GREATER VICTORIA, BC
Trades Professionals
You keep everything running. But something in you has been running on empty for a while now.
The Weight You Carry Off the Clock
You’re up before the sun. Steel toes on, high-vis zipped, coffee in one hand, keys in the other. By the time you’ve fought through the Colwood Crawl and hit the site, you’ve already been going for an hour. Then it’s eight, ten, twelve hours of physical work; lifting, climbing, crawling, crouching in spaces that weren’t built for a human body. You get home wrecked. Your partner says something about the kids’ school thing tomorrow and you nod, but honestly, you didn’t catch half of it. You’re not ignoring them. You’ve just got nothing left.
The beer after work used to be one. Now it’s a few. Maybe more than a few. You tell yourself you’ve earned it after the week you’ve had, and that’s true, you have. But somewhere in the back of your mind you know the line between unwinding and numbing is getting harder to see. You don’t talk about it because nobody on the crew talks about it. The fit-for-duty box gets checked every morning, same as everyone else’s. You show up. You do the work. That’s what matters.
Except your body is starting to keep score. Your back hasn’t been right in months. Your knees ache before you even get out of bed. You’ve been popping painkillers more often than you’d admit out loud, and you know where that road can go because you’ve watched it happen to guys on your crew. The physical wear is obvious; what nobody sees is the mental wear underneath it. The short fuse that flares over nothing. The way your chest tightens on Sunday night when you think about Monday morning. The stress and burnout building beneath the surface. The feeling that you’re grinding yourself down for everyone else and there’s nobody grinding for you.
And then there’s the stuff that sits even deeper. The seasonal layoffs where the bills keep coming but the work doesn’t. The pressure of running your own outfit, where every callback and every slow month lands squarely on your shoulders. Watching a mate spiral and knowing you can’t say anything because that’s not how it works. Or maybe the mate who’s spiralling is you, and you’re just hoping nobody notices. The anxiety is always running in the background.
Here’s the part nobody says out loud: the trades will break your body, and if you’re not careful, they’ll break everything else too. Not because you’re weak. Because you’ve been carrying too much for too long without putting any of it down. The relationships that matter most end up bearing the cost.
What It Looks Like When the Weight Starts to Lift
Picture this: you come home after a long shift and you’re actually there. Not zoned out on the couch, not snapping at your kids, not reaching for a drink before you’ve taken your boots off. You’re present. Your partner stops walking on eggshells because the person they fell in love with is showing up again. Your kids want to hang out with you on the weekend, and you want to hang out with them.
You sleep. Properly. Not the kind of sleep where you pass out from exhaustion and wake up at 3 a.m. with your mind already racing through tomorrow’s problems. Real sleep, the kind where you wake up and actually feel like a human being. The anger that used to spike out of nowhere, the frustration that would boil over at the smallest thing; you still feel it, but now you’ve got a way to catch it before it takes over. You’ve got tools that work, the same way the right tool on a jobsite makes the difference between a clean fix and a mess.
You remember why you got into the trade in the first place. The pride in skilled work. The satisfaction of building something real with your hands. The work hasn’t changed, but the way you carry it has. And on the days when it’s still heavy, you’ve got a plan for that too.
A Counsellor Who’s Done the Work — Both Kinds
Before I became a therapist, I owned and ran a plumbing business. I know what a 5 a.m. start and a 12-hour day feels like. I’ve crawled under houses, dealt with difficult clients, managed a crew, chased invoices, and carried the weight of a small business on my shoulders. I understand the pride that comes with skilled work, and I understand what it costs.
I also served in the Canadian Armed Forces infantry. So when I say I get the culture of toughness, the dark humour, the expectation to suck it up and keep moving, I’m not reading about it in a textbook. I’ve lived it. You won’t need to spend our first sessions explaining what your life is like or why it’s hard to ask for help. I already know.
I’m a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC, #11252849) with a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology and a Diploma in Professional Counselling. I bring professional training and lived experience together because one without the other isn’t enough. In the trades, when something’s broken, you diagnose the problem, make a plan, and fix it. That’s how I approach therapy; practical, direct, and focused on what’s actually going to make a difference in your daily life. No couch. No “tell me about your childhood.” Just honest work on the stuff that matters.
Practical, Direct, and Built Around Your Life
Session Details
In-Person
132-328 Wale Rd, Colwood, BC Close to CFB Esquimalt & Westshore
Virtual
132-Available throughout British Columbia Secure, private video platform
Rate & Coverage
$150 per session Covered by many extended benefits. CCPA coverage accepted by major insurers.
I’m not going to ask you to journal your feelings or sit in silence while I nod and take notes. That’s not how I work, and it’s not what’s going to help you.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Helps you stop fighting with the thoughts and feelings that are draining your energy and start putting that energy toward what actually matters to you; your family, your work, your health.
Narrative Therapy
Helps you step back from the story you’ve been telling yourself (“I’m just angry,” “this is just how I am”) and see it clearly enough to change the parts that aren’t serving you.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)
Exactly what it sounds like: we identify what’s not working, figure out what you want instead, and build a plan to get there. It’s goal-oriented and typically doesn’t drag on for years. Think of it as troubleshooting; you wouldn’t ignore a fault in the wiring, and you wouldn’t keep poking at it without a plan to fix it either.
Mindfulness
In this context doesn’t mean meditation apps and deep breathing; it means learning to notice what’s happening in your body and your mind before it takes over.
Sessions are $150 and typically run every week or two, depending on what works for you. I see clients in person at my office at 132-328 Wale Rd in Colwood, right in the Westshore, and virtually anywhere in British Columbia for those days when getting to an office just isn’t going to happen. As a Canadian Certified Counsellor through the CCPA, my services are covered by many extended health benefit plans. We can sort out the details when you book.
One hour, every couple of weeks. That’s less time than you spend waiting for materials at the supply house.
What Brings Trades Professionals Through the Door
Every person’s situation is different, but these are some of the issues I work with most often in this population:
Chronic Pain and the Mental Health Spiral It Creates
Your body has been taking hits for years, and now it’s collecting the debt. The pain changes how you sleep, how you move, how you show up for your family. And underneath the pain there’s often anxiety about your future, frustration, and grief for what your body used to be able to do. Physical rehab addresses the body. Therapy addresses everything the pain is doing to the rest of your life.
Substance Use That Started as “Just a Few Drinks”
The line between unwinding and self-medicating moves slowly enough that you don’t notice until someone points it out, or until it starts costing you things you care about. This isn’t a moral failing; it’s what happens when there’s no other outlet for what you’re carrying. We work on what’s driving the pattern, not just the pattern itself.
Relationships That Are Fracturing Under the Weight
Your partner says you’re not present. Your kids are growing up and you’re missing it. The relationship strain didn’t happen overnight; it’s the slow cost of exhaustion, emotional shutdown, and having nothing left to give by the time you get home. Therapy helps you figure out what’s getting in the way of the connection you actually want.
Anger and Irritability That’s Getting Worse
Small things set you off. A slow driver, a dropped tool, a question from your kid. The anger isn’t really about the trigger; it’s the pressure valve releasing because everything else has been held in too long. This responds well to clinical work; you learn what’s actually fuelling the anger and how to catch it before it costs you something you can’t get back.
Financial Stress and the Pressure of Providing
Seasonal layoffs, contract gaps, the pressure of running your own outfit. The financial stress doesn’t just affect your bank account; it affects your sleep, your mood, your relationships, and your sense of who you are. When your identity is tied to providing and the providing gets threatened, everything else starts to wobble.
Sleep Problems That Won’t Quit
You’re exhausted but you can’t sleep. Or you sleep but wake up wired at 3 a.m. with your mind already running through tomorrow’s problems. Poor sleep makes everything worse; the pain, the mood, the short fuse, the low mood that won’t lift. We address what’s keeping your nervous system stuck in overdrive.
Burnout Disguised as “Just the Grind”
You used to love the work. Now you’re going through the motions, counting the hours, wondering how many more years of this your body and mind can take. Trades burnout doesn’t look like corporate burnout; it looks like just getting through the day. But the grief of losing your purpose in work you once loved is real, and it deserves attention.
Loss of Identity After Injury or Career Change
When a workplace injury takes you off the tools, or when your body forces a career change you didn’t choose, you lose more than a job. You lose the thing that told you who you were. The intrusive thoughts and rumination about what you’ve lost can be relentless. Therapy helps you figure out who you are when the trade isn’t the answer anymore.
Straight Answers to the Questions You’re Actually Asking
I’ve never done therapy before. What’s it actually like?
It’s a conversation. A structured one, with someone who knows what they’re doing, but a conversation. You talk about what’s going on, I ask questions that help us both understand the pattern, and together we figure out what needs to change and how. No lying on a couch. No awkward silences. Just honest work.
Will you actually get where I’m coming from?
I owned a plumbing business. I served in the infantry. I’ve done the early mornings, the physical grind, the crew dynamics. I know the culture of toughness and the cost of carrying everything without putting it down. You won’t spend our sessions educating me on your life.
I’m not in crisis. Is this still worth it?
Most of the tradies I work with aren’t in crisis. They’re functional but running on fumes. The best time to deal with this stuff is before it becomes a crisis; before the relationship breaks, before the substance use escalates, before the injury forces a change you didn’t choose.
Will my benefits cover this?
My services as a Canadian Certified Counsellor through CCPA are covered by many extended health benefit plans, including Pacific Blue Cross, Green Shield, Canada Life, Manulife, and Sun Life. Coverage depends on your specific plan. At $150 per session, many clients find their benefits cover a significant portion. We’ll sort out the details when you book.
I work long hours. Can I actually fit this in?
I offer flexible scheduling, including early morning and evening appointments. Virtual sessions are available throughout BC for the days when getting to Colwood isn’t practical. A session takes 50 minutes. That’s less time than a supply run.
Is this confidential?
Completely. I’m bound by the ethical standards of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association and BC legal requirements. Nothing you tell me goes to your employer, your union, your partner, or anyone else without your explicit written consent. This is a private practice, fully separate from any workplace or institution.
You Maintain Everything Else. It’s Time to Maintain Yourself.
You’ve spent your career keeping things running for everyone else. The buildings go up, the systems work, the lights stay on. You’ve earned the calluses and the paycheques, and you’ve paid a price for both.
You don’t have to explain your world to me. I’ve been in it. Book a free consultation and we’ll talk about what’s going on and whether I’m the right fit. No pressure, no jargon, no judgement.
You don’t have to explain your world to me. I’ve been in it.
