Jacoba Leyenhorst, MA BA
Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) #13642
About Jacoba
How are you feeling? If you checked in with yourself - really and honestly checked in – what would you find?
Sometimes in life, things are not going that well. However, we are busy people, and so often push the feelings away with the distractions of life, or even push them deep inside of ourselves, hoping that we can just ignore them and carry on. Although that can work for a while, or even many years, perhaps now you are starting to feel a few chinks in your armour, a little paint peeling on the façade, and a shifting inside of yourself.
If you are feeling that it is time to make some changes in your life, or just want to explore some possibilities, I would be honoured to walk alongside you in your journey. Using a client-centered, strengths-focused approach, I will also draw on my experience in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, trauma therapy and self-compassion practices to support you in your explorations.
Current areas of practice include:
- Transitions to adulthood (entering workforce/post-secondary education, establishing autonomy)
- Anxiety and stress management
- Depression
- Building communication skills (e.g. assertiveness)
- Life transitions (parenting, career changes, retirement, caring for aging parents)
- Grief and loss
- Anger management
- Survivors of abuse/trauma
I believe that everyone, myself included, can benefit from a supportive counselling relationship. Although it can sometimes take time to find the right ‘fit’ with a counsellor, when you do, it can be a valuable relationship that helps and challenges you to live your life more fully – while being supported and encouraged within a safe, confidential space.
I was drawn to the helping professions from a young age and cannot recall ever wavering from my desire to enter the counselling field. After completing a B.A. in psychology at the University of British Columbia, I moved on to Simon Fraser University, where I completed a M.A. in clinical psychology. My Master’s thesis focused on the topic of family secrecy, and the negative effects this can have into adulthood – something I have experienced first hand. I spent several years counselling and completing assessments with incarcerated youth before shifting to the assessment of adult clients. After taking time to focus on my growing family, I later completed further coursework at Trinity Western University and became registered as a clinical counsellor (RCC).