Finding a counsellor who truly understands your lived experience can make all the difference in your healing journey. At Haven Wellness Collective, our BIPOC counsellors offer compassionate, culturally competent mental health support through secure online counselling sessions. Whether you’re in Surrey, a remote area of British Columbia, or anywhere in the province, you can connect with BIPOC therapists who honour your identity and cultural background from the comfort and privacy of your own space or in our Vancouver office.
The Power of Online BIPOC Counselling
Online therapy has revolutionized access to culturally responsive mental health care. For many people of colour, finding a BIPOC counsellor nearby can be challenging, especially in smaller communities or rural areas of BC. Virtual counselling breaks down these geographical barriers, connecting you with inclusive counsellors who bring both professional expertise and lived experience to your therapeutic relationship.
BIPOC counselling services are designed to create a safe, affirming space where you don’t have to explain your cultural context or defend your experiences. Instead, you can focus on healing, growth, and building the life you want all through the convenience and accessibility of online therapy.
Who Benefits from Inclusive Online Counselling?
Individuals Seeking Cultural Understanding
If you’re looking for a counsellor who shares or deeply understands aspects of your cultural identity, BIPOC mental health professionals offer that connection. They bring cultural competence gained through their own experiences navigating the world as people of colour, combined with professional training in inclusive therapeutic approaches.
Those in Remote or Underserved Areas
Living in smaller BC communities shouldn’t mean compromising on culturally competent care. Online BIPOC counselling ensures that regardless of your location – whether in rural BC, the Interior, or Island communities – you can access the specialized support you deserve.
Clients Preferring Virtual Connection
Some people simply feel more comfortable engaging in therapy from their own space. Online counselling can feel less intimidating and more accessible, allowing you to engage more authentically in your healing process.
Families Seeking Culturally Responsive Support
BIPOC counsellors work with individuals, couples, children, youth, and families. Virtual sessions make it easier for busy families to prioritize mental health without the added stress of travel time or scheduling conflicts.
The Benefits of Virtual Sessions with BIPOC Counsellors
Accessibility and Convenience: Connect with culturally competent counsellors without geographical limitations, making it easier to find the right therapeutic match for your needs.
Comfort and Safety: Engage in therapy from your own safe space, which can be particularly important when discussing sensitive topics related to identity, discrimination, or cultural challenges.
Consistent Support: Maintain regular sessions even during life transitions, travel, or unexpected circumstances that might otherwise interrupt in-person therapy.
Privacy: Online sessions offer discretion that can be especially valuable in smaller communities where privacy concerns might otherwise prevent someone from seeking mental health support.
Flexible Scheduling: Virtual appointments often allow for more flexible timing, making it easier to prioritize your mental health around work, family, and other commitments.
Understanding Culturally Responsive Virtual Care
BIPOC counselling goes beyond simply matching racial or ethnic backgrounds. It encompasses understanding the complex ways that culture, identity, and systemic experiences shape mental health. Our counsellors are trained in multicultural therapy approaches that honour intersectionality, recognizing that your race, culture, gender, sexuality, class, and other identities all influence your lived experience.
In virtual sessions, our BIPOC counsellors create space to explore how cultural factors impact your mental health, relationships, and life goals. This might include processing experiences of discrimination, navigating bicultural identity, addressing intergenerational trauma, or working through the unique stressors that people of colour often face.
For those interested in deeper exploration of systemic impacts on mental health, our anti-oppressive therapy approach provides an additional framework for understanding how power, privilege, and oppression intersect with personal healing.
What to Expect from Online BIPOC Counselling
Your virtual counselling journey begins with understanding your unique needs, goals, and cultural context. Counsellors use secure, confidential video platforms to provide the same quality of care you’d receive in person, with the added convenience of accessing support from anywhere in BC. You can also choose in-person counselling at our Kitsilano clinic.
During online sessions, you’ll experience:
- Culturally informed therapeutic approaches
- Validation of your lived experiences
- Support that honours your full identity
- Professional expertise combined with cultural understanding
- Flexible, accessible mental health care
Meet Our BIPOC Counsellors
Malar Chandran – BIPOC Trauma Counsellor Online
Malar specializes in trauma therapy and brings nearly a decade of mental health experience to her virtual practice. As a trauma counsellor, she offers support for individuals dealing with PTSD, complex trauma, racial trauma, and racialized experiences. Her approach is trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, and person-centered.
Specialties include:
- Racial trauma and racialized experiences
- ADHD, Autism, and neurodiversity
- Religious trauma and deconstruction
- LGBTQI2S+ experiences
- Immigration and life transitions
- Complex PTSD and dissociative disorders
Malar provides counselling in English and connects conversationally with clients who speak Tamil and Malay. Her therapeutic approach integrates Parts Work, Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST), and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT).
Sandy Zhang – Online Couples and Family Counsellor
Sandy brings specialized training in marriage and family counselling to her practice, working with children (5+), teens, adults, couples, and families. Her systemic approach focuses on how individuals are shaped within relational contexts and how relationships can change to create positive outcomes for everyone involved.
Specialties include:
- Couples therapy and attachment-focused work
- Family therapy and parent coaching
- Childhood trauma and play therapy
- Immigration experiences
- Faith and spirituality-related concerns
- Neurodiversity in relationships
Sandy provides counselling in both English and Mandarin, making her services accessible to Mandarin-speaking families seeking culturally competent care. Her approach emphasizes building secure connections and practical skills for lasting relationship improvement.
Both counsellors offer direct billing options and work with clients throughout British Columbia via secure online platforms.
Getting Started with Online BIPOC Counselling
Taking the first step toward culturally competent mental health support is easier than ever with our online counselling services. Whether you’re seeking individual therapy, couples counselling, or family support, our BIPOC counsellors are here to meet you where you are – both geographically and emotionally.
Many clients find that starting with a brief consultation helps determine the best therapeutic fit. This initial conversation allows you to ask questions, share your goals, and ensure you feel comfortable with your chosen counsellor’s approach and cultural understanding.
Begin Your Healing Journey Today
Don’t let geography, scheduling challenges, or limited local options prevent you from accessing the culturally competent mental health support you need. Our BIPOC counsellors are ready to provide inclusive, affirming care through secure online counselling sessions.
Whether you’re dealing with trauma, relationship challenges, life transitions, or simply seeking support from someone who looks like you and understands your cultural experience, we’re here to help. Take the first step toward healing in a space that honours your full identity and lived experience.
Ready to connect with a BIPOC counsellor online? Book your consultation today and discover how virtual counselling can provide the culturally responsive support you’ve been seeking. Our BIPOC counsellors are accepting new clients and look forward to supporting you on your healing journey.
