Women’s Counselling Services
“We are powerful because we have survived, and that is what it is all about- survival and growth.”
– Audre Lorde
Stopping The Violence Women’s Counselling
What we offer:
Short-term/Crisis Counselling
If you are still living with an abusive partner, or if you have been recently assaulted, we have short-term crisis counselling available. We focus on safety planning and emotional stabilization. Depending on the number of requests, there may be a brief waiting period before your first appointment.
Long-term Individual Counselling
We provide long term (24 sessions) of individual counselling focus on providing information to women about abuse/violence, helping women explore and understand how they have been impacted by abuse/violence, and helping women regain a sense of safety and control in their lives. There is a wait-list for long-term counselling.
Group Counselling
The Group Counselling program offers various psycho-educational groups throughout the year. There may or may not be a wait-list for a specific group, depending which groups have recently been offered.
Topics rotate, and include:
- Understanding Abuse in Relationships: This group is for women who have experienced abuse and violence in their intimate relationships. Group participants will be provided with information about relationship abuse and violence, and develop skills for staying safe, and connect with other women who have also been betrayed and hurt by their partners.
- Building Resilience: In this group participants will learn about post-traumatic stress responses, identify their current strategies for coping with past traumas, and explore alternatives for safely and resiliently coping with past trauma and day-to-day stress.
- Boundaries: In this group, participants will explore the topic of boundaries, learn how to identify boundary violations, and develop skills for effectively asserting and maintaining healthy boundaries.
- Self-Compassion: In this group members will explore what self-compassion means, gain an understanding of how trauma impacts our sense of self, and practice skills to help develop self- compassion and healthy self-identity adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) trauma.
How to Access Counselling Services
Contact the intake counsellor at 604-306-3228 to request an intake appointment. Every effort is made to return intake messages within 2 business days, and to schedule intake appointments within two weeks of first contact.
**COVID-19 Service Update**
The STV program continues to provide services following safety protocols as directed by public health. Individual counselling sessions are being offered in-person at the administrative office, and by telehealth videoconferencing / telephone. Group counselling sessions are primarily offered by telehealth, but may be offered in person as allowed by public health.
Employment/Practicum page (STV specific)
Practicum with the Stopping The Violence Women’s Counselling Program.
The STV Women’s Counselling Program accepts practicum students who are currently pursuing an MA in Counselling or Clinical Psychology, or MSW in Clinical Social Work.
For inquiries call Meredith at 604-306-2969 or meredith@ishtarsociety.org