Social Isolation and Video Games: Escaping Connection (Social Isolation in the Digital Age Series)
In this piece from the Social Isolation in the Digital Age series, Vancouver-based counsellor Alex Henderson explores how video games can offer both refuge and risk. While gaming can create community, purpose, and joy, it can also quietly deepen isolation when virtual worlds begin to replace real-life connection. Through a mental health lens, Alex examines why games feel so rewarding, what happens when they become our primary form of connection, and how we can find balance between play, presence, and genuine human interaction.
Social Isolation in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Social Isolation in the Digital Age)
In this piece from the Social Isolation in the Digital Age series, Vancouver-based counsellor Alex Henderson explores how artificial intelligence is quietly reshaping the way we connect — offering conversation, comfort, and convenience, yet often deepening our distance from one another. Through the lens of mental health and human connection, Alex examines what happens when AI becomes a stand-in for real relationships, and how we can remain grounded in our humanity while engaging with these rapidly evolving technologies. The article invites readers to reflect on the limits of digital companionship and rediscover the value of presence, vulnerability, and authentic human connection.
Social Media and the State of Social Isolation (Social Isolation in the Digital Age Series)
In this piece from the Social Isolation in the Digital Age series, Vancouver-based counsellor Alex Henderson explores how social media has transformed the way we connect — and how it can leave us feeling more distant than ever. Through a mental health lens, Alex examines why platforms that promise community often deepen loneliness, and how we can begin to engage with them more consciously. The article invites readers to reflect on their digital habits, recognize the emotional cost of constant connectivity, and rediscover the value of real, human presence in an online world.
Towards a Path of Meaningful Connection in the Digital Age (Social Isolation in the Digital Age Series)
In the final piece of our Social Isolation in the Digital Age series, Vancouver-based counsellor Alex Henderson explores how we can begin to rebuild genuine connection in a world increasingly shaped by screens, algorithms, and artificial interaction. Drawing on insights from psychology and mental health research, Alex offers practical ways to reconnect — with others, with technology, and with ourselves — through mindful presence and intentional social practice. Whether it’s cultivating real-world moments of connection, reframing how we use our devices, or seeking support through counselling, this piece invites readers to rediscover what it means to connect in ways that feel authentic, human, and lasting.
Finding Balance: Work and Life for The Trades in BC
Life in the trades takes grit—long shifts, out-of-town jobs, and the heavy weight of providing for your family. But when work starts to crowd out everything else, it’s easy to forget who and what you’re really working for. In this post, Nimble Counselling’s Olivia Robillard explores the realities of balance in the trades, why it matters, and how counselling (including online options) can help tradespeople in BC protect both their work and their lives outside of it.
Understanding The Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP) & How To Access Counselling
Navigating the aftermath of a traumatic event can be overwhelming — emotionally, physically, and financially. Fortunately, the Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP) in BC offers free counselling for those impacted by crime, including victims, family members, and witnesses. At Nimble Counselling, we’re a CVAP-approved provider offering trauma-informed support in a safe and welcoming space. In this blog, we explain how CVAP works, who’s eligible, and how you can start counselling with Nimble — even while your application is pending. You deserve support. Let us help you begin your healing journey.
Support for Those Who Support Others: New Counselling Coverage for HSPBA Health Workers
New mental health support is now available for HSPBA health care workers in BC, including up to $5,000 in additional counselling coverage. Learn how this new fund works, who’s eligible, and how to access care that fits—plus how Nimble Counselling can help you get started.
Never Good with Horses: Neurodiversity, Wholeness, and the Danger of Selective Seeing
In Never Good with Horses, I explore how our tendency to separate a person’s strengths from their struggles can leave us seeing only part of who they are. Drawing on poetry, metaphors, and experiences with neurodiversity, this piece looks at the beauty—and risk—of letting people be whole, and what’s lost when we edit them down to the traits we find easiest to accept.
Navigating Recovery After a Car Accident: Managing Anxiety, Recognizing PTSD, and Accessing Fully Subsidized ICBC Counselling in Vancouver
You Can Do Anything, But You Can’t Do Everything.
In a world obsessed with doing it all — especially in places like Vancouver and BC’s Sea to Sky where high performance is practically a lifestyle — the pressure to be great at everything can leave you burnt out and disconnected. Nimble Counselling contributor Blake Mahovic explores the quiet power of choosing where to focus your energy, the joy in letting go of the rest, and how good enough can sometimes be more than enough.
Hospitality and Mental Health: Understanding the Service Industry's Unique Challenges
Hospitality is fast-paced, demanding, and often emotionally draining—but support is possible. In this blog, counsellor (and former hospitality worker) Alex Henderson explores the unique mental health challenges of the service industry. From burnout and emotional exhaustion to addiction and anxiety, we break down the impact of hospitality work and offer tools for resilience, self-care, and emotional regulation. Whether you're working in Vancouver's restaurant scene or in a resort town like Whistler or Squamish, therapy can help you stay grounded. Learn how counselling—online across BC or in person in downtown Vancouver—can support hospitality workers in building sustainable, balanced lives.
Why We Fight: Understanding the Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse (and How to Stop Them)
Conflict is inevitable—but how we handle it makes all the difference. In this blog, Vancouver-based therapist Olivia Robillard draws on the Gottman Method to unpack the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling. Learn how these patterns quietly erode relationships—and how therapy in Vancouver or online with Nimble Counselling can help you identify triggers, shift communication, and rebuild connection.
What’s Your Attachment Style? Understanding How You Connect in Relationships
What’s your attachment style and how does it shape the way you connect, communicate, and love? In this guide, Nimble Counselling founder Anna MacGillivray walks you through the four main attachment styles (Secure, Anxious, Avoidant, and Disorganized), how they show up in everyday life, and how understanding your patterns can help you build safer, stronger relationships.
FOMO Is Ruining Your Life (But It Doesn’t Have To)
In places like Vancouver and throughout the Sea to Sky corridor, it's easy to feel like life should always be at its peak, whether that's adventure, career, or relationships. But often, we build an unrealistic standard by stitching together the best parts of our past experiences. We compare our present lives to a version of the past that never actually existed all at once. Recognizing how memory shapes our expectations is a powerful first step toward feeling more grounded, content, and connected to the real life we're living today.
Living with ADHD: Finding Understanding, Support, and Self-Compassion
Living with ADHD can be overwhelming, especially when everyday tasks feel harder than they should. This blog explores how ADHD impacts mental health, why traditional strategies often fall short, and how therapy can help you create systems that work with your brain, not against it. Learn practical tips for managing ADHD at home and find out how affordable counselling in Vancouver can support your journey.
Finding Career Clarity: How Career Counselling Can Help You Navigate Change in Vancouver
Feeling stuck, uncertain, or anxious about your career path? Whether you're navigating a career transition, returning to work after time away, or simply seeking more clarity and fulfillment in your professional life, career counselling can offer the support and guidance you need. This blog explores common challenges professionals face in Vancouver’s evolving job market—and how counselling can help you move forward with confidence, clarity, and purpose.
Flexible Counselling in Vancouver: Evening, Weekend, In-Person & Online Options
Looking for in person counselling in Vancouver—without giving up flexibility? We’ve expanded! Nimble Counselling now offers more evening and weekend appointment times, both online and in person, from our beautiful art deco space on Granville Street. Whether you're craving the presence of face-to-face therapy or need the convenience of online support, we’re here to meet you where you're at. In this post, we explore the return to in-person sessions post-COVID, the unique benefits of different therapy formats, and how we’re making counselling more accessible than ever.
Boundaries: The Key to Protection, Connection, and Self-Worth
Boundaries are often misunderstood—they’re not about shutting people out, but about creating space for what matters most. Just like a garden needs a fence to flourish, our relationships need boundaries to stay healthy. Without them, things can become tangled, neglected, or overrun. With walls too high, nothing can grow. But when boundaries are intentional and balanced, they allow connection, protection, and growth to coexist. In this post, we explore how different types of boundaries—rigid, porous, and healthy—shape the landscape of our relationships, and how finding the right balance can help you cultivate deeper, more fulfilling connections.
When Animals Hurt Us: Understanding PTSD from Animal-Related Injuries & Attacks
Animals bring us comfort, companionship, and connection—but what happens when that bond is suddenly broken by an injury or attack? Whether it’s a dog bite, a horse’s sudden kick, or an unpredictable wildlife encounter, the physical wounds may heal, but the emotional scars can linger. Animal-related PTSD is a real and often overlooked struggle, especially for those who love, trust, or work closely with animals.
In this blog, Olivia Robillard, an Intern Counsellor with a background in veterinary care and equine therapy, explores the complexities of trauma when it stems from an animal we once relied on. From the emotional turmoil of fear and guilt to the challenge of rebuilding trust, she delves into why this form of PTSD can be so uniquely painful—and, more importantly, how healing is possible.
If you’ve experienced an animal-related injury and find yourself struggling with fear, avoidance, or distress, know that your feelings are valid. With the right support, you can move forward—not just past the fear, but toward a renewed sense of safety, confidence, and connection.
Embracing Mindfulness in Vancouver’s Winter Months
Registered Clinical Counsellor Shawna Dash explores mindfulness practices to stay grounded during Vancouver’s winter months. Breathe, listen, and reconnect.