Somatic, Relational & Trauma-Informed Counselling IN BC
start again.
together.
We often sense when it’s time to shift or begin again — but doing it alone can feel overwhelming. Maybe grief hasn’t softened, anxiety keeps tugging at your focus, or old patterns repeat despite your best efforts. You might look steady on the outside while feeling lost or quietly unraveling inside. I’ve moved through seasons like this too, and I’m still tending to the parts of me that are tender.
If I can help you find clarity or relief even a little sooner than it found me, then my journey has meaning. You don’t have to do this alone. We can start again together — at a pace that feels safe, listening to your body and your story, tending to what has felt too much to hold by yourself. Over time, you can begin again with more steadiness, self‑trust, and connection — to yourself, to others, and to the life you want to live.
START AGAIN COUNSELLING
I offer a safe, grounded space for navigating loss and grief, relationships in crisis, and the life transitions that leave you unsure how to move forward.
Q: If our work together went really well and you moved through what you’re facing now, what would your life look like? What would feel different in your days, your relationships, and inside yourself?
Individuals & Couples Online from French Creek, serving Parksville, Nanoose Bay, Qualicum Beach and clients across British Columbia.
I SEE YOU
Some experiences are simply too complex to carry on your own.
I’m here to sit with you in the places that feel too heavy, confusing, or tender. You don’t need the right words or a perfect story to begin.
My approach is gentle but active. We won’t rush past what hurts, and we won’t stay stuck in it. Together, we’ll notice how your body responds, how old patterns show up now, and where even a small spark of possibility appears.
Over time, you’ll grow your capacity to feel what’s happening, set goals that matter, practice healthy boundaries, ask for what you need, and stay connected to yourself in the middle of real life. You don’t have to have it all figured out — only be willing not to do it alone anymore.
The Start Again Path
how we hold you
A grounded, steady place for your body and your heart to land as you move through grief, relationship challenges, life's transitions, and the tender work of beginning again.
MY philosophy
A meaningful life isn't built through self-improvement alone. It is built by strengthening our relationship with ourselves, learning to stay deeply connected to others without abandoning ourselves, and finding the courage to begin again whenever life asks us to redefine who we are.
Somatic Awareness
Gently turn toward your inner landscape to notice what your body has been carrying and protecting, finally hearing the quiet truths it is waiting to tell you.
Undoing Aloneness
Creating a relationship where your thoughts, feelings, and experiences no longer have to be carried alone. Through genuine connection, healing begins.
Deep Trauma Healing
Understanding how the past still lives in the present, gently releasing what no longer serves you, and creating space for new experiences of safety, connection, and hope.
Relational
Life Skills
Develop relational awareness and practical skills that empower you to remain authentic. We will practice staying connected to others while staying grounded in your gentle boundaries.
Our work supports those experiencing:
• Grief & Loss• Relationship Conflict• Betrayal & Infidelity• Life Transitions• Anxiety & Emotional Overwhelm• Self-Worth & Identity• Family & Attachment Patterns• Communication & Boundaries• Couples Seeking Repair• Divorce & Separation• Empty Nest & Midlife Changes
This work balances your nervous system so you can move forward with greater clarity and resilience.
Helping You Navigate
for you
Finding your grounding
If you are drowning in grief, frozen by anxiety, or lost in a major life change, please know you do not have to carry it alone. In this space, we sit together in the heaviness, helping your nervous system find its footing so you can feel steadier and truly seen.
for couples
Mastering The Repair
I offer a grounded Relational Life Therapy (RLT) framework to help you navigate heartache and confusion. Whether our work leads to renewed connection and deeper intimacy or a kinder separation, you'll move forward with greater clarity, self-respect, and integrity.
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Professional member of ACCT
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Diploma in Transpersonal Counselling Psychology
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Specialized training in Family systems and trauma-informed, experiential approaches, Interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB)
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somatic, systems theory
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Online therapeutic support across British Columbia
Gizella Ighorewo
Registered Therapeutic Counselllor #3308
Somatic Relational Therapy
meet gizella
Meet Gizella
My own lifelong search for authentic love, belonging, and lasting connection has taken me through the full spectrum of human experience. That journey—and the deep realizations along the way—eventually led me to become a relational and somatic counsellor.
I am a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor with a three-year Diploma in Transpersonal Counselling Psychology and more than 25 years of experience in therapeutic bodywork. My counselling is informed by specialized training in family systems, somatic and experiential approaches, attachment theory, trauma-informed care, and ongoing advanced study in Relational Life Therapy (RLT) with Terry Real.
My work is grounded, warm, and direct. I'll meet you where you are, sit with you through the hard places, and gently invite new ways of understanding yourself, your relationships, and the life you want to create.
A clear, steady path into the work.
how to begin
STEP 1
You are invited to schedule a gentle, 15-minute Discovery Call to explore our connection and see if this space feels like the right fit for your journey.
STEP 2
When you decide to book an appointment, I’ll send you a simple intake and consent form so we can make your first session more focused and supportive.
STEP 3
Your specific questions and worries guide our flow, as you remain the essential driver of your own healing. We will navigate these together within the safety of a grounding therapeutic presence.
Rates & Sessions
Free 15 Minute
Discovery Call
A brief 15-minute call to explore your needs, ask questions, and see if we’re a good fit.
Individual Sessions
60 minutes: $150 CAD
90 minutes: $225 CAD
Couples Sessions
60 minutes: $180 CAD
90 minutes: $270 CAD
Reduced-Rate Sessions
To help make this work more accessible, I offer a small number of reduced-rate sessions for people experiencing financial strain. If you’d like to explore this, please mention it when you contact me so we can look at options together. Reduced-rate spaces are limited and may involve a waitlist.
RLT Couples Training Rate
As part of my certification in Relational Life Therapy (RLT), I offer a limited number of couples sessions at $50/hr per person in exchange for your participation during my RLT practicum session. If this feels like a good fit, you’re welcome to reach out and ask about availability.
Currently, I don’t offer direct billing. Payment is made at the time of each session, and I provide receipts you can submit to your extended health insurance provider for reimbursement, depending on your plan.
Client Reflections
“Gizella has a rare mix of honesty and warmth. She names what’s really happening between us, but it always feels grounded and respectful. We’re learning how to recognise the woosh before we spaemotions and still relate to each other with more care and accountability.”
— M.R.
“I’d never tried somatic work before, and now I feel a real shift in my nervous system after every session. It doesn’t feel like talk therapy so much as my body finally getting to speak.”
— S.M.
“I came to Gizella after losing my wife. I never imagined that slowing down and really listening to my sensations could be so grounding and healing. I didn’t know I could connect to that part of myself.”
— R.H.
Reach Out Today
Have a question or want to book a session? Fill out the form below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Taking the first step can feel uncomfortable — but you don’t have to have everything figured out before you reach out.