Prospect Counselling + Training is a POC-led counselling practice dedicated to providing accessible and exceptional counselling to SDQTBIPOC+ communities while disrupting the capitalist values currently upholding standard clinical training programs. Rather than building wealth for practice owners, proceeds from services provided support further training, thereby enhancing the services you receive, while funding projects for collective healing within communities.
We were chatting away about life, its going ons, and frustrations with training folx within an institutional setting, when we came to the topic of liberation. We shared our hopes in engaging in spaces where there is already a buy-in into the ethics and radical politics that inform our work. Not having spaces where the messiness of dreaming up and creating liberatory practices felt like a lost opportunity that costed too much. What are we leaving on the table when we only engage in institutionalized training and educational practices? What change could we spark if we created a space for therapists-to-be to build their practice on a more radical foundation?
For several years, Bhupie had envisioned a community-oriented learning space where students and practicing counsellors can come together to learn/unlearn together that also serves communities in more radically useful ways. Abby’s excitement + passion for the idea propelled it forward. From there we began to co-create what it would look like on a practical level and how it may evolve in the future. Putting boots to the ground, Prospect became what it is today.
We aren’t experts; just figuring things out as we go, but we are thrilled to continue having creative, tough, and fiercely radical conversations with each other and communities as we do our part in moving towards collective liberation.
We are uninvited settlers occupying the stolen, unceded, ancestral territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō) peoples.
Our relationship with these lands dictates our commitment to understanding the ongoing impacts of colonization and decolonizing our practices in and out of the counselling room.
is a settler who was born and raised on the stolen unceded, ancestral territories of the Semiahmoo, sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬ təməxʷ (Katzie), Kwantlen, kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), Qayqayt, and sc̓əwaθenaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsawwassen) Nations; and her ancestors are from India. Bhupie is a cis, non-disabled, middle class, small fat woman.
Currently, Bhupie works as a therapist, supervisor, professor, and consultant. Her work is informed by social justice and collaborative principles. She is honoured to work alongside people who are navigating and resisting multiple systems of oppression individually, within relationships, and in communities. As a clinical supervisor, Bhupie supports teams providing health care services and counselling services, practicing counsellors and student counsellors. Supervision is an enriching experience for Bhupie—a space where she can engage in a collaborative dialogue about best practices and ethics alongside the critique and feedback.
Bhupie also provides workshops, trainings, and consultations to organisations, teams, and boards. She is an adjunct faculty at Adler University and City University, and an instructor at Vancouver Community College. And she is a board member at Healing in Colour.
is a queer, currently non-disabled Corean femme, immigrant and settler, joy-seeker, liberatory dreamer, psych survivor, justice-oriented therapist-ish and ongoing creation of community. Born in Bucheon, Corea, they grew up and continue to live on the unceded territories of Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations in what is colonially known as Vancouver, Canada, which shapes their relationships with land, kinship, sovereignty and co-resistance.
Ji-Youn works in private/alternative practice in relationships with predominantly Sick & Disabled QTBIPOC client community members with the orientation of therapy-ish as a space to practice embodied liberatory practices in the spirit of collective liberation. In recent years, she has also been teaching about abolitionist mental health care, the mental health industrial complex and the blurring of the categorization of therapy. Their practices are informed by Black & Indigenous feminist scholars, Disability Justice & Transformative Justice educators, abolitionists and organizers, as well as their lived experienced of mental illness/Madness and psychiatric incarceration.
Kim Haxton (Potowatomi) is from the Wasauksing First Nation in Ontario. She has worked across Turtle Island and abroad in various capacities but always with a focus on local leadership.
Her deep understanding of the need for genuine restoration has far-reaching implications as leaders seek vision and all people seek direction to address the mounting pressure of a system incongruous with the values of the natural world. Kim has developed and facilitated programs in land-based education, ceremonies, and leadership for the past 30 years, including as co-founder of Indigeneyez.
She takes her place among thought leaders in the area of decolonization, particularly as it applies to language, art, economics, and gender. She encourages the “lateral liberation” of consciousness by drawing from the embodied knowledge of Indigenous peoples. In multi-day workshops, she moves people through a personal process of questioning what is the truth and what is simply constructed – effectively rupturing what we “know.” True expression of respect, harmony, inclusion, equity can come from this place.
Premala (Lala) is queer and cis, a brown woman and a settler, chronically ill/disabled and middle class. Some of her people are Indian and others are white. Her understanding of power, privilege, and oppression is shaped by the range of her positions in the world.
Lala's experiences of violence and oppression led her to seek change, for herself and others. She is a therapist in independent practice, and the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Healing in Colour, a non-profit that supports BIPOC both to access and to offer healing services. She is also the co-creator of SEEN, a podcast that explores personal healing and collective liberation work through the eyes of Black and brown queer women. Her work sits at the intersection of counselling and activism, firmly rooted in the radical possibilities of QTBIPOC spiritual and emotional healing.
In my therapeutic practice and activism, I focus on supporting individuals and people in relationships who are part of communities subject to structural violence (including but not limited to BIPOCs, Queer, trans & gender nonconforming folks), people involved in social justice movements & direct action activism, and folks working on being accountable for doing harm in ways that are connected to, or involve participation in, systems of structural oppression (eg. gendered violence & white supremacy). I also provide clinical supervision to counsellors and other practitioners and have been a member of the teaching staff at City University since 2017.
I draw on knowledge and perspectives from feminist, queer, and critical race theory as well from social movements and activism. I truly value the wisdom and knowledge from outside the academy that students bring with them to the program and strive to create a space where it can be recognized, acknowledged, and integrated into clinical practice. Ultimately, I believe that teaching in a counselling program involves an ethical obligation to clients. More specifically, a requirement to participate in the creation of a field that not only more fully reflects the faces of its clients, but seeks first to be in care of, and led by, the communities in our society most marginalized and subject to structural violence. I attempt, in whatever ways I can, to always orient my teaching to respond to this requirement.
is a non-disabled, queer, white Latinx of mixed ethnic and racial ancestry, now-middle-class, immigrant, settler, woman, offering trauma counselling, facilitation, and consulting services on the stolen, ancestral, and traditional territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. They were born and raised in Medellín, Colombia, and spent a long time living and learning in the ‘United States’ after immigrating.
Luisa values accountability, transparency, and compassion in all aspects of her life. Currently, they work as a Clinical Counsellor, Consultant, and Clinical Supervisor in independent practice. Luisa uses an integration of various trauma-informed, relational, and client-centred approaches that are situated in intersectional feminist, anti-oppressive and social justice principles. They are dedicated to supporting equity-deserving folks with experiences of oppression in their process towards healing and liberation. Luisa actively works towards anti-oppression and anti-racism personally and professionally. Luisa’s analysis and approaches have been heavily influenced by Black and Indigenous feminists, and queer and critical race theories. In the past, they have worked as an educator in post-secondary education and community settings. In addition to their work, Luisa is currently a board member with Healing in Colour. Outside of their work, Luisa enjoys spending time in the sun, dancing, connecting with her community via sharing food, and playing volleyball.
is an educator, counsellor, mentor, and creator originally from so-called Texas. For 7 years post-graduate Theresa worked on the front lines with local non-profits to provide accessible and quality therapeutics for those with barriers to support. Theresa is committed to helping people achieve freedom from systemic and societal oppression in every capacity, addressing the distresses that come from navigating shame, marginalization, discrimination, disassociation, and self-worth.
Theresa is passionate about developing personal power and helping individuals and relationships live authentically and thrive in their truths. In 2020, she started her own therapeutic practice, In-Power Counselling & Services, which continues the work she’s done in healing and empowerment. Theresa is also a clinical supervisor for new and developing therapists. Theresa’s hope is to make mental health, daily health!
When she’s not working Theresa is a learner in every sense of the word. She loves to read and consume content and information. She is a sister, a friend, a daughter, a cat aunt, a writer, crafter, painter, and creator.
is a non-binary, queer, 1.5 generation Chinese-Canadian immigrant settler who live, work, and benefit from taking up space on the unceded traditional territories of hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh peoples (colonially known as Burnaby.). I’m also neurodivergent, mentally ill, and a parent to a pre-schooler.
As an art maker, I enjoy all things creative. Some of my favorite interests include caring for plants and animals, painting, collaging, cooking, and immersing myself in the alternate realities of video games. Many of my healing experiences were inspired by meaningful relationships with others and in communities of care. In these supportive spaces, I am able to reclaim parts of myself and nourish my growth by embracing every aspect of my humanity.
I see working as a therapist and being a human being as inseparable processes. More than my educational and training backgrounds, I draw from my lived experiences and inner knowing to support those who share space with me. I have found deep healing in the practice of embracing “enoughness”. In the therapeutic space, my role is to guide you to connect with “being enough”, while cultivating gentleness and compassion for you to embody the richness of your humanity.
Waffles that bring me so much joy). I love being outdoors, sometimes that means hanging out in the woods, sometimes going for a walk by the water and sometimes just sitting on our patio. I also enjoy watching the Edmonton Oilers play (though I am definitely not a hockey expert lol).
Thinking about my identity as a counsellor, it definitely stems from my personal values. One that is important to me is authenticity, with that, I commit to bringing my authentic self into sessions. Another that's important to me is being present in the moment, with this, I like to incorporate meditation and mindfulness into sessions (though this is always an option and never a requirement). In general, I tend to look at counselling as a conversation. A conversation where folks share what they feel comfortable with. Sometimes that means coming to session with a specific problem or difficulty and sometimes that looks like exploring what comes up that day. Overall, my aim as a counsellor is to support folks and help them navigate their experiences, including any barriers, struggles, and/or achievements.
Our intern counsellors are currently completing their 700 hour practicum with us. They receive an intensive 18 week training facilitated by our community trainers and undergo weekly supervision.
Our intern counsellors offer sliding scale services from $25 to $80 per 50-minute individual counselling session.
Hi, my name is Larissa and introducing myself as counsellor feels strange.
Introducing some of my identities and cultures seems like a common starting point, so I'll begin there. I am queer. I am a cis-female. And I come from a mixed family. My mom's family are settles from Europe, and my dad's family, are Indigenous from Skowkale First Nation, and I am somewhere in-between (=
Beyond these identities, some others that are important to me are that I am a cat momma (we have two kittens, Winnie and
Graduate Counsellors have completed all course work, practicum and all other requirements for registration.
They are currently awaiting registration and offer sliding scale services between $80 to $120 per individual 50-minute counselling sessions.
is a gay, cis, non-disabled, second generation, racialized settler. His parents immigrated to these lands from India and he was born and raised in what is colonially known as Surrey; the stolen unceded, ancestral territories of the Semiahmoo, Katzie, Kwikwetlem, Kwantlen, Qayqayt, Musqueam, and Tsawwassen Nations.
Nav is currently in the process of completing his Master of Counselling degree at City University. He strives to practice from a place of cultural humility, and views the world through queer, social justice, and anti-oppressive lenses. He attributes his outlook to his lived experiences and positions, to the
journey of exploring and embracing his personal and cultural identity.
Nav is passionate about working with individuals who feel isolated from themselves or the world around them. He believes in the resilience of the human spirit, and the healing power of storytelling. His focus is on queer and gender diverse identity, minority experiences, identity exploration, life transitions, anxiety, and depression. He hopes to create anon-judgmental, compassionate, and collaborative space for clients to share and explore their stories.
When he is not working, Nav finds joy in other pursuits that nourish his mind and spirit. Experimenting in the kitchen, reading and writing, being a plant dad, and exploring worlds of make-believe with his partner and friends playing tabletop roleplaying games.
is a first-generation immigrant from the Philippines, a woman of colour and a settler on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Katzie, Kwantlen, Semiahoo, Kwikwetlem, Qayqayt, and Tsawwassen Nations. As an able-bodied, cis, and middle-class woman, Janine acknowledge the points of privileges and oppression attached and experienced within the intersections of her identities and social locations that inform and shape her practice.
Janine is drawn into taking her master’s degree in counselling after working in the
education and settlement sector for over five years. Meeting and working with incredible individuals with diverse lived experiences from across the globe inspired Janine to continuously find ways to fill the gaps within the systems and make space for the voices that are often marginalized. She is passionate about community building and strengthening individuals’ capacities for growth. Janine sees the need for an equitable and inclusive practice that not only acknowledge but celebrate the lived experiences of many beautiful people who now call so-called Canada as their home.
Janine centers her counselling practice in kindness, joy, and humanizing the therapeutic space. She seesopportunities working with folx as a privilege and like herself, she acknowledges that life and experiences that come with it are a continuous process of being and becoming and it is worthy of holding a safe and courageous space to explore.
