About Me
I am Leena Mehta - Counselling For Individuals, Couples And Groups
I was born and raised in London, England. I realized I wanted to help people from a young age and whilst I thought about becoming a counsellor, I did not pursue this. Instead, I graduated with my Masters in Social work and I worked as an independent domestic violence advocate, providing emotional and practical support to women affected by domestic violence.
As an advocate, I implemented counseling skills such as being empathetic, actively listening and providing a safe, non-judgmental space for women. During this time, I realized how passionate I was about supporting and empowering women. My role increased my knowledge of the criminal justice system in the UK and inspired me to complete my Masters in Law.
(604) 997-4757 or Book Appointment
Leena Mehta,
Counsellor
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My identity
- I am a cisgender, woman of colour (WOC), living and working in Canada. I am a British Indian, my parents are Indian but they were not born in India. My father was born and raised in Tanzania and my mother was born and raised in Madagascar.
- My parents moved to England in 1980 and during this time, a radical, far-right political party was formed, the Britsh National Party (BNP). My mother spoke French not English thus she struggled to communicate with locals. My parents experienced racism like many others and my sisters and I witnessed this growing up.
- My identity is a blend of both my British and Indian cultures. I was raised with both Western and Eastern values which at times was confusing and challenging. I grew up in a multicultural city where many cultures were welcomed however, I also witnessed the difficulties some people experienced. On the other hand, these people are part of a Western, modern society and they grew accustomed to these social norms however they are also part of a different culture which at times had different norms and values.
Timeline
August, 2008 - Graduated with a BA History Degree, Queen Mary University of London
September, 2010 - Graduated with a MSc Social Work Degree, London Metropolitan University
- September, 2013 - Graduated with a LLM Law Degree from Birkbeck University of London
- October, 2013 - Volunteered in Saigon, Vietnam, for 3 months
- December, 2013 - April, 2014 - Backpacked through South East Asia
- May - June, 2014- Backpacked through South America
- July - September, 2014 - Volunteered in Rio de Janerio, Brazil for 3 months
- September, 2014 - June, 2015 - Worked in Paraguay
- June - August, 2015 - Volunteered in Cape Town, South Africa for 3 months
- September - October, 2015 - Travelled through Africa
- October, 2015 - September, 2016 - Worked in Australia
October, 2016 - Backpacked through Europe
- October - January, 2017 - Living in England
- January, 2017 - Backpacked through Japan
- January, 2017 - December, 2017 - Worked in New Zealand
- December 2017 - January 2018 - Backpacked through Germany and Cyprus
- January - May, 2018 - Worked in New Zealand
- May - August, 2018 - Backpacked through S. Korea, Nepal, Tibet, China and Mongolia
- August - January, 2019 - House-sitting in Montreal, Canada
- January 2019 - Visited New York
- January - March 2019 - Living in Montreal, Canada
- March 2019 - Visited Cuba
- April 2019 - July 2019 - Started working as a school counsellor, Lytton, Canada
- July 2019 - 200 hour Yoga Teacher training course, Rishikesh, India
- July 2019- December 2019 - Working as a school counsellor, Lytton, Canada
- December, 2019 - January, 2020 - Flew to England
- January 2020 - April, 2021 - Finished working as a school counsellor, Lytton, Canada
- April, 2021 - April, 2022 - Worked as a Stopping the violence counsellor and counselling supervisor, Chilliwack, Canada
- April 2022 - May, 2022 - Flew back to the UK
- May - December, 2022 - Worked as a sexual assault support services counsellor (SASS), Langley, Canada
- December - January 2023 - Flew to England
- January - May, 2023 - Finished working as a SASS counsellor
- March, 2023 - Registered Clinical Counsellor, BCACC
- June, 2023 - Started my private practice
- July, 2023 - Approved Clinical Supervisor, BCACC
My Travels
Upon graduating, I fulfilled my lifelong dream of volunteering overseas in Vietnam in 2013. My three-month trip increased to three years and over this period, I volunteered in Cambodia, Brazil, Paraguay, and South Africa. Each experience was transformational and I was humbled by the kindness of locals in each community. I built strong and unique connections with both locals and volunteers in each city I stayed in. Over time, I learnt to embrace different cultural norms and practices. Moreover, I was able to shift my perspective and appreciate the small joys of life.
My Journey As A Counsellor Overseas
My counselling journey began in Australia, where I supported women on a range of issues including but not limited to grief and loss, anxiety, depression, childhood trauma, domestic violence, anger issues, and relationship breakdown. I also facilitated group counselling for women on issues such as healthy relationships, boundaries, assertiveness, and self-esteem. As a counsellor, I supported women from diverse backgrounds and age groups. I then worked as a counsellor in New Zealand where I supported children, young people and women.
My Journey As A Counsellor In Canada
In Canada, I worked as a school counsellor at a First Nation school in Lytton. During this time I supported students on a range of issues including anxiety, childhood abuse, depression, intergenerational trauma, and stress. I then worked as a stopping the violence counsellor and a counselling supervisor for a not-for-profit agency in Chilliwack. I supervised six counsellors and four students who were completing their master’s degree in counselling. During this time, I also facilitated group counselling on Understanding Abuse, Connections, and Recovering From Abuse. Finally, I worked as a sexual assault support services counsellor for a not-for-profit agency in Langley. During this time, I counselled youth who had experienced sexual abuse and children with sexualized behavior problems. I also provided anchoring support to counsellors, at Foundry, as part of solution-focused brief therapy.
Counselling Qualifications And Training
- Registered clinical counsellor (RCC) (#19428), 2023
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), 2023
- Motivational Interviewing (MI), 2023
- Externship in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), 2023
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), 2023
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), 2023
- Group Counselling, Yorkville University, 2023
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Adler Faculty of Continuing Education, 202
- Play Therapy 1 and 2: The therapeutic power of play, 20
- Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), 2023
- Master's degree in Social Work (MSc) - London Metropolitan University, 2010
Clinical Supervision Training
- Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS), 2023
- A Systemic Clinical Supervision Fundamentals Course, 2022
- Clinical Social Work Supervision, University of Calgary, 2022
Other Qualifications And Training
- 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Course - Pyramid Yogshala, Rishikesh, India, 2019
- Masters in Law (LLM) - Birkbeck University of London, England, 2013
- Bachelor of Arts in History - Queen Mary University of London, England, 2008
I Am Always Ready For A Challenge.
Your Counselling Journey
Seeking counselling can feel scary and overwhelming for some people. I will help you start this process by answering any questions you may have and by providing a non-judgemental, safe space. Sometimes people do not know where to start and with these clients, I encourage them to share what feels most pressing for them. Counselling is very much a two-way process, what I mean by this is I can not do counselling to you. It only really works when and if an individual is ready and wants to share their experiences.
Counselling Can Help You Process Past Abuse And Trauma
You may be impacted and triggered in the present moment by past abuse and trauma. I will explore this with you and remain curious as your counsellor. Some people internalize past experiences and some blame themselves. As a result, they may have a negative and critical inner dialogue. Counselling can help change this by focusing on self-kindness and self-compassion. I will work alongside you, at your pace, and together we can move forward. A negative inner dialogue can take a toll on some people and together with past experiences, they may also experience physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches, and lack of sleep.
Counselling Can Help Shift Your Thoughts
As your counsellor, I will also listen to your thoughts and feelings, providing empathy and insight. You may struggle to focus on day-to-day tasks due to powerful, consistent thoughts or feelings that may feel overpowering. For example, some people have ‘what if’ thoughts and most of the time, these thoughts focus on what if something goes wrong. I call this the what-if train and when it pulls into the station, it can be tricky to get off this train. I believe we can begin to shift some of these thoughts by identifying them in counselling sessions and focusing on where they may stem from. I also encourage clients to question their thoughts and in some instances, I encourage clients to look for evidence to determine if there is any truth behind their thoughts. Thoughts are not facts and sometimes we forget this.
Counselling Modalities
As a counsellor, I utilize the following counselling modalities in counselling session with clients:
- Acceptance Commitment Theory
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
- Dialectical Behaviour Theory
- Emotionally Focused Theory
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
- Person-centered counselling
- Strengths-based counselling
I respectfully acknowledge that I work, live and play on the unceded, traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Testimonials
together to create a truly unique and unforgettable experience.
“David is a well-established psychologist and delivers a very professional service. As a skilled therapist David brings not only depth, warmth and wisdom to his practice, he also has a sense of humour and charm, that invites trust and ease to his clients. I highly recommend David to any individual or organization in need of quality service.”
Junita Mushenko
“David is a well-established psychologist and delivers a very professional service. As a skilled therapist David brings not only depth, warmth and wisdom to his practice, he also has a sense of humour and charm, that invites trust and ease to his clients. I highly recommend David to any individual or organization in need of quality service.”
Robert Henrich
“David is a well-established psychologist and delivers a very professional service. As a skilled therapist David brings not only depth, warmth and wisdom to his practice, he also has a sense of humour and charm, that invites trust and ease to his clients. I highly recommend David to any individual or organization in need of quality service.”
Rosina Jaber
How To Find Me
Office Address
201-3701 Hasting Streets Burnaby V5C 2H6
Contact with me
(604) 997-4757/ info@ateasecounseling.ca
work time
7am - 8pm / Sat & Sun Closed