“When you go out into the woods and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree.
…I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are.” — Ram Dass
Finding a therapist in Vancouver can be tough
You’ve been struggling for awhile and you’re finally ready to look for a therapist for support. But how do you sort through the endless lists of therapist profiles and websites to figure out who will actually understand what you’re all about? Who doesn’t have a year-long waitlist, no less?
Maybe this is your first time looking for a therapist and you have no clue where to start. Maybe you’ve tried therapy in the past but didn’t totally “click” with your counsellor. Therapy needs to happen with someone you trust and feel at ease with.
I’m Ali Zokol, RCC #16888
I operate Tiny Sanctuary Counselling on the unceded lands of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm people, colonially known as Coquitlam, BC.
I became a Registered Clinical Counsellor because as a young person, I spent a lot of my time feeling very alone with my pain. In these moments, I vowed that I would figure out how to help others feel less alone in theirs. Eventually, this quest lead me to graduate with my Master’s in Counselling Psychology from UBC, and I spent many years working in public mental health systems with a particular focus on suicide prevention and crisis intervention.
Through this experience, what began as a desire to make a difference evolved into an understanding that so many of our troubles are due to broken and oppressive systems far beyond my of influence as an individual - even after going to university for 8 years to become a therapist! I observed that counselling is often used as a band-aid for wounds that would be much better treated with stitches. But I also learned that even though therapy is not the magical cure-all that I had once hoped, when it is applied correctly it can be one of many amazing tools that can help us to make change in our lives, understand ourselves, learn skills, and even heal.
It was this realization that led me to create Tiny Sanctuary Counselling, a virtual practice where I can offer therapy that actually fits with your needs in the context of our big, real, complicated world.
I strive to provide individualized therapy that works for you, in order to help you live your life in the way that best aligns with your needs.
What’s it like working with me?
People tell me that I’m warm, genuine, caring, intuitive, and playful. I make an effort to understand where you’re coming from first and I have a gift for helping you to hone in on and harness your strengths. Beyond anything else, I carry a deep, earnest hope in your capacity to survive and thrive.
I strive to embody my values of collaboration, autonomy, ethics, and harm-reduction at all times. With that, I am always imperfectly striving towards liberation for all, no matter your race, class, sexuality, gender, age, ability, body size, health status, or otherwise. I dream of a world where one day we are all free and safe as a collective (at which point I may find myself happily out of a job!) But until this time, I believe that therapy can allow us to radically make space to care for ourselves, which only further allows us to share our gifts with others, thus contributing to a better world (even if that is in the tiniest of ways).
Sound good to you? Schedule a free 15-minute consultation with me to see if we *click*.
Questions? Email me at ali@tinysanctuarycounselling.com
