Ava Kottmeier

Hello! If you've been feeling overwhelmed and want to get back in touch with your values, feel safe in your body, and live a meaningful, empowering life, I would love to work with you. I am a queer, neurodivergent, disabled therapist who supports survivors of abuse and violence, and people struggling with big feelings, difficult pasts, and systemic oppression. I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor offering in-person and online appointments to individual adults in BC and most provinces.

My work focuses in two primary domains, trauma-focused processing and present-focused action. Therapy affords us a relational container in which you can begin to unpack painful experiences in a controlled, titrated way (aka slow and steady). Combining cognitive, emotional, and somatic processing techniques, I offer gentle prompts that orient you to your inner world to make sense of your life and carve your path forward. People who enjoy working with me tend to share in my identities, namely being queer, neurodivergent, and navigating chronic health conditions. My clients are drawn to the evidence-based nature of my technique paired with my warmth and sense of humour.

I am primarily informed by Acceptance and Commitment therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention therapy, and somatic (body-focused) techniques. My work blends empirically-validated modalities with ancestral wisdom humans have used to heal since time immemorial. I like to learn about your strengths and help you use them to your advantage, while also holding space for your areas of struggle. You can expect to be asked questions and provided gentle prompts that orient you to your thoughts, feelings, body, and spirit. I believe that healing happens within the context of strong relationships - not only with others, but also with ourselves! My aim is to help you understand what has you feeling "stuck" so you can feel empowered to make positive change and break patterns of dysfunction. I am a liberation-oriented and trauma-focused therapist who embodies anti-oppressive and harm-reductionist values in my work. 

I offer free 20 minute consultations via video to gauge if we would be a good working fit. To learn more about me and book in, have a look at my website. I look forward to hearing from you!