Livia is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC). She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in counselling psychology. She provides gentle, compassionate care for all clients. She has particular interest and skill in treating depression, anxiety disorders, family relationship problems, and the many types of suffering resulting from childhood trauma. She is also interested and skilled in helping with parenting problems. Her background of training in individual counselling is complimented by training at an adult mental health team, which gave her experience providing gentle, compassionate care to clients with severe, chronic, major mental illnesses. She has been providing psychotherapy and counselling services to adolescents and adults in Vancouver, Canada for more than 8 years.
Livia is a psychotherapist who is fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin, and is very familiar with cross-cultural issues and problems experienced by individuals and families with a Chinese background.
She uses a therapeutic approach grounded in the work of Carl Rogers, based on empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard. She is also strongly influenced by existential therapy as well as other modern therapeutic systems, including cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy (IPT), acceptance/commitment therapy (ACT), and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). Livia respects the individuality of each person, and enjoys forming a unique therapy plan based on the client’s individual wishes and needs.
Currently, she works part-time at Oasis MD, a medical clinic in the Marpole area, where she offers in-person sessions. For clients who prefer online therapy, she offers video appointments. She collaborates with Doctors of BC, offering counselling services to physicians and medical students. She also works with ICBC clients, who often have symptoms of anxiety, PTSD, and physical pain after a car accident.
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Livia’s areas of specialty include:
Management of depression and anxiety
Recovery from childhood abuse & trauma
Domestic violence
Family relationship problems
Parenting
Grief and loss
Self-esteem issues
Cross-cultural issues in Cantonese- and Mandarin-speaking individuals and families
Therapy session fees:
1-hour session $180
1.5-hour session $270
2-hour session $360
For sessions longer than 2 hours, the fee for each extra hour is $180.
Livia accepts credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover).
Livia offers reduced fees to low-income families. In order for her to offer reduced fees, she requires formal documentation which provides evidence of economic hardship. Without such documentation, she is unable to offer the fee reduction. The reduced fees are intended to help individuals or families who are living in poverty, to still be able to afford therapeutic care.
Livia is now offering in-person as well as video appointments.
If you have experienced an accident, and have an active ICBC claim, Livia can provide appointments billed directly to ICBC, at no cost to you. You can have up to 12 counselling sessions the first 12 weeks after your accident, without needing a referral from your doctor. To arrange an appointment after your accident, Livia will need your name, date of accident, your ICBC claim number, and your Personal Health Number (PHN).
In some clinical situations, a client’s mental health needs may be better served by a different therapist. In these cases, it will sometimes be necessary for her to refer the client to a different professional in the community.
If you would like a report or clinical records to be sent to another professional, such as to a lawyer, a psychiatrist, or a psychologist, Livia will charge a fee of $180 per hour. This hourly fee would take into account the time for writing and sending the documents. A brief clinical note may take one hour, but a comprehensive psychological report may require 2-4 or more hours of time.
If you would like your family to communicate with Livia, they will need to book an appointment in advance. The fee for these appointments would also be $180 per hour. Livia does not communicate with clients’ family members on the telephone.
In cases of emergency, please contact your local hospital or call 911.
