NOW ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS
In-Person in Nanaimo | Virtual and Phone Sessions Throughout British Columbia
Counselling &
Psychotherapy in Nanaimo,BC
Trauma-Informed. Neuroscience-Guided.
Grounded in a Biopsychosocial Lens.
Hi, I’m Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes.
I’m a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC), Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC), and EMDR Certified Therapist, with two master’s degrees — one in Communications and one in Counselling Psychology.
Counselling is my second career, shaped by nearly two decades in high-pressure communications, public safety and government roles, as well as lived experience of growing up in a war-torn country and on military bases. Those experiences gave me a deep understanding of what it can look like to keep functioning while carrying prolonged stress.
Today, I provide trauma-informed, neuroscience-guided counselling and psychotherapy through a biopsychosocial lens to support people navigating trauma, grief, anxiety, burnout, PTSD, ADHD, relationship challenges, and life transitions.
In-Person in Nanaimo • Virtual Therapy Across BC
How I Can Help
Trauma
Heal from past experiences and build a greater sense of safety and control
Grief
Find support through loss and life's most difficult transitions
Anxiety
Understand and manage anxiety with neuroscience informed and evidenced based tools
Burnout
Rebuild your energy, set healthier boundaries, and reconnect with what matters
C/PTSD
Processing traumatic experiences and move toward healing and greater stability through a trauma and neuroscience informed lens
ADHD
Build practical everyday strategies, understand your ADHD better, and tap into the strengths that make your brain uniquely powerful
Relationship Challenges
Navigate relationship difficulties and build healthier, more fulling connections
Life Transitions
Find clarity and support through major changes and new chapters in life
When Survival Becomes Your Default
Does this sound like you — or someone you know?
Sometimes survival mode doesn’t look like falling apart. You can look capable and composed on the outside while feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or constantly “on” inside.
When that state starts becoming your default, it can show up in ways like:
You're always "on." Even when you're safe, you are hypervigilant - your mind and body struggle to relax.
You appear calm and capable on the outside, but internally you're exhausted, overwhelmed, or running on empty.
You replay conversations, overthink decisions, or anticipate what could go wrong long after the moment has passed.
You have it together at work, but find yourself emotionally depleted or irritable at home.
You're surviving instead of living.
If some of this feels familiar, therapy can help you understand why these patterns developed, how your brain and nervous system learned to protect you, and how to build more flexibility, regulation, and safety over time
Your brain feels overloaded. You know what needs to be done, but prioritizing, starting tasks, switching gears, remembering details, or making simple decisions feels much harder—especially when ADHD meets chronic stress or burnout.
From War to Crisis Communication to Counselling & Psychotherapy
Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) • Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) • EMDR Certified Therapist
Two master’s degrees — one in Communications and one in Counselling Psychology.
For nearly two decades, I worked in high-pressure roles in communications, crisis response, public safety, and government—helping people navigate some of life's most challenging moments. Long before becoming a therapist, I understood what it meant to live in a constant state of readiness.
I spent nearly a decade growing up in a war-affected environment, including on air force bases where my father served as a fighter pilot and base commander. Later, my career took me from communications and government relations to supporting public safety, emergency preparedness, and national priorities, including with the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada and as an Information Officer within Emergency Operations Centres during crisis activations.
Those experiences gave me more than an understanding of trauma—they taught me the hidden cost of always being the one who keeps going, stays composed, and carries the weight for others.
Today, I help individuals, youth, couples, and families navigate trauma, grief, anxiety, burnout, ADHD, relationship challenges, and life's major transitions through trauma-informed, neuroscience-guided psychotherapy. Rather than asking, "What's wrong with you?" I help you understand how your brain, nervous system, and protective responses adapted to help you survive—and how those same systems can support healing, resilience, and lasting change.
My work is shaped by three perspectives that rarely come together: lived experience, leadership in high-pressure environments, and advanced training in trauma, ongoing studies in neuroscience, and evidence-based psychotherapy. It's this combination that allows me to meet people with both clinical expertise and genuine understanding.
Education & Professional Training
My approach is informed by graduate-level education, advanced training in trauma therapy, and ongoing study in neuroscience to provide thoughtful, evidence-informed care.
Education:
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Master of Counselling Psychology — Yorkville University
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Master of Arts in Communications — Royal Roads University
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MicroBachelors® Program in Neuroscience (In Progress) — Harvard University
Advanced Clinical Training & Certifications:
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Certificate in Cognitive Psychology & Neuropsychology — University of Cambridge
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Certificate in Workplace Mental Health Leadership — Queen's University
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Certificate, Comprehensive EMDR Basic Training through the EMDR Centre of Canada
(EMDRIA-approved training provider) -
Certificate, Advanced Integration of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and EMDR for Trauma Treatment
More About Me...
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Master of Counselling Psychology
Master of Arts in Communications
Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC)
EMDR Therapist
Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)
Why Clients Choose to Work With Me
Trauma-Informed
We explore how your experiences shaped the way your brain, body, and nervous system learned to survive.
Nervous System Focused
Learn how your nervous system responds to stress and build greater flexibility, resilience, and capacity.
Evidence-Based
Integrating ACT, CBT, CPT, DBT, EMDR, IFS, somatic techniques, and strength-based therapies to meet your unique therapy needs.
Lived Experience
My work is informed by lived experience, high-pressure leadership, and years supporting people through crisis and adversity.
Therapies & Approaches I Draw On
I integrate evidence-based therapies through a trauma-informed, neuroscience-guided and biopsychosocial lens — considering how the brain, body, nervous system, relationships and life experiences interact.
EMDR | IFS | CPT | ACT | CBT | DBT-informed skills | Somatic approaches
Many of these approaches also have a somatic or nervous-system impact. EMDR, IFS, DBT-informed skills, ACT, and somatic approaches can include body awareness, grounding, regulation, and tracking physical responses, while CBT and CPT primarily work with thoughts and beliefs that can also influence stress responses in the body.
Meet The Soma House Fur Squad
Braya Bear is convinced every day is the best day ever (with a little Tigger-meets-ADHD energy). Sir Courtland has cerebellar hypoplasia and absolutely refuses to let that slow him down. Relic went from abandoned stray to running the house like he owns it. Together, they're living proof that differences aren't deficits, resilience can be learned, and everyone deserves a safe place to land.
Sir Courtland
Braya Bear
Relic