Counselling for Victoria, BC Residents
You don’t have to keep carrying this alone. Professional counselling on Wale Road, in the heart of Colwood.
Colwood Office & Virtual | Serving Greater Victoria & Online Across BC
50-minute session with Sean Lewis | $150, health insurance accepted
A different option for Victoria residents
Victoria has one of the highest concentrations of therapists in the country. Dozens of practices within walking distance of each other downtown. Directory pages that go on for miles. You’d think finding the right fit would be easy.
It isn’t.
Maybe you’ve tried a session or two that felt too soft, too clinical, or too detached from your actual life. Maybe you’re on three wait lists and still haven’t heard back. Maybe you’re a government worker navigating bureaucratic burnout and the golden handcuffs of a pension. A tech professional burning out behind a screen. A university student at UVic or Camosun trying to hold it together. A service industry worker who smiles for a living and has nothing left when the shift ends.
Or maybe the problem isn’t Victoria at all. Maybe it’s something that would follow you wherever you lived, and the city just happens to be where you finally decided to deal with it. This city has a complicated relationship with mental health; it’s home to world-class services and people sleeping in doorways three blocks from Parliament. I spent six years at The Mustard Seed Street Church working in the middle of that reality. It shaped how I see this work.
Introspectus Counselling is in Colwood, about 20 minutes from downtown Victoria. I also offer virtual sessions, which means no commute, no parking meter, and no running into your colleague in the elevator of a Government Street therapy office.
I work with clients from James Bay, Fairfield, Fernwood, Oak Bay, Esquimalt, Vic West, Saanich, Hillside-Quadra, and across the capital region.
A therapist with a background outside the therapy world
Most therapists in Victoria followed a relatively straight path; undergrad, graduate school, supervised hours, private practice. There’s nothing wrong with that. But if you’re looking for someone whose life experience extends beyond academia and clinical settings, that’s what I offer.
I served in the Canadian Armed Forces infantry. I owned and operated a plumbing business. I spent a decade in pastoral ministry, including six years leading The Mustard Seed Street Church right here in Victoria, working alongside people experiencing homelessness, addiction, and crisis on the streets of this city.
Those experiences shaped how I work. I don’t default to therapeutic jargon. I don’t assume everyone processes the same way. And I don’t pretend that understanding comes from a textbook when it actually comes from sitting across from someone who’s in pain and staying present.
I work particularly well with people who:
- Have tried therapy before and found it too passive, too clinical, or too disconnected from real life
- Work in high-pressure environments; government, tech, military, trades, emergency services, leadership, ministry
- Are dealing with trauma, PTSD, or operational stress and want a therapist who doesn’t flinch
- Are wrestling with questions of faith, meaning, or purpose and want someone who takes those questions seriously without pushing an agenda
- Have been putting off therapy because they couldn’t find someone who felt like the right fit
If you’re looking for therapy that’s more direct, more grounded in real-world experience, and less focused on traditional clinical frameworks, that might be the difference you’ve been searching for.
What I help with
The presenting concern is usually just the surface. Here are some of the concerns I work with most often.
Relationships & Connection
Examine patterns beneath the surface, build healthier connection skills.
Spiritual & Existential Exploration
Explore meaning and purpose with psychological and theological depth.
About Sean Lewis
My path to counselling wasn’t a straight line, and that’s the point.
I served in the Canadian Armed Forces infantry. I owned and operated a plumbing business. I spent a decade in pastoral ministry, including six years leading The Mustard Seed Street Church in Victoria, working alongside people experiencing homelessness, addiction, and crisis.
Those years taught me something that graduate school alone couldn’t; how to sit with people in hard places without flinching, without rushing to fix, and without pretending to have answers I don’t have.
I hold a Master of Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University and a Master of Divinity from Carey College. My primary therapeutic approaches include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), mindfulness-based interventions, narrative therapy, solution-focused brief therapy, family systems, and pastoral counselling.
I provide both secular, evidence-based therapy and, for those who want it, faith-informed pastoral counselling. You guide the framework; I bring the training and the experience.
My office is right here on Wale Road in Colwood. This is my community.
The Science of Healing. The Art of Care.
No hoops. No wait list. Here’s how it works.
Book online
Choose a time that works for you through our online booking system. No referral needed, no phone tag. If you’d prefer to ask questions first, book a free 15-minute consultation.
Your first session
We handle the essentials easily online beforehand, so your first session is just a real conversation. We’ll talk about what brought you here and what matters most to you right now.
Ongoing support
We work at your pace, on your terms. Some people come weekly, some every two weeks. There’s no minimum commitment and no pressure to keep coming longer than you need to.
Getting here from Victoria
Virtual sessions (no commute)
Many of my Victoria clients choose virtual sessions. Same session, same approach, no parking meter, no schedule disruption. Book online the same way as in-person.
Introspectus Counselling
132-328 Wale Road, Colwood, BC
Coastal Offices at Westridge Landing
The drive from downtown Victoria is approximately 16–20 minutes off-peak. During rush hour (roughly 3:30–6:00 PM), Highway 1 congestion can push that to 30–50 minutes. Morning sessions before the rush or evening appointments after it clears are straightforward drives.
Why some Victoria clients make the drive
Some clients tell me the drive is actually part of the process; 20 minutes to shift gears on the way there, 20 minutes to decompress on the way home. Free parking instead of a meter. A quieter, more private setting than a busy office tower. And no chance of running into a coworker in the hallway.
By transit
The Blink RapidBus (Route 95) runs every 15 minutes between Legislature Exchange in downtown Victoria and the office stop (“Goldstream at Wale”). Travel time is approximately 19–25 minutes. The office is a 4-minute walk from the stop.
Accessibility
Ground-floor suite with wheelchair accessible entrance. Elevator access from the underground parkade to the main level. Accessible washrooms available.
Parking
Free surface parking off Wale Road. Underground parkade with elevator access. Two EV charging stations on site.
Fees and coverage
$150 per 50-minute session. No referral required. Most extended health plans cover sessions with a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC). Introspectus Counselling provides itemized receipts for reimbursement. Counselling fees are also tax-deductible.
Drive times from Victoria
Off-peak times. Rush hour (3:30–6 PM) may add 10–30 minutes.
Virtual sessions mean no Highway 1, no parking meter, and no running into your colleague in the elevator.
Questions from Victoria residents
Why would I go to Colwood for therapy when there are dozens of therapists in Victoria?
Because the right therapist matters more than the closest one. If you’ve been searching Victoria directories and nothing has clicked, sometimes the fit you’re looking for is outside the downtown core. My background (military, trades, pastoral ministry, street outreach) is different from what you’ll find in most Victoria practices, and that difference matters for some people.
How far is the drive from downtown Victoria?
About 16–20 minutes off-peak. During rush hour (3:30–6:00 PM), Highway 1 congestion can double that. Virtual sessions eliminate the commute entirely, and many Victoria clients choose that option.
Can I just do virtual sessions?
Absolutely. Many of my Victoria clients do exclusively virtual. Same session length, same fee, same approach. No commute, no parking.
Is counselling at Introspectus faith-based?
Not by default. I provide secular, evidence-based therapy as the foundation of all my work. For clients who want to bring questions of faith, meaning, or spirituality into our sessions, I also bring pastoral training and lived experience. You set the direction.
Is counselling covered by my benefits?
Most extended health plans cover sessions with a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC). Call your insurer and ask: “Does my plan cover a Canadian Certified Counsellor?” Introspectus Counselling provides itemized receipts for reimbursement, and counselling fees are tax-deductible.
Do I need a referral?
No. Book directly online without a referral.
What if I’ve had a bad experience with therapy before?
That’s more common than you’d think, and it doesn’t mean therapy doesn’t work for you. It usually means the fit wasn’t right. We can talk about what didn’t work and approach things differently. The free 15-minute consultation is a good way to test the waters without committing.
What’s different about your approach?
I tend to work in a more direct, grounded style than what’s common in many Victoria practices. That’s not better or worse; it’s a different fit for a different person. If you want a sense of whether it might work for you, the 15-minute consultation is the easiest way to find out.
Still scrolling?
If you’ve made it this far, you’ve probably been looking for a while. You’ve read a lot of therapist profiles. You’ve opened a lot of tabs.
This is the one where you stop scrolling and book.
In person in Colwood, or virtually from anywhere in Victoria. Start with a free 15-minute consultation if you’d like to talk first.
We also serve
Langford 5-15 minutes from our Colwood office on local roads. No Highway 1.
Sooke Virtual counselling for Sooke residents. No 40-minute drive required.
Westshore Serving the entire West Shore; Colwood, Langford, Metchosin, Highlands, and beyond.
Victoria An alternative to the downtown therapy scene. In person or virtual.
Online across BC and Canada Virtual therapy wherever you are.
