Rachel Bullock RCC MACP MFA
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I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor who serves individual adults and adolescents in the Comox Valley and online throughout BC.
Becoming a counsellor has been the realization of a life-long dream. I always wanted to have a career that allowed me to help others in a meaningful way. And I was born curious about the deeper aspects of the human experience and how we heal.
After an early career in arts and media, alongside many years of meditation training, I took the leap towards my dream job and received a Master's Degree in Counselling Psychology. Since then, I have worked as a counsellor for teens in a youth drop-in clinic, a trauma counsellor in a transition society, a therapist to abuse offenders, and a facilitator of group anxiety and mindfulness programs.
In private practice, I work with clients struggling with trauma, anxiety, and burnout, as well as offering general counselling for issues such as low self-worth, grief and loss, perfectionism, and more. I am currently in a three-year training program for Somatic Experiencing, a powerful body-based approach to resolving trauma.
In my personal life, I am a mother to two wild and wonderful boys who keep me moving! In the winter my happy place is curling up with a cup of tea and some trashy tv, and in the summer you'll find me on the beach either staring off into space, running around with my kids, or burying my nose in a book.
About
Approach
My approach is client-centered. This means that we focus our work on your needs as an individual.
You are the expert on your thoughts, your feelings, and how your experiences impact you. I offer my experience and expertise, and together we explore what will best support you.
I believe that a good counsellor is a real human being, not a removed, above-it-all expert, nor a passive, checked-out listener. I take a down-to-earth and warm approach that gives my clients space to be their real, messy selves. In our sessions, we both roll up our sleeves and get to work on figuring out how you got here, and how you'll get to where you want to go.
Counselling should lead to positive changes in your life. If that isn't happening over time, that means that we aren't using the right approach and we need to pivot. Or it can mean that I'm not the right counsellor for you, and we need to find you a better fit.
You determine the appropriate length of therapy for you. I can work with you within a few brief sessions, on an "as needed" basis, or long-term. And we meet at a frequency that suits your needs, schedule, and budget.
I work holistically, drawing from a variety of theoretical approaches that respond to you as an individual. I have graduate-level training in the following approaches, which are used as needed:
Somatic Experiencing
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Mindfulness-Based Interventions
Emotion-Focused Individual Therapy
Compassion-Focused Therapy
Strengths-Based Approach
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Polyvagal Theory
Feminist Approach
Humanistic Approach
Training and Experience
Somatic Experiencing Training 2022 - 2024
- Completed Beginner and Intermediate levels
- Advanced levels to be completed in 2024
Counselling Ethics Training 2023
- Relational consent and protecting the client
Calming the Inner Critic Training 2023
- Working with punitive ego states
Respectful Relationships Counsellor 2021 - 2022
- Counselled domestic abuse offenders
Transition Society Supervisor 2020 - 2021
- Guided a large counselling team
Transition Society Counsellor 2019 - 2021
- Counselled victims of trauma and abuse
YMinds Anxiety Group Counsellor 2017 - 2020
- Facilitated anxiety groups for youth
Master's in Counselling Psychology 2017 - 2019
- Yorkville University
- Specialized in trauma and mood disorders
Youth Health Centre Counsellor 2018 - 2019
- Counselled teens and young adults
ACT Training 2017 - 2019
- Mindfulness and values-based interventions
Hospice Society Volunteer 2015 - 2018
- Supported hospice patients and families
Non-Violent Communication Training 2018-2020
- Compassionate communication strategies
Master's in Fine Arts 2008 - 2010
- University of British Columbia
Bachelor's in Humanities 1997 - 2000
- University of Victoria
Get in Touch
Reach out to book a session or to learn more about what counselling can offer you.
I offer a free meet and greet online or over the phone so that you can get a sense of whether I would be a good fit for your needs.