OUR EMBODIMENT

REGISTERED CLINICAL COUNSELLING

with CHELSEA MCGOWAN

→ about me

I am a passionate therapist, teacher, and dancer. I bring these elements into the work I do, and the love I have to see people develop a deeper relationship to self and in turn others.

I am not a “blank slate” therapist, and show up as real and accessible as we work together towards your goals. I prioritize the body and the emotions you hold and work to create a deeper connection between the mind and the body.

I value respect of your individual experience, safety in how we develop a therapeutic relationship, and accessibility in the topics and theories we use together.

Style

A typical session will be rooted in:

The Relationship –

The base of how I work is in the collaborative creation of a real relationship that suits and serves you.  

The Body -

In a society that values thoughts, I invite my clients to drop into their bodies. It’s here we attune to emotions, sensations, and old parts and their stories.

The Here and Now –

We don’t just talk about new ways of being but practice the expression of it right in the room. We work on noticing, understanding, and responding to old patterns to create new experiences.

EXPERIENCE

I have a range of experience within different communities, identities, and sexualities.

Some of the extensive experience I have is with eating disorders, anxiety, depression, trauma, childhood and attachment trauma, emotional regulation, lack of boundaries, perfectionism, self worth, sexual assault, and personality disorders.

I also have experience working with neurodivergent clients, and am continuing education and supervision specifically within this area.  If there is a specific topic or presentation that you are unsure of feel free to reach out via email for clarification.  

Artist - Rani Ban

TRAINING

I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) working in Vancouver, BC. I offer individual and group psychotherapy and supervision sessions both in person and online. I hold a Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology from Adler University and have been practicing for 9 years. I have specialized training in eating disorders and have worked in community out patient clinics, mental health programs, and private practice with teens (14+), adults, and parents.

I am also a dancer, and currently teach contemporary in Vancouver. Alongside my life long dance training, I am continuing my training in Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal, with the guidance of world class teachers and clinicians. This method is the joining of my two loves - expressive art and psychology - but I promise I won’t make you dance in session unless requested!

My continuing education includes specific and extensive trainings in Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Gottman Couples Therapy, Intersectional Feminism, and Somatic based and parts work interventions. I also engage in ongoing supervision with a strong commitment to continued work on my craft, myself, and my community.

Bookings

New clients can email chelsea@ourembodiment.com to set up a phone consultation at no charge. This is a chance for us to see if we will be a good fit.

288 W 8th ave, Vancouver, BC. V5Y 1N5

My office is located near W Broadway and Cambie St, 2 blocks away from the Broadway-City Hall Skytrain station. There are complimentary visitor parking spots at the back of the building, and the quiet neighborhood has plenty of street parking.

Unfortunately, there is no elevator in the building for those who need further accessibility, but zoom appointments are available.

Mimi, my Italian Greyhound, is often at the office with me. She is a small, quiet, quirky, and mostly non-shedding pup who loves people and cuddling. Please let me know if her presence is at all an issue for you.

The land on which I work is on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples - xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.