Services
Youth & Child Counselling
Developmentally attuned counselling for children, teens, and the parents raising them. We build skills for anxiety, big feelings, friendships, identity, and the transitions that hit young people hardest.
How Wellness Talks Can Help
Childhood and adolescence come with a lot of feelings in a body that is still learning how to hold them. At Wellness Talks Health Centre, our youth and child counsellors create a steady, warm space where young people can be messy, curious, reluctant, or proud — and leave with skills that actually help.
We work with children (roughly 8 and up) and teens (12–18) facing anxiety, school avoidance, big emotions, self-esteem struggles, social and friendship difficulties, bullying, perfectionism, identity exploration (including gender and sexuality), neurodivergence, family stress, parental separation, and the quieter heaviness that sometimes follows a young person without an obvious cause.
Our approach is developmentally attuned and draws on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based work, play- and art-informed techniques for younger kids, narrative therapy, and family systems. For teens, we combine skills training with genuine curiosity about their world — not lectures. Reluctant teenagers are welcome here; we meet them with interest, not an agenda.
Parents are an essential part of this work. Depending on the young person's age and readiness, we include parents through separate parent sessions, joint sessions, or regular check-ins. We protect a young person's confidentiality while keeping parents informed enough to support the work at home.
We are neurodiversity-affirming, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive. Esha Shoker brings over a decade of Special Education experience working with neurodivergent children and their families; Erin Cullinane specializes in teens and young adults.
Sessions are available in person at our Downtown Vancouver clinic and virtually throughout British Columbia. We offer after-school and early-evening appointments to fit around school and activities.
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 available in 50, 70, or 90 minute options, depending on your needs and whether you are attending individually or with a partner or family. 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
- Anxiety in Children & Teens
- School Avoidance
- Emotional Regulation
- Self-Esteem
- Parent-Teen Conflict
- Neurodivergent Youth
- Friendship & Bullying
- Identity & Belonging
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.
- CBT
- Mindfulness-Based Therapy
- Family Systems
- Narrative Therapy
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
Erin Cullinane
MACP, RCC, RPT(Q) · Counsellor — RCC (BC) & RPT(Q) (Ontario)
Erin is a Registered Clinical Counsellor supporting adults, teens, and youth with anxiety, stress, burnout, perfectionism, people-pleasing, self-criticism, emotional regulation, and life transitions. Her approach is calm, collaborative, and non-judgmental.
- English
Manpreet Sanghera
MCP Student · Master's Counselling Intern
Manpreet is a Master's level counselling intern at Wellness Talks completing her Master of Counselling Psychology at City University of Seattle. She supports children, youth, adults, couples, and families navigating anxiety, stress, grief, family conflict, burnout, and major life transitions through a trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, strengths-based lens.
- English