults. Her graduate research sharpened a principle that runs through her work: emotional regulation is not something we produce by force of will. It becomes possible when we change the physical conditions underneath it. You cannot reason your way into calm; the body settles when its conditions change, not when it’s told to.

This changes the method. Rather than approaching anxiety or overwhelm as a problem to argue your way out of, she helps clients notice what the body is already signalling, slow the moment down, and build tools that hold up under real stress rather than only in the counselling room. Before counselling she was a teacher, where she first learned to read those cues in children who did not yet have words for what they were feeling.

Daniela draws from Body Psychotherapy, Hakomi, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and harm reduction, and she does not apply them by formula. Some people need to start with the body and let the thinking follow; others need to work through the thoughts before the body will loosen. The client’s own responses show which way to go; she follows them rather than a protocol. She works alongside them, without judgment, and makes no assumptions about their story before they have told it.

She has a particular interest in anxiety, stress, emotional overwhelm, life transitions, self-esteem, identity, the aftermath of difficult or traumatic experience, and substance use and addiction.

Daniela holds a Master of Science specializing in Body Psychotherapy and Body Psychology, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She is a Student Member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) and has additional training in Crisis Intervention and De-escalation, ACT, CBT, and Harm Reduction.

Ages Served: Ages 12 +

Languages Offered: - Czech - English - Slovak

Support Topics: Abuse (childhood abuse, domestic abuse, sexual abuse) Addictions (Nervous System Adaptations) Anxiety Behaviour support services Complex Trauma / C-PTSD Coping skills Depression Emotional disturbances Rehabilitation from trauma Self-esteem issues Sexual abuse Sexualized violence Sexuality (2SLGBTQIA+ inclusive) Stress management Trauma and PTSD Youth Mental Health 2SLGBTQIA+ challenges

Therapeutic Approaches: Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) Attachment-Based Therapy Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) Gestalt Therapy Solution-Focused Therapy Somatic Therapy Strength-Based Therapy Trauma-Informed Therapy

*Practicum Student Counsellor Daniela is a student counsellor who works with youth (ages 12+), y... Read More

Hi, I’m Lissy.

I’m the Director of Counselling Services at Hollyburn Support Services, and I use this calendar to create intentional space for connection with the people I work alongside — both here and in the greater community.

I’m a big believer that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I love painting with dots, and over time it’s become a metaphor for how I understand people, teams, and communities: each individual brings something meaningful on their own, and when we come together with intention, the picture becomes richer, stronger, and more alive than anything we could create alone.

That belief sits at the heart of how I lead. I’m not here above anyone — I’m one part of a broader ecosystem of thoughtful, skilled, deeply caring humans who believe that strength lives in our diversity, growth is our shared responsibility, and people are our passion.

You don’t need to know me already to book time here. These appointments are for conversation, reflection, problem-solving, idea-sharing, or simply taking a breath together.

You’ll see different time options available so you can choose what fits your needs. Please send me a short email ahead of time outlining what you’d like to talk about, so I can come prepared. I work both from home and the office; when I’m onsite and my door is open, you’re always welcome to drop in.

I’m deeply grateful to work within a community that values collaboration, care, and accountability, and I don’t take the trust of this role lightly. If you book time with me, you’ll be met with curiosity, respect, and a genuine commitment to doing this work well — together.

Looking forward to connecting!

~ Lissy

Email: lsnowden@hollyburn.ca Phone: (604) 987-8211 ext. 5002

Hi, I’m Lissy. I’m the Director of Counselling Services at Hollyburn Support Services, and I use... Read More