Counselling in the Comox Valley
ADHD & Executive Functioning Support in the Comox Valley
Maybe you’ve known about your ADHD since childhood, or maybe the pieces only clicked into place recently—and now you’re re-reading your whole life through a new lens. Either way, you’ve probably spent years being told to just try harder. This is support that starts somewhere different: from how your brain actually works.
Does any of this sound familiar?
ADHD is so much more than distraction. It shapes how you plan, feel, remember, rest, and relate—and it often comes wrapped in years of misunderstanding. You might know moments like these:
- You have thirty tabs open—in your browser and in your head.
- You can hyperfocus for hours on the right thing, while the “simple” task has sat on your list for three weeks.
- You’re exhausted from masking—working twice as hard just to look like you’re keeping up.
- You’ve been called lazy, scattered, or “so much potential” more times than you can count.
- The pieces clicked recently—maybe after a child’s diagnosis—and you’re grieving the years you spent blaming yourself.
- Criticism and rejection land harder for you than anyone around you seems to understand.
- Every new planner, app, or system was going to be the one that finally stuck.
How counselling can help
I don’t believe counselling is about fixing people, and I certainly don’t believe your brain is a problem to be fixed. I take a strengths-based approach: rather than starting from what’s “wrong,” we start from how your mind actually works—what it does brilliantly, where it struggles, and what kind of support would let more of the brilliance through. Then we build from there, together.
For many people, the heaviest part of ADHD isn’t the forgetting or the restlessness—it’s the shame that grew around them. Years of “too much” and “not enough” leave marks on how you see yourself and how safe you feel in your relationships. My work is grounded in attachment theory and Emotionally Focused Therapy, so alongside the practical pieces, we’ll gently unwind those old stories. This matters especially for late-identified adults—and so often for women—who spent decades holding it together beautifully on the outside while quietly wondering what was wrong with them.
I work with young people aged 10 and up as well as adults. Before becoming a counsellor, I spent five years teaching elementary school in Singapore and Canada, so I’m deeply comfortable with kids and teens—and I’ve seen firsthand how much changes for a young person when the adults around them work with their brain instead of against it.
What we might work on together
Our work will be shaped around your particular brain and your particular life. Together, we might focus on:
- Untangling ADHD from the shame stories that grew up around it
- Executive functioning supports that fit your actual life—not someone else’s planner
- Making sense of a late identification—the relief, the grief, and the re-reading of your story
- Rejection sensitivity, masking, and the burnout that follows years of overcompensating
- Self-compassion that’s practical, not fluffy—a kinder inner voice you can actually use on hard days
- For teens: confidence at school and at home, and language for what’s going on inside
Questions you might be holding
Do you assess or diagnose ADHD?
No—and I want to be plain about that. What I offer is counselling support, not assessment or diagnosis. Formal ADHD assessments are done by a physician, psychiatrist, or registered psychologist. You also don’t need a diagnosis to work with me: if ADHD traits are part of your life, that’s enough.
Do you work with teens and kids?
Yes—I work with young people aged 10 and up, as well as adults. Before becoming a counsellor I spent five years teaching elementary school, so I’m very much at home with young people, and with how ADHD shows up in classrooms, friendships, and family life.
I was identified late — or I’m still wondering. Is this for me?
Very much so. Many of the adults I support—especially women—spent decades flying under the radar, working twice as hard to keep up and blaming themselves the whole time. The relief, the grief, and the re-reading of your own story all belong in this work.
What happens in the free consultation?
It’s a short, relaxed conversation about what’s bringing you in and what you’re hoping for. You can ask me anything about how I work, and we’ll see together whether it feels like a good fit. No pressure, no obligation.
Can we meet virtually or by phone?
Yes. I offer sessions in person at Comox Valley Counselling in Courtenay, and virtually or by phone across BC. For a lot of ADHD brains, a video session from home—no commute, no waiting room—is genuinely easier to keep up with.
You’ve tried harder for long enough. Let’s try something kinder.
A free consultation is an easy first step—a chance to talk about how your brain works, what’s been hard, and what support could look like. I’d be honoured to figure it out with you.
Book your free consultationIn person in Courtenay · virtual & phone across BC · individuals aged 10+