About Steadfast Counselling

Before the Beginning

In some ways Steadfast Counselling’s start happened a long time ago without me even knowing I was talking towards it (or building the foundation).

In 1993 I had my second child and experienced Postpartum Depression and Anxiety (PPD/PPA). Alongside that, my life as I knew it was quickly crumbling underneath me. I felt like the rug was being pulled out from under me very quickly. What I thought was solid, the direction of my life, my home, my partner were not what they appeared to be. Looking back later there were many signs. However, in the moment, it was all happening suddenly.

I reached out for support and landed in a support group for Postpartum Depression and Anxiety. This group was my lifeline. It helped me put myself back together. After I left I was propelled and inspired to give back.

I volunteered at the agency that hosted the group and later was trained and worked there doing telephone counselling, facilitating self-help groups and leading community education. This was my dream job for many years and the foundation for my counselling skills and my love for this work.

After seven years I ended up being really burnt out (still not having the self care skills I needed!) so I went into retail (selling jeans at The Gap) for a break! To my surprise I loved the job and, in short order, I was on the management track. I discovered a love for workplace organization and training and developing people. By the end of my time at The Gap I was running both a Gap store and a Gapkids store. Although I loved it, it still was not quite right for me, and when the opportunity to go back to school and study counselling crossed my path, I said YES! I just knew I needed to do it.

After I graduated, I worked for another counselling organization and very quickly knew I wanted to run my own.

2005 – The Dawning of My Counselling Practice

In July of 2005, I started Steadfast Counselling at our North Vancouver office and really felt that this would be the perfect way to marry my love of counselling and helping people with my love of business development and supporting the career growth of others. 

The company did not start out with the name Steadfast, that came in 2007. I was taking a leadership/personal development course and learning a lot about myself and what I wanted. 

One thing that is true about me is I could always do hard things. I could live and work with people in intense situations and get through most problems. It was a skill that I really liked about myself! However, for me to really live and work the way I wanted to work, I really needed to learn the skill of consistency. Out of this knowledge and awareness, came the name Steadfast — because I needed to be steadfast. 

2010 – Growing Our Counselling Team

By 2010 there were four counsellors working with me at Steadfast Counselling. It was then that we opened a second office in New Westminster. With the addition of two more counsellors, we opened the Yaletown office in 2011. Our Langley location was added in 2019. Then in August 2022, we expanded our availability in Vancouver to more days with the move of our office from Yaletown to Pender Street downtown.

Steadfast Counselling started out specializing in relationship counselling. Within the last five years, we are all trauma informed.

Today – More Counsellors, More Services – Online and In Person

With over 15 counsellors, we offer a wide range of counselling services, in addition to the Clinical Supervision groups I’ve been running since 2015.

Steadfast Counselling has grown into more than I could have imagined back in 2005. And I love it. One step at a time I’ve built Steadfast Counselling to meet our clients’ needs as well as the needs of counsellors. I credit two fundamentals for the company’s success; my father’s example of running his 2-location dental practice when I was growing up and remaining steadfast in my commitment to clients and counsellors.