Robyn Vardy, Registered Clinical Counsellor
Robyn Vardy, RCC (she/they)
AREAS OF FOCUS:
Mood (Anxiety, Depression, Burnout)
C-PTSD/Complex trauma
Grief
Addiction
Chronic Illness or Pain
2SLGBTQIA+
THERAPY MODALITIES:
Internal Family Systems (IFS) / Parts Work
AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy)
Body-centred and Somatic Therapy
Attachment Theory
Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT WHEN WORKING WITH ROBYN
My goal is to honour the best in you while holistically making space for what it means to be a human on this weird, wonderful, messy, precious, sublime adventure we call life. My superpower is my empathy and my capacity to feel deeply for and with my clients. Together, we use embodied, moment-to-moment awareness to feel deeply into your here-and-now experience in order to offer healing, clarity, and peace. I use a framework that is intersectional, culturally responsive, socially just. My work with clients is very much informed by Internal Family Systems (IFS).
Building a strong and trusting relationship with my clients is important to me. I am very welcoming of feedback, and I work to demystify and make transparent the counselling process as much as possible. You will probably also notice that humour is an integral part of my toolkit!
ROBYN’S EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING
In 2023, I earned a Masters degree in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University. My degree may be recent but I am not new to the work of helping others, having spent over a decade working within grassroots movements on everything from sexual assault crisis support, to animal welfare, to food security, to climate justice, to community building, to 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC solidarity. I have long been absorbed in the work of connection and healing, in one form or another. My lived experience combined with my academic and professional training are both invaluable assets within the therapeutic space.
Robyn is also a trained provider of the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP).
ON A PERSONAL NOTEMy journey to counselling started in 2017 when I quit drinking alcohol. Through my healing, I became fascinated with all things to do with trauma, mental health, and recovery. I am a lifelong learner and my unquenchable curiosity for understanding myself and others is my north star. This is why I so adamantly believe in taking a non-hierarchical and egalitarian approach to counselling. You and I are fellow travellers on this life journey, and your expertise are deeply needed and valued.
I grew up in rural Newfoundland, then lived for 10 years in Hamilton, Ontario. I moved to Victoria because I missed the ocean and natural beauty of Newfoundland - but not the weather! I now live with my partner of ten years and our dog Benny. I am a nature lover, a pretty darn good cook, and I also have a diploma in textile arts.
FEESSessions with Robyn are $140 per 50 minutes, plus GST.
SSP sessions are $150 per 50 minutes, plus GST, plus a separate SSP access fee.
HOURSRobyn is available Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoon/evenings, and Friday 9-2.
Trainings:
Mastering IFS: Deepening Your Core Practice | 2024 | Robyn Dickson, RP | Virtual Training
Safe and Sound Protocol | 2023 | On-Demand Training
Stepping Stone: 16 Weeks Comprehensive IFS Course | 2023 | Derek Scott, RSW | Virtual Training
Making Good Use of Suffering | 2023 | Jerry Lamagna, LCSW | On-Demand Training
Transform Trauma through Fierce Love | 2023 | Suanne Piliero, PHD | On-Demand Training
Getting Started – or Restarted with AEDP | 2022 | Benjamin Lipton, LCSW | On-Demand Training
Intro to AEDP: How to be a Transformational Therapist | 2022 | Diana Fosha, PHD | On-Demand Training
Working with the Pain of Abandonment | 2022 | NICABM | Online Training
Internal Family Systems: Paradigm Shift in Mental Health? | 2022 | Derek Scott, RSW, Virtual Training
Nature Informed Therapy: A Restorative Practice for Therapist & Client | 2022 | Laura Cohen, RCT, Virtual Training
Workshops:
Belonging Leads to Becoming: The Alliance in EFT Individual Therapy | 2023 | Sue Johnson, PHD | BCACC Conference
Trauma, Resilience, and the Brain | 2023 | Pia Pechtel, MPhil, PhD, DClinPsy | BCACC Conference
Learning to Work with IBPOC Youth in this Current Climate | 2023 | Lisa Gunderson, PHD, RCC | BCACC Conference
Gen Z, Mental Health and Relationships with the Natural World | 2023 | Meghan Richey, MA, RCC | BCACC Conference
Counselling Families going through the MAID Process | 2023 | Stephanie Green, PHD | BCACC Conference
When there is No Rope Left: What to do when Burnout is High and Resources are Low | 2023 | Natasha Files, MSW, RSW | BCACC Conference
Disability and Sexuality: Helping Clients Name Their Needs | 2023 | Alex Roberts, RCC, CCC | BCACC Conference
All of the counsellors at Bodymind Counselling gratefully live and practice on the lands of Lekwungen peoples, the Songhees and Esquimalt, and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples.
