Counselling for people Carrying Too Much for Too Long
foto © elisabeth van assum ~ salish sea, 2025
Support for Burnout, Overwhelm & Emotional Exhaustion
If you’re feeling stuck with modern life, with relationship frustrations, with emotional overload, with the burden of carrying invisible labour - overwhelmed with rapid social and technological change, resenting caregiving pressures, and a sense that something isn’t right, you are not alone. Many people are seeking counselling to see if they can find relief from the systemic anxiety, disappointment, and exhaustion pervasive in these uncertain times
Together, we look closely at the stories, patterns, and histories shaping your experience and your sense of self, so you can better understand your struggles and move toward clarity and agency in the present.
This includes how identity, power, and context shape your lived experience, and how ongoing social and economic pressures can impact wellbeing, relationships, and meaning-making. In a world marked by systemic strain and inequality, therapy can offer a place to reflect on how you’ve been affected by—and how you may also be responding to—the conditions around you, with honesty, care, and without judgement.
If you’re seeking counselling that goes further than a cliché fix, that respects you as a whole person whose complex experience deserves to be heard with compassion and presence then this is the work we can do together
original artwork © Dalyn Berryman
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I have known Elisabeth for over 15 years and know her as an individual with integrity, heart, professionalism and commitment. She has dedicated herself to the well-being of others and consistently demonstrated capacity for truly listening to you - exemplified by the focused and thoughtful feedback that she provides. She speaks informed truths - which are not always easy to receive, yet inevitable contribute to a improved understanding of self or context."
Counselling for people experiencing burnout & exhaustion in the complex roles & burdens of their life
You may be the one everyone turns to—at home, at work, in relationship, or in community—but inside, you feel exhausted, disconnected, or on the edge of burnout. Whether you're a woman carrying the load of caregiving responsibilities, a LGBTQ+ professional navigating high-pressure expectations, a social justice activist in the community seeking a space where you can be wholly yourself due to the emotional and psychological strain of responsibility and social justice work, or if you are someone living with chronic pain and find yourself exhausted from medical gaslighting then this is a place for you.
My clients often come to me feeling overwhelmed, emotionally depleted, or uncertain about their next steps in life. You might be facing a major transition, burdened by conditions you have no control over, experiencing anxiety or self-doubt, suffering from the lasting effects of racism, sexism, ablesim or transphobia, or feeling you have no direction and no one is on your side. These feelings are all indication that you need attention and care.
In our work together, I offer a space where you don’t have to explain yourself or minimise your pain. You’ll be met with warmth, respect, and deep listening. We’ll explore the emotional load you carry, how societal expectations may be shaping your experience, and realistically assess how to create and access new and existing, more fulfilling ways of being in the world and community you live in.
clinical experience
I have been in private practice since 2014, first in Vancouver, BC and now in the Comox Valley. Over the past decade, I have predominantly supported young adults and women who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or uncertain during major life transitions. My work focuses on helping clients navigate anxiety, burnout, identity shifts, relationship challenges, and the emotional weight that can come with change.
From 2016 to 2019, I worked with UBC Students’ Counselling, supporting students from more than 30 countries. This experience strengthened my ability to work respectfully and effectively with culturally diverse young adults facing complex academic, relational, and mental health challenges.
I currently work as a frontline mental health responder with Emergency Health Services and Critical Incident Response Services in British Columbia, where I support individuals and teams in moments of acute stress and crisis.
education and professional background
I hold a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Counselling Psychology from the University of British Columbia, where my graduate work focused on youth transition-to-adulthood issues and women’s later-life fertility and sexuality issues. I also completed a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Women’s Studies at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, researching systemic inequality in Dutch society.
My academic foundation began with an Honours B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Women’s Studies at UBC, where I explored identity narratives within bisexual communities.
Over the years, I have taught as the lead instructor and visiting lecturer for the Certificate in Peer Counselling through UBC Continuing Education, supporting students in developing foundational counselling skills.
I have known Elisabeth for over a decade. She is a thoughtful and compassionate listener. She combines that compassion with an unusually clear eyed intelligence. I admire her commitment to social justice and her active engagement with people of all backgrounds and experiences. She is a person of enormous integrity and is one of the people I trust most in this world. She has been there for me on more occasions than I can count. to hold space for me and validate my reality where others have attempted to deny it. I rarely feel more sane and safe than I do in the prescence of Elisabeth. I’ve made many a personal recommendation for her services and will continue to do so."
Ready to Begin? Let’s Talk.
Take the first step towards clarity and well-being today. Whether you’re ready to start therapy or simply have a few questions, I’m here to listen and guide you.
Book a Free Consultation
“My actions are my only true belongings.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh