Lara Ellison Therapy

Lara Ellison, co-founder of the Vancouver Counselling and Wellness Centre (VCAWC) has been professionally involved in various mental health programming since 2006. Starting her work at Peak House, a youth residential alcohol and drug treatment centre, she has been involved in many mental health settings in Vancouver’s Downtown East-side. Lara works with youth and adults navigating their relationships to various problems in their lives.

Lara also has experience working as a professional Doula. She has supported families through their birth experiences, with a focus on renegotiating the narratives that accompany new families experiences alongside pregnancy, birth and post-birth identities.

Lara has worked and trained within the local Narrative Therapy community at The Vancouver School for Narrative Therapy since 2013. Through this approach, Lara is committed to, and experienced in supporting folk who are renegotiating their relationships to addictions, anxiety, depression, trauma, post-birth self identity, family and parenting concerns, grief and loss, and concerns related to sexuality, gender identity, sexual orientation, homophobia and transphobia.

Matty Devenish is the clinical director and co-founder of VCAWC and offers individual, couples and family therapy. Matty has been in the field of counselling since 2006, beginning his training in residential youth addiction services. Since then, Matty has worked with hundreds of individuals and couples renegotiating their relationship to various problems in their lives. He is committed to working collaboratively with his clients and families as they work towards finding freedom from their struggles.

Matty works primarily from a therapeutic model called Narrative Therapy but also has a strong practice in mindfulness which can often be very helpful in creating meaningful change in people’s lives. Where Narrative therapy helps clients to reconnect to what is important to them - their values, hopes and preferences – mindfulness can assist clients to navigate daily life in a more connected and grounded way.

Matty is an experienced supervisor and teacher. Matty founded the clinic in 2019 and has been supervising students and associates since then. Matty has also taught various workshops all over British Columbia and has been invited to guest lecture at UBC on many occasions. As a clinical supervisor, Matty is passionate about supporting other counsellors in their therapeutic journey, exploring how Narrative Therapy can complement other modalities they may already be committed to.

Matty is a Registered Social Worker (RSW) in the province of British Columbia, with both a Masters Degree in Social Work (MSW) and a Bachelors Degree in Social Work (BSW) from the University of British Columbia.

Tommy Spence is an experienced therapist who is passionate about working with both teenagers and adults who find themselves facing challenges in their lives. He believes that meaningful change happens when problems are understood within the context that they occur and when individuals are supported to reconnect with their values and hopes.

Tommy has trained extensively in a therapeutic model called Narrative Therapy, a collaborative and conversational approach to therapy that helps individuals to renegotiate their relationship to unhelpful stories and patterns and to develop deep connections to their values, hopes and preferences. Tommy is a skilled meditation instructor. For those interested, mindfulness practice can be included as part of the therapeutic process to support well-being and a deeper connection with oneself.

Tommy has many years of experience in the helping profession including in non-profit, healthcare and independent practice settings. He is an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia School of Social Work and has been an invited guest lecturer at several post-secondary institutes on topics such as Narrative Therapy and collaborative therapy with youth.

A Registered Social Worker (RSW) in the province of British Columbia, Tommy holds both a Masters Degree in Social Work (MSW) and a Bachelors Degree in Social Work (BSW) from the University of British Columbia.

Since 2005, Jess Lenihan has worked in diverse social service programs supporting both adults and youth addressing a wide array of challenges. The majority of her past work is related to resisting housing insecurity and working alongside community members to navigate systems related to food security, health care and income/employment. These experiences have gifted Jess with an understanding of the complexity of how problems present themselves and an ability to walk alongside those she works to navigate through the issues they are dealing with.

Jess’s practice is informed by Narrative Therapy, feminism, post-stucturalism and anti-oppressive practice. Jess holds the understanding that people are not problems, that problems are problems. She knows that you are an expert in your own life and thus have the unique skills and knowledge that will sustain you in the collaborative act of therapy.

Your own expertise will support you in finding movement towards preferred ways of being. She recognizes that people/relationships/communities are multi-storied. Not one experience or story captures the totality of who that person/relationship/community is. She is excited to explore this with you.

Jess has a Bachelors (BSW) and Masters degree in Social Work (MSW) from the University of Victoria and is a Registered Social Worker (RSW) in British Columbia as well as a member of the BC Association of Social Workers. She has additional counselling training through a feminist-narrative praxis immersion program with the Prochoices Narrative Therapy Community Clinic.

Pau Compean is originally from Mexico and has worked as a therapist since 2012. Influenced by narrative practices, she centers her clients´ backgrounds, values, and knowledges as the guide to support them in answering any questions they might have.

She speaks both English and Spanish and likes to think that, because of her cultural background, she brings a special warmth and levity to her sessions making her clients feel comfortable and safe. Sessions with Pau involve both exploration and discovery as well as lightness and humour. Pau is passionate and skilled at supporting people who are minorities. She usually works with people who are living with depression, anxiety, neurodiversity, grief and loss, struggles with self-worth, discrimination, cultural shock, stress, and generational trauma.

She practices through a client-centered, intersectional, collaborative and trauma informed lens. Pau values the development of spaces that are unique and different for each person she works with. She feels honoured to be a guest that walks alongside with people in their difficult moments and she believes that each person holds expertise in developing the kinds of life they wish to live.

Pau is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in the province of British Columbia. She holds a Bachelor´s Degree in Psychology and a Master´s Degree in Systemic Family Therapy (MSFT). Pau has completed significant amounts of post graduate training, including the Narrative Therapy Yearlong Training program at the Evanston Family Center in Chicago, APT accreditation of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, San'yas Indigenous Cultural Safety, and specialized pain science instruction courses.

Carly is a wonderful addition to our team. She is currently completing her Master of Social Work degree at the University of British Columbia. She comes to our clinic with over six years of experience working in mental health, both in clinical and community settings. Carly has supported adults with various challenges including depression, suicidality, anxiety, low self-esteem, bipolar disorder, substance use, trauma, and difficulty regulating emotions.

Carly is passionate about working alongside individuals to foster self-determination and personal growth towards improving their overall well-being. Using a person-centred, strengths-based approach, Carly acknowledges client's innate capacity to draw from their own resources and resilience to overcome personal problems.

Whether struggling with unhelpful thoughts or behaviours, processing difficult emotions or navigating a challenging experience, Carly provides a compassionate and collaborative space for clients to reconnect with their values and work towards meaningful change.

Carly approaches both her personal and professional life with intention and curiosity. She remains open to learning from her clients and other professionals to deepen her own understanding of the human experience.

Carly is a Registered Social Worker in the province of British Columbia (BCCSW). She has specialized training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) through Wilfred Laurier University. Additionally, her practice is informed by Mindfulness and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) techniques. Carly is currently completing training in Narrative Therapy and is excited to incorporate this modality into her practice.