About Hilary
A long becoming —
not a single moment.
I am an emerging psychotherapist and writer based in Vancouver, British Columbia, completing my Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University.
My desire to become a psychotherapist began in my early teens. Growing up as an only child to a mother navigating her own mental health journey, I found myself moving early into a role of emotional attunement — learning to read what was unspoken, to sit with difficulty, and to stay present when things were hard. What could have felt like a burden became, over time, a calling.
In my early twenties I entered therapy, and I have continued ever since. That work has been genuinely life-changing. The depth of self-understanding, the healing of old patterns, and the capacity for growth that good therapeutic work makes possible has shaped everything about how I approach this field. I do not come to counselling from the outside looking in. I know what it feels like to finally say the thing that has never been said — and to find that the person across from you does not flinch.
My professional path deepened that foundation. As COO of The Grief and Trauma Healing Centre and Co-Founder and CEO of P.A.T.H. Therapy, I worked alongside clinicians in intake, case consultation, and client-facing support across two distinct counselling environments in Vancouver and across BC. I observed firsthand how the quality of early therapeutic contact shapes everything that follows. I have intentionally stepped back from executive leadership to focus fully on my clinical training.
I am a traveler, a lover of the natural world, and someone who believes deeply that humans are love at their core. I write about the areas of therapy I find most compelling — EMDR, somatic and body-based approaches, Internal Family Systems and parts work, psychedelic-assisted therapy, couples counselling, and the intersection of self-compassion and identity. My practice opens in Vancouver in January 2027, offering in-person sessions and virtual counselling across British Columbia and Canada.
A belief
Humans are love at their core. Everything else is a layer.
This is not a soft idea. It is a clinical conviction — one that shapes how I sit with people, how I understand symptoms and defences, and how I hold hope for change even when it feels impossible.
Training and background
What I am learning — and building toward.
Graduate studies
MA Counselling Psychology
Yorkville University — currently enrolled. Practicum begins January 2027. Person-centred, trauma-informed, integrative foundation.
Certification
Psychedelic Facilitation
Phoenix Academy — 2023. Training in psychedelic-assisted therapy, altered states, integration work, and ethical containment.
Certification
Grief Recovery Method
The Grief Recovery Institute — 2023. Structured, evidence-based approach to grief and loss that moves beyond coping into genuine completion.
In progress
Gottman Method Levels 1 and 2
Enrolling summer 2026. Research-based couples therapy approach focused on deepening understanding, conflict management, and shared meaning.
Independent study
Internal Family Systems
Self-directed study of the IFS model — a framework for understanding the different parts of the self and facilitating their integration and healing.
Professional background
Clinical environments
COO, The Grief and Trauma Healing Centre · Co-Founder and CEO, P.A.T.H. Therapy — intake, case consultation, and client-facing support across two Vancouver counselling practices.
Want to know when my practice opens?
Join the list for occasional writing on therapy and healing, and a note when I begin accepting clients in Vancouver and virtually across Canada.