Hi, I’m Shila.

I work with people from various walks of life who yearn to feel whole, rooted, and connected again – with themselves, others, and the more-than-human world. My therapeutic approach is grounded in mindfulness, arts-based, and nature-inspired lenses, blended with extensive clinical experience and training in trauma-informed care and cultural humility.

I first came to this work after 16+ years in community health care, mental health and substance use, HIV/AIDS care, human rights activism, and policy advocacy. These diverse experiences have taught me there are many paths to healing and wholeness.

One of these paths is to rediscover our innate capacity for compassion, calm, and creativity, and to cultivate reconnections between our body-mind-heart and between us and our wise kin, Nature. This is the path I offer, supported by evidence-based approaches such as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and Narrative Therapy.

As your therapist, I am committed to providing a warm and collaborative environment that is affirming of our many diverse life experiences. We will always move at the speed of relationship and trust. As a queer immigrant living with a cognitive disability, I understand first-hand the importance of creating a space where you can slowly let down your walls and just be.

It would be an honour to walk alongside you in your journey.


DEEPENING MY LEARNINGS

I am committed to deepening my skills, knowledge, and practices. Below are some of the ongoing learnings I have taken:

  • PhD Candidate, research in nature-based mindfulness and transformative change - Simon Fraser University, BC (ongoing)

  • Master of Social Work - York University, Toronto, ON

  • Bachelor of Social Work - University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC

  • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) - Center for Mindfulness Studies, Toronto, ON

  • Internal Family Systems Meets Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness – Govinda Bader, MFT & David Treleaven, PhD

  • Narrative Therapy courses - The Dulwich Centre, Australia

  • Nature-Based Therapy Level 1 - Human Nature Counselling, Victoria, BC

  • Indigenous Cultural Safety – Indigenous Health, Vancouver Coastal Health

  • Volunteer Lead, EcoStewards & Dedicated Invasive Removal Team - Stanley Park Ecology Society

  • Yearly participation at Insight Meditation retreats with teachers such as bruni davila, Pascal Auclair, and Anushka Fernandopulle - Insight Retreat Center, Santa Cruz, CA & BC Insight Meditation Society