Healing Spaces pushes neuroaffirming mental health care in North Vancouver

Healing Spaces is spotlighting neuroaffirming, trauma-informed and LGBTQ+ allied counselling in North Vancouver as demand for accessible mental health care remains high in British Columbia. The practice says its model is designed to better serve neurodivergent clients and others whose care needs are often missed by standard approaches.

Why it matters: - Access to mental health care depends not just on availability, but on whether support reflects a person’s neurological, cultural and lived experiences. - In British Columbia, 47% of adults with a diagnosed mental health disorder reported that their mental health care needs were partially or completely unmet in 2024, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information. - CIHI also found that wait times for publicly funded community mental health counselling rose 36% between 2020 and 2024. - For neurodivergent people, care that accounts for sensory processing, communication, emotional regulation and masking can change whether therapy feels usable at all.

What happened: - Healing Spaces, a trauma-informed counselling practice in North Vancouver, is highlighting neuroaffirming and identity-affirming mental health care. - The practice is located at 233 W 1st St #210, North Vancouver, BC V7M 3H8. - Healing Spaces offers counselling for adults, youth and couples. - The clinic provides neuroaffirming, trauma-informed and LGBTQ+ allied counselling. - Kelsey Ashe, Clinical Director and Senior Clinical Counsellor at Healing Spaces, said the goal is to create a space where people can be understood within the context of their lived experiences.

The details: - Healing Spaces says its neuroaffirming approach supports people navigating Autism, ADHD, AuDHD and demand-avoidant experiences. - The counselling team works collaboratively with clients on self-understanding, the impact of masking, sensory needs and coping strategies tailored to individual experiences. - The practice also offers LGBTQ+ allied counselling for people exploring gender identity, sexual orientation, relationships, life transitions and other personal challenges. - Clinicians work from an anti-oppressive framework aimed at creating a respectful, collaborative and non-judgmental therapeutic environment. - Healing Spaces offers counselling in several areas, including neuroaffirming counselling, LGBTQ+ allied counselling, trauma-informed counselling and couples counselling. - The couples work covers communication challenges, relationship dynamics, intimacy and shared goals. - In-person counselling is available at the North Vancouver clinic. - Virtual counselling is available across British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Saskatchewan. - The practice offers a complimentary 15-minute consultation for prospective clients. - More information is available at the company’s website.

Between the lines: - The message reflects a broader shift in mental health care toward services that adapt to identity, neurodivergence and trauma rather than asking clients to fit a standard model. - The emphasis on neuroaffirming and anti-oppressive care suggests Healing Spaces is positioning therapy as a relationship built around accommodation and trust, not just diagnosis or symptom management. - The BC and national wait-time data underline a supply problem, but the article also points to a fit problem: many people may be seeking care that is both available and appropriate.

What's next: - Healing Spaces is directing prospective clients to its website for more information and to request a complimentary initial consultation. - The practice says services vary by location and clinician, with offerings that include EMDR therapy, somatic therapy, virtual counselling and other therapeutic approaches. - In-person and virtual appointments remain available as the practice continues serving clients in British Columbia and nearby territories.

The bottom line: - Healing Spaces is betting that more people will seek mental health care that reflects who they are, not just what diagnosis they carry.