My name is Harkamal and I identify as an able-bodied, cis-gendered man of South Asian descent. I live and work on the unceded ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. I am a registered clinical counsellor and a member of the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors.
I believe in the transformative power of therapy because I have experienced its healing effects firsthand. Although I was fortunate to have the support of family and loved ones, challenges I experienced throughout my youth and adulthood years related to belonging, significant life transitions, effects of trauma, and loss were overwhelming. I had to acknowledge I was not able to heal without the support of therapy. Through therapy, I discovered the healing effects of a compassionate, collaborative therapeutic presence. It provided me with a safe space to help manage difficult emotions, connect with my body, feelings and thoughts, process trauma and find healing. The experience planted a seed in me and made me deeply appreciate the role of therapy in providing the necessary conditions to heal.
My path towards becoming a clinical counselor began during my work as a support worker in community outpatient addictions and mental health programs , where I provided social services to at-risk populations including youth and adults. This experience ignited a desire to pursue counseling professionally. Motivated by my firsthand experience of therapy's transformative potential, I pursued a graduate degree in counseling psychology and started my career as a counsellor working out of an inner city clinic where I continue to work today. Working alongside individuals who identify as marginalized and face multiple social barriers, including housing insecurity, poverty-related stressors, and discrimination based on their gender, race, and culture informed my counseling approach as well. My approach can best be described as: trauma- informed, strength-based, intersectional, and client-centered, rooted in collaborative principles, anti-oppressive practices, and an ethic of social justice.
Counselling Modalities* and Philosophies
Over the span of my career, I have provided counselling services to individuals facing challenges related to substance use, behavioral addictions, clinical depression, severe anxiety, complicated grief and loss, and effects of trauma, including single incident trauma and complex trauma. I have received training in several evidence-based therapeutic modalities such as motivational interviewing, acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and narrative therapy. In addition, I am trained in body-oriented psychotherapies to address and manage PTSD symptoms, including EMDR and Somatic Experiencing. Apart from my work with individuals, I have experience and training in working with couples to address relationship ruptures and conflicts. My couples training and certification involves Gottman Couples Therapy (level 1 and 2) and Emotionally Focussed Couples Therapy. I also have training in providing group facilitation in addressing relationship violence with my work involving men on probation.
Embedded in most models of therapy is the belief that healing is the outcome of a relational process. Whatever problem brings you to therapy, despite the approach or modality I draw on as a counsellor in witnessing your story, it is my values and ethics that underpin the therapeutic relationship. These values lie on a bedrock of compassion and collaboration to promote self- awareness, a sense of empowerment, fostering a greater sense of hope, well-being and personal agency.
*Please refer to the specialites page for more information on how I use different modalities.