Services
Addiction Counselling
Non-judgemental, evidence-based support for substance use, alcohol, and process addictions. We work with where you are — harm reduction, moderation, or abstinence — and the underlying pain that keeps the behaviour in place.
How Wellness Talks Can Help
Addiction is rarely about the substance or the behaviour alone. It is almost always about what it numbs, soothes, or makes bearable. At Wellness Talks Health Centre, our counsellors offer non-judgemental addiction therapy that treats the whole person — the craving and the grief, the ritual and the reason.
We work with alcohol use, cannabis, stimulants, prescription medications, nicotine and vaping, and process addictions including gambling, gaming, pornography, compulsive spending, and food. We also support partners and family members living with someone else's addiction.
Our approach draws on Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), mindfulness-based relapse prevention, and trauma-informed care. We meet you at your stage of change — whether you are curious, ambivalent, actively reducing, newly abstinent, or recovering from a relapse.
We practice harm reduction alongside abstinence-oriented work, and we do not require you to choose a goal before you begin. Many clients arrive unsure of what they want, and the first phase of counselling is simply figuring that out safely.
Concurrent concerns — anxiety, depression, trauma, ADHD, chronic pain — are common with addiction, and we treat them together rather than in parallel. We partner with your physician, 12-step community, outpatient program, or recovery home when that is part of your plan.
Sessions are available in person at our Downtown Vancouver clinic and virtually throughout British Columbia. Esha Shoker offers sessions in English, Punjabi, and Hindi for clients navigating addiction within South Asian family and community contexts.
How it Works
Your first session is a chance to tell us what has been happening and what you want to be different. Your counsellor will listen carefully, ask thoughtful questions, and — together with you — shape the work from there.
Sessions are 50 minutes for individuals and 60–80 minutes for couples and families. Most clients see their counsellor weekly or bi-weekly at first, with spacing lengthening as things settle. Pacing is collaborative: you are never pushed beyond what your nervous system can hold.
Between sessions, your counsellor may suggest simple practices to try at home — journalling prompts, conversations to have, grounding exercises, or readings. Nothing is mandatory; everything is offered.
Specialized Support Includes
- Alcohol Use
- Substance Use
- Process Addictions
- Harm Reduction
- Relapse Prevention
- Concurrent Disorders
- Family Impact
Why it Works — Evidence-Based Approaches
We use therapies with strong research backing — chosen to fit you, not the other way around. Your counsellor will explain the rationale for what they suggest, and adjust based on what moves the needle for you.
- Motivational Interviewing
- CBT
- ACT
- Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention
What to Expect
Sessions are held at our Downtown Vancouver clinic — Unit #604, 402 West Pender Street — a five-minute walk from Waterfront Station. The space is designed to feel calm, inclusive, and unhurried.
We accept direct billing from most major extended health plans (Pacific Blue Cross, Sun Life, Canada Life, Manulife, Green Shield, and more). Rates are visible inside Jane App before you book.
Not sure which counsellor is right for you? Book a free 15-minute consultation and we will help you find the right fit.
Location & Virtual Options
Available in-person at our Downtown Vancouver clinic (402 West Pender Street, a 5-minute walk from Waterfront Station) or via secure video across British Columbia.
Clients frequently travel from Gastown, Yaletown, Coal Harbour, Mount Pleasant, Kitsilano, and Burnaby, with virtual sessions reaching clients across Richmond, Coquitlam, Langley, Abbotsford, and the Fraser Valley.
Virtual sessions are held at the same rate as in-person work and are eligible for direct billing where your plan allows.
Ready to Begin?
Book a session with a counsellor who fits your needs. Sessions are available in person in Downtown Vancouver and virtually throughout BC.
Meet the counsellors for this service
Esha Shoker
MACP, RCC · Founder & Clinical Director
Esha is the Founder and Clinical Director of Wellness Talks Health Centre. With 9+ years of clinical practice and 16+ years in the behavioural sciences, she supports adults, couples, and families with anxiety, burnout, chronic pain, ICBC trauma, relationship conflict, cultural identity, and major life transitions. Sessions in English, Punjabi, and Hindi.
- English
- Punjabi
- Hindi