Counselling, EMDR & OEI with Andrea Slamaj
A Compassionate and Non-Pathologizing Space
Counselling with Andrea Slamaj
Registered Clinical Counsellor
Clinic Manager
EMDR & OEI Practitioner
MCP, Adler University
(she/her)
“The truest direction comes from inside.”
— Audre Lorde
Andrea offers in person and online Registered Clinical Counselling and EMDR
Please note that Andrea will be accepting new clients in early October
We live in a loud, demanding world. Somewhere along the way, you, like many others, may have learned how to carry more than your share of it.
You know the feeling. You’re the reliable one, the fixer, the peacekeeper, the strong one. You think things through, show up, take care of others, and keep going. From the outside, you look put-together. Inside, you’re running on fumes.
The hardest part isn’t only the weight. It’s what happens when everyone assumes you’re okay: You become invisible in your own life.
You don’t have to keep holding it all together here. Take off the heavy coat. Drop your shoulders. Settle in.
It’s time to come home to yourself.
Common counselling concerns, focuses & clients I love supporting:
Anxiety, overwhelm, & stress
Self-worth, self-trust, & identity
People-pleasing, perfectionism, & boundaries
Complex, childhood, & relational trauma, including PTSD
Coercive control & abuse recovery
Attachment & relational patterns
Chronic illness & medical trauma
Body image
Religious trauma
Burnout, grief, & life transitions
Populations I enjoy working with:
Thoughtful, emotionally perceptive adults who are used to holding everything together
People ready to reconnect with themselves after years of adapting, overfunctioning, or putting others first
Women exploring agency, boundaries, self-trust, & a life that feels like their own
Queer, neurodivergent, & “black sheep” folks navigating authenticity, identity, & belonging
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Andrea offers in person and online sessions:
Wednesdays 3pm-9pm
Thursdays 9am - 1:30pm
Saturdays 10am - 6pm
Please note that exact hours may shift slightly week to week depending on client bookings and availability -
Validating & Collaborative: Compassionate, warm, authentic, and deeply human.
Paced & Patient: Flexible, unhurried, responsive, and welcomes humour.
Experiential: Focuses on the mind-body connection and emotional processing.
Insight & Pattern Shifting: Uses a depth-oriented approach to explore and shift old patterns.
Grounded & Anchored: Offers practical tools, gentle challenge, and clear direction when needed.
Brings a growth mindset or action oriented frame while offering skills and tools
Great at listening with acceptance without offering an immediate fix or solution
Me as A Counsellor
I tend to work with thoughtful, emotionally perceptive people who’ve spent a long time adapting to what’s expected of them. Many are capable and self-aware, yet exhausted by overthinking, overfunctioning, and organizing their lives around everyone else. I’m especially drawn to those who’ve often felt like the “black sheep,” including women and queer or neurodivergent adults who’ve questioned where they fit or whether they can be themselves.
My own experience as a client has shaped how I approach therapy. I know what it’s like to become so good at holding everything together that other people don’t see how much it costs you. I also know how meaningful it can be to have a space where you don’t need to have it all figured out.
Sometimes counselling can become yet another place where we feel pressure to “fix” ourselves or become a different version of who we are–I don’t want to help you get better at being someone you’ve had to be. Sometimes the work is less about coping better with a life shaped around other people, and more about asking whether that life still fits or even belongs to you.
You don’t have to manage my comfort. You don’t need to have the right words or make yourself easier to be with. You’re allowed to be tired, and you’re allowed to be messy. And most importantly, you don’t have to carry it all alone anymore.
My Approach
I work relationally and experientially, drawing from different models as we get a better sense of what’s happening for you. I combine traditional talk therapy with bottom-up approaches, because trauma and painful experiences aren’t always something we can think or talk our way through. Sometimes change begins with noticing what’s happening in our bodies and emotions, and letting that guide where we go next. Our time together is collaborative and paced around you. We’ll build a roadmap as we go and adjust it as we learn more.
Working with me may include:
● Slowing down and noticing emotions, thoughts, behaviours, and sensations in your body.
● Exploring patterns, beliefs, and protective responses that have helped you navigate difficult situations.
● Making connections between where you’ve been and what’s happening in your life and relationships now.
● Considering systems and how your relationships, environment, culture, and broader circumstances have shaped how you move through the world.
● Staying with emotions and experiences that can be hard to put into words, without rushing to move past them.
● Using trauma-processing approaches such as EMDR or OEI when past events continue to feel stuck, overwhelming, or still very present.
I also pay attention to what unfolds between us, because our relationship can become a space to recognize familiar patterns and try something different. I may offer practical tools and information along the way when they seem helpful.
Over time, my hope is that you feel more at home in yourself: more able to hear what you feel, need, and want, and trust what you know enough to make room for it. To spend less time performing who you’re expected to be, and more time being yourself and letting yourself be known.
The Person Behind the Counsellor
Music has always been part of my life, whether I’m singing along to a favourite song, tinkering on an instrument, or getting lost in an album with a cup of coffee in hand. I’ve also been dancing again lately, which makes my inner theatre kid very happy.
I’m completely obsessed with dogs, and my terrier mix, Goose, may occasionally make a cameo at the office. I love reading, writing and journalling, listening to podcasts, exploring arts and culture, and noticing the magic in everyday moments. I’m a lifelong learner by nature, and there’s usually more than one rabbit hole I’m happily disappearing down.
I hold a Master of Counselling Psychology from Adler University and I’m a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors. I also have specialized trauma processing training in EMDR and OEI (Level 1).
I welcome diverse clients of all cultures, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, and relationship styles.
COUNSELLING FEES
25 min individual session: $85
50 min individual session: $170
80 min individual counselling: $270
80 minute sessions provide extra time for initial sessions, deeper exploration, or trauma processing such as EMDR or OEI.
We typically accept payment via e-transfer; in efforts to keep our overall rates lower, we also offer the option to pay by credit card with a 2.4% processing fee
Connect with Andrea for Counselling
To learn more about Andrea’s approach to counselling, ask questions about how she might be able to support you, and schedule your first session, please book a 15 minute virtual consultation below.
If you do not see a time available that works for you, or have any further questions, please contact Andrea via the form below, and share what you’re looking for support with!