Trauma Therapist in Vancouver (Online Across BC) — Olivia Armstrong, MA, RCC, CCC
Making the decision to seek counselling support is one of the most courageous steps you will ever take. I applaud you for making it this far.
Olivia Armstrong, MA, CCC is a trauma therapist in Vancouver providing trauma‑informed therapy for adults experiencing anxiety, PTSD, attachment wounds, and nervous system dysregulation. She integrates EMDR and somatic therapy in a paced, collaborative way to support deeper healing and lasting change.
Virtual counselling is available across British Columbia (BC) (and for some clients, across Canada), making it possible to access support from wherever you are.
About Olivia
Making the decision to seek counselling support is one of the most courageous steps a person can take. Olivia honours the strength it takes to begin this journey and meets clients with warmth, attunement, and respect for their lived experiences.
Olivia believes that every individual holds innate resources for healing and transformation. Her work is grounded in the understanding that trauma is not a personal failure, but an adaptive response to overwhelming experiences. She strives to create an emotionally safe and collaborative environment where clients can reconnect with their bodies, emotions, and inner sense of agency.
Clinical Approach
Olivia’s clinical work is client-centred, trauma-informed, and deeply relational. She supports clients in understanding how past experiences continue to shape emotional responses, relationships, and patterns of coping, while gently guiding them toward greater flexibility, self-compassion, and resilience.
Trauma’s Impact on Healing
Trauma can disrupt the nervous system, leading to chronic stress, emotional overwhelm, dissociation, or difficulty feeling safe in relationships. Olivia helps clients understand how trauma lives in both the mind and body, and how symptoms such as anxiety, panic, low mood, or emotional flashbacks are often signals of a nervous system seeking protection.
By exploring trauma through a neurobiological and attachment-informed lens, clients gain insight into their patterns while learning how to restore a sense of safety, connection, and regulation.
EMDR, Somatic, and Client-Centered Methods
Olivia integrates EMDR therapy, somatic approaches, and emotionally focused interventions to support deep and lasting change. Through embodied practices, clients are guided to harness the brain’s natural capacity for neuroplasticity, allowing old patterns to be gently rewired into more adaptive and supportive ones.
Her approach centres client agency and collaboration, empowering individuals to become more attuned to their internal experiences while moving at a pace that feels safe and sustainable.
OCD, ERP, and Hoarding Support
Olivia also supports adults navigating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), including intrusive thoughts, compulsions, reassurance-seeking, and mental rituals. Her approach is trauma-informed, collaborative, and paced.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
When appropriate, Olivia incorporates Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), a gold-standard, evidence-based approach for OCD. ERP focuses on gradually facing feared triggers while reducing compulsions, so your nervous system can learn safety and flexibility over time.
Hoarding Behaviours
Olivia supports clients experiencing hoarding behaviours and difficulty discarding, including the emotional overwhelm, shame, and avoidance that often accompany these patterns. Therapy can help build practical steps and compassionate understanding, without judgment.
Olivia provides individual counselling for adults seeking support with emotional, relational, and trauma-related concerns.
Adults & Seniors
Olivia works with adults and seniors navigating life transitions, relational challenges, identity exploration, and the long-term effects of trauma. She offers a queer-affirming, culturally responsive space that honours each client’s unique lived experience.
Conditions Supported
Clients often seek Olivia’s support for:
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Anxiety and panic attacks
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Trauma and PTSD (including complex trauma)
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Attachment wounds and relational difficulties
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Depression and low mood
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Dissociation and emotional flashbacks
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and hoarding behaviours
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Nervous system dysregulation
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Shame, guilt, and low self-esteem
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Grief and life transitions
Education & Experience
Olivia Armstrong holds a Master’s degree in Counselling and is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC). She is trained in EMDR therapy and has a strong interest in supporting clients through trauma recovery and personal growth that extends beyond symptom reduction.
Her work is informed by ongoing training in attachment theory, somatic interventions, and emotionally focused approaches, with a commitment to cultural humility and affirming care.
Why Choose Olivia for Trauma Therapy
Clients often choose to work with Olivia because of her calm, attuned presence and her ability to integrate evidence-based trauma therapies with deep relational care. She is passionate about walking alongside clients as they reconnect with their authentic selves and release emotional patterns that no longer serve them.
Olivia approaches therapy with curiosity, compassion, and respect for each client’s pace, believing that healing happens through connection and felt safety.
Book a Session
Olivia is currently accepting new clients and offers virtual counselling sessions across British Columbia and throughout Canada.
If you are seeking trauma-informed EMDR therapy in a supportive and affirming environment, you are invited to begin your healing journey with Olivia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you offer virtual counselling across BC?
Yes. Olivia offers virtual counselling for clients across British Columbia (BC). Some clients may also be eligible for virtual sessions in other Canadian provinces depending on location and service availability.
Do you offer EMDR therapy?
Yes. Olivia integrates EMDR therapy within a trauma-informed, paced approach. Readiness and pacing are discussed collaboratively so sessions feel grounded and manageable.
Do you offer OCD therapy and ERP?
Yes. Olivia supports clients with OCD and can incorporate Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) when it is clinically appropriate and aligned with your goals.
Can you help with hoarding behaviours?
Yes. Olivia supports clients navigating hoarding behaviours and difficulty discarding, including the emotional overwhelm, avoidance, and shame that can accompany these patterns.
Do you offer queer-affirming therapy?
Yes. Olivia’s practice is queer-affirming and culturally responsive. Identity (including gender, sexuality, and lived experience) is respected and supported in therapy.
How do I get started?
You’re welcome to book a free consultation (if available) or schedule a session to discuss what you’re looking for and whether Olivia is the right fit.