JOAN DOSSO 

Joan is a Registered Clinical Counsellor bringing compassion, creativity, and a playful spirit to her clients and the therapeutic process. She works with children, adolescents and adults affected by anxiety, depression, abuse, grief, low self-esteem, shame, eating disorders, OCD, identity, relationship issues, spiritual questions, and life transitions.

Everyone is unique in how they process life. "Talk" therapy is great for some people and issues, but Joan also offers play therapy, sand tray, clay work and art to clients of all ages to explore their inner worlds. She often combines expressive arts with an Internal Family Systems approach so clients can use metaphors to identify and work with their parts. Joan encourages clients to use their creativity to shift their perspective and find hope sprouting out of loss.

Joan particularly enjoys working with students, having taught music at an international high school in Germany and at a private college in Ontario. Her interest in counselling came from years of listening to the life stories of her students and wanting to help them work out the deeper issues that were holding them back in the pursuit of their goals. Joan understands the student mindset firsthand having returned to studies a few times throughout her career to obtain a MMus in choral conducting, a Masters of Theological Studies, and a MA in Counselling and Psychology from St. Stephen’s College in Edmonton.

Joan is interested in many art forms and has performed as a flutist and conductor, is a writer of scripts and poetry, and loves to make pottery on the wheel in her home studio.  Joan loves the natural beauty of the west coast and explores it most happily in her kayak or swimming (yes, in the ocean!).