Mental Health Counselling Services

Jump to: Cassy Lukey | Naomi Sturtridge

mental health counseling vernon bc emdr cognitive beahvioural therapy reality therapy

Counselling is the process of talking with a trained professional to resolve challenging personal circumstances. Counseling provides the opportunity to discuss struggles within a supportive and safe environment. Attending counseling provides insights and solutions to move through life’s challenges which can then bring about beneficial changes in mental, emotional, and physical health.

Our Counsellors

Cassy Lukey
CCC, M.C.
Canadian Certified Counsellor

Cassy is a compassionate clinical counsellor dedicated to providing a warm, judgment-free space where clients feel heard and supported. Cassy’s therapeutic approach is rooted in understanding individuals within their diverse and unique contexts. Her goal is to help clients connect with their authentic selves, clarify their values, and build a life that aligns with their sense of purpose. 

With over six years of experience in community and school-based settings, she has worked extensively with individuals facing addictions, depression, anxiety, ADHD, autism, chronic health conditions, and grief. As a counsellor with lived experience of ADHD and chronic health conditions, she brings a deep level of personal care and compassion to her work with clients who are living with invisible challenges. She has significant experience counselling teens and young adults and she welcomes clients of all ages seeking meaningful, personalized support.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from UBC Okanagan and a master’s degree from the University of Lethbridge. She is a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC), approved by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) to work with clients throughout Canada. Her designation allows her services to be covered by insurance plans that include mental health counselling services. 

The modalities she covers incude:

  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
  • Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Emotion-Focused Therapy
  • Narrative Therapy
  • Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS)

Initial Consultation ~ 20 Minutes (FREE):
Free 20 minute phone consultation required for new clients. Please book this session if you have not seen Cassy before. To cancel or reschedule your appointment with Cassy, please email her at cassy@tidalelements.ca, or get in touch via text at (250) 540-4303.

Individual Counselling Session ~ 60 Minutes ($150):
Confidential one-to-one in-person counselling session. Sessions are personalized surrounding personal goals and needs. Most sessions will include exploring personal histories surrounding current challenges, acknowledging and supporting current growth areas, and developing skills to live a meaningful and purposeful life. 

Telehealth Counselling Session ~ 60 Minutes ($150):
Confidential one-to-one online counselling session via Zoom. Confidential one-to-one in person counselling session. Sessions are personalized surrounding personal goals and needs. Most sessions will include exploring personal histories surrounding current challenges, acknowledging and supporting current growth areas, and developing skills to live a meaningful and purposeful life.

For specific questions about the modalities that Cassy offers, or if you would like to book a free 20 minute consultation with her, please contact her directly at cassy@tidalelements.ca or by text at 250-540-4303.

Cassy accepts the following methods of payment:
Cash, Credit, E-transfer

Extended Medical: Cassy’s sessions are accepted by all insurance companies participating with Telus eClaims. The major companies include: Canadalife, Manulife, Desjardin Insurance, Claimsecure. a full list of all participating participating companies can be found here: https://plus.telushealth.co/page/eclaims/help/insurer_coverage_html/Insurer_coverage_table.html Canadian Certified Counsellors (CCC) will still be covered under other insurance plans that include mental health benefits. Clients will be provided with a receipt to submit to their insurance company if it is not connected to Telus eClaims.

Naomi Sturtridge
RTC, BHSc, RYT-200
Counsellor, Somatic Therapy

Naomi provides individual adult counselling sessions for a variety of issues. The foundation of the work she does is grounded in somatic therapy techniques. Somatic therapy is a form of counselling that involves working with the body in the counselling process. Somatic therapy is strongly rooted in neuroscience and working with the body and nervous system to establish a sense of wholeness and well being.  One of the goals is to release trapped survival energy from fight-flight- freeze responses in the nervous system. The counsellor guides the client through tracking sensations in their body, and it is through this process that the energy of stress, trauma and negative experiences is able to be released. Somatic therapy focuses on helping clients to build resources within themselves to increase their capacity to self regulate their emotions. Through developing awareness of the mind-body connection somatic therapy helps to release the tension, anger, frustration, sadness and fear that remain in the body from past negative experiences. A goal is to assist the nervous system to shift out of states of survival and into regulation via the vagus nerve.  Increased nervous system regulation improves physical health in the body, aids the ability to connect socially and in relationships, calms the mind and increases access to feelings of joy, hope, peace and well being.

Somatic therapy can be beneficial for:

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Chronic Pain
  • Trust and Intimacy Issues
  • Self Esteem Challenges
  • Digestive Issues
  • Autoimmune Conditions

Practicing from a holistic and decolonized lens, Naomi works with mind-body attunement practices to enhance conscious connection to the body. Throughout time, the belief in many indigenous and earth based cultures has been that the mind, body, emotions and spirit are all connected. The pioneering work of trauma therapists such as Peter Levine, and Bessel Van der Kolk have shown that including working with the felt sense of the body can improve therapeutic outcomes. In addition to talk therapy, Naomi may use techniques such as breathing exercises, guided imagery, sensory awareness and self regulation practices. To anchor and support the somatic change process Naomi incorporates holistic healing practices from quantum science, indigenous ways of knowing, energy medicine, and yoga.

Testimonials:

“I am beyond grateful to have started somatic experiencing with Naomi. She has such a gentle and considerate approach I directly felt at ease with her. Naomi is so very accepting that even the weirdest things I say are accepted for what they are. She is super patient, spending an entire session slowly exploring the right sitting arrangement and eye contact for me and my body to feel safe.  Somatic experiencing has been a surprise to me. I started learning and listening to the cues of my body and how to soothe my anxieties simply by touch. At the beginning I was so dysregulated that I cried every session, not knowing where’s up and where’s down. Now the rollercoaster of emotions has become manageable. In the past year I have learned to accept and love myself more, I could tell my dad that I loved him for the first time in years and actually meant it, and I’m starting to feel like myself again plus a bit more understanding of why I am the way I am. I would totally recommend starting somatic experiencing with Naomi, she has changed my life.” ~ Paula B.

“I started seeing Naomi in Sept 2023. I had a little knowledge of somatic therapy but felt I wanted something different than the traditional way of counselling. I am so grateful for meeting Naomi and our continued work together. My life continues to change as we navigate through events from my past and present. As a practitioner Naomi not only provides knowledge, exercises, and experience, she takes the time to create a safe environment, gets to know you personally and knows when to use certain somatic techniques that focus on stability within the nervous system. She provides guidance in supporting me within my mind and body. I have always felt safe when working with Naomi, and I trust in her work because of the changes in my life. From our first meeting till now I have noticed my confidence, joy, and well being shift dramatically in positive ways. The once angry, traumatized, and unstable being that Naomi first met me as, I have seen how somatic therapy and Naomi have shifted my life to a life I am not afraid of living. I believe in Naomi and the work she does through somatic therapy because I have shed years of anger, gained an understanding of what is happening in my mind, sensations in my body and, how simultaneously mind and body are meant to coexist. Naomi meets me where I am at each session, there are no expectations, or guidelines, she simply takes whatever path I bring into session, and guides me through the emotions, body comfort/discomfort, and aftercare. Through working with Naomi, I use somatic therapy in my everyday life. I am constantly reminded of the somatic techniques, realizations, and exercises that feel custom to me. The effects of somatic therapy continue to work well after our sessions, and I have never left a session with Naomi feeling concerned, I leave with “this is why I love working with you”. ~ Leslie B.

Naomi provides individual counselling sessions for adults in person and virtually over Zoom. She is a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor through the Association of Cooperative Counselling Therapists of Canada. 

20 Minute Consultation – Free
60 Minute Session – $125

For those experiencing financial hardship, fees may be offered on a sliding scale basis.
If you have any questions, or if you would like to book a free 20 minute consultation, please contact Naomi by email at naomi@tidalelements.ca.

*Payment is accepted by cash, cheque, credit card, or e-transfer.

Find out more about these approaches:

Reality Therapy (RT): https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/reality-therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): https://cogbtherapy.com/introduction-to-cbt
Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy (DBT): https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/dialectical-behaviour-therapy
Somatic Therapy: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapy-types/somatic-therapy
Trauma Healing: https://traumahealing.org/se-101/