Everybody has a story.
Sometimes we get trapped in our story.
What’s your understory? How do we find it together?
Alex Leslie (RCSW, RCC)
I provide individual counselling to teens and adults in Vancouver and Richmond, BC. I can see clients virtually living anywhere in BC. I’m particularly experienced working with anxiety, neurodivergent people and LGBTQ2S+ issues.
The forest’s understory is the densest and most fertile layer
Maybe you’re wondering if you’re the only one around who experiences the world with the intensity you do.
Being misinterpreted and under-supported can cause discouraging stories to take root – stories like “this is how things always go for me” or “I’m too sensitive to hack it like other people.” The people I work with have often been labeled as hyper-sensitive or overthinkers. You might be having a hard time focusing on conversations with friends and family, feeling like you have no filter, exhausted by your own thoughts. You may be frustrated with yourself for not being able to get it together and move forward, but the pandemic has made everything more complicated, and there are too many moving parts.
With curiosity and open-mindedness, I'll work with you to uncover new perspectives on your experience.
I’ve worked with many people who have been able to change how they relate to problems, stress and fear and learn new tools to find relief from anxiety. I believe that growth is possible when we can be seen in all of our complexity and sensitivity.
Ways I support
Increasing awareness of your unique qualities
Naming patterns of intensity and overwhelm
Exploring worries in a safe, accepting space
Working with racing, scattered or frightening thoughts
Responding to physical symptoms of stress
Burnout: self-compassion and re-setting
Building self-knowledge and self-acceptance
Changing patterns in how you relate to other people and environments
Processing identity as a neurodivergent person (ADHD, Autism, and giftedness)
Strategies for working with ADHD
Hormone Readiness Assessments (2-3 sessions + report) for those exploring medical gender transition
Approved mental health provider for First Nations Health Authority. I provide direct billing to FNHA. If you are Indigenous and would like to know if you’re eligible for FNHA funding please email me.
I’m always learning from my clients – if you’re curious if my approach would fit with your needs, get in touch and ask
In working with neurodivergent people, including autistic people, gifted people, and people with ADHD, I use a neurodiversity-affirming framework, meaning that I regard neurodiversity as a natural part of human diversity and not as a “disorder” to be cured. All stories of neurodivergence have an understory — of unmet needs, specific sensitivities, survival strategies and unique perceptivity.
I’m a clinical counsellor with over ten years of experience in the mental health field.
I have worked in the public health system in community counselling for adults and youth, hospital-based emergency mental health assessment and in mental health outreach. My qualification as a Registered Clinical Social Worker (license #12477) required 3000 hours of supervised post-Masters clinical experience and I have additional training in Narrative Therapy (Evanston Family Therapy Centre), DBT (Vancouver DBT Institute) and cultural safety in working with Indigenous people (San’yas).I am also a Registered Clinical Counsellor (license #19104).
My work with teens included work with youth struggling with addiction and youth who have experienced deep loss and early-life chaos. I’m experienced in supporting trans*, non-binary and gender-creative youth. Prior to working as a therapist, I facilitated life-writing workshops for several years in social housing facilities and homeless drop-ins, where I learned the skill of close listening and that everybody has a story that exceeds labels, categories and preconceptions. My approach to counselling is relational and rooted in respect for difference, including the experiences of neurodivergent and LGTBQ2SIA+ people. I’m committed to ongoing learning and I have learned the most from my clients. The forest is where I feel most grounded and at peace, giving the inspiration for the name of my practice, Understory.
Book a free 15 minute phone consultation so you can see if we’re a good fit
Rates
$150/hour
I am a Registered Clinical Social Worker (RCSW) and a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and can see clients residing anywhere in BC. Check your extended health insurance plans for ‘social worker’ and ‘registered clinical counsellor’ as my services may be covered. My services can be claimed as a medical expense on taxes. I accept e-transfer and credit card.
I’m an approved provider with the First Nations Health Authority and offer direct billing to FNHA. My services can be covered by Autism Funding Unit funds as a counselling service for teens; I offer direct billing to AFU.
Walk and Talk
In Pine W Broadway area on Mondays
Virtual Visit
Phone or secured video system.
Office Visit
In-person counselling is available on Mondays near Pine and W Broadway