Dyalla Popatia 

REGISTERED CLINICAL COUNSELLOR

Starting therapy can feel both empowering and daunting. I recognize the courage it takes to begin this journey and am committed to co-creating a space where you feel safe, welcomed, and free to show up as your whole, unfiltered self.

I see healing as a relational process that happens when we are truly seen and heard. As a counsellor, I prioritize creating a nurturing therapeutic relationship that is rooted in openness, compassion and collaboration. You are the expert in your own life and my role is to honour your experiences and perspectives while drawing on my training and knowledge to support meaningful change. Together, we will explore your existing strengths while integrating new strategies to help you navigate life with greater self-compassion, awareness, and resilience.

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My therapeutic approach is integrative, trauma-informed and holistic. I recognize that every person is different, and our work together will always be guided and adapted to your unique needs and goals. Some of the modalities I draw from include Narrative Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy, and Compassion Focused Therapy. I also incorporate understandings of neurobiology and integrate somatic and mindfulness practices into our sessions. Recognizing the interconnection of mental, emotional, physical, and (for some) spiritual well-being, I aim to help you deepen self-understanding, strengthen mind-body awareness and process underlying emotions. Ultimately, I hope to support you in breaking free from patterns that may be holding you back, and to become your most authentic and empowered self. ​

I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with the BC Association for Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) and have a Master of Arts degree in Counselling Psychology. I have previous experience providing cross-cultural and trauma-informed counselling to immigrant and refugee adults and youth, supporting women and 2SLGBTQIA+ survivors of gender-based violence and working with unhoused women and gender-diverse folk in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

Both as a therapist and in my personal life, I care deeply about collective liberation, decolonization and justice, and I strive to ground my work in intersectional, culturally responsive, and anti-oppressive ways of practicing. I recognize how systemic oppression and intergenerational trauma shape individual and collective well-being and healing. Within our work together, there is always space to explore these influences.