GilmourGroup
Counselling in Victoria, BC
What We Offer
At the very core of our work are four basic elements: authenticity, safety, respect, and hope.
We strictly adhere to the ethical standards of our profession and are committed to a ‘do-no-harm’ philosophy.
Communication & Trust | Self-Empowerment | Clear Structure
Couples Counselling
Nothing will get resolved in any relationship, regardless of what that relationship looks like, without healthy communication. Nothing. Misunderstandings, inaccurate assumptions, not feeling heard, not feeling comfortable sharing opinions, shutting down, yelling, resentments, anger…all result from ineffective communication.
Individual Counselling
Sometimes our lives can be so overwhelming we feel we’re drowning in the pain. We’re committed to walking beside you, breaking the situation into smaller more manageable pieces, bringing you relief…bringing you hope. There is no story that isn’t valid, no person who is not heard.
Life Transitions
Life is in a constant flow of transition, it just is – sometimes smooth and sometimes overwhelmingly difficult….ie) divorce or any change in relationship status, post-graduation reality, career loss or change, aging, empty-nesting, moving, health-related change…the list is pretty well endless.
Goal Setting & Homework
Goal setting is the most crucial and immediate step in our work at The Gilmour Group and homework assignments are always based on the goals set by the client.
Parent/Teen Counselling
Parents and their adolescent children are often triggered by each other – there are so many emotions that surface for everyone involved and as a result effective communication is almost impossible. The entire family is usually caught up in the conflict. At The Gilmour Group we are trained, experienced and able to help all parties feel heard and validated. Once that occurs lasting conflict resolution is far more likely.
Skype Sessions Available
We are happy to offer phone or Skype sessions to our clients as we don’t want geography, lack of internet access or added childcare costs to be prohibitive factors in benefitting from our services.
Specializing in Marriage, Relationship & Couples Counselling in Victoria, BC
Most couples seek counselling as a last-ditch attempt to save their relationship. Unhelpful and often harmful communication patterns may have become so deeply entrenched they consume the relationship, leaving no room for happy memories together or remembering why they are still together at all. It often feels like there is no hope. Many traditional approaches to couples, marriage and relationship counseling explore familial patterns and childhood experiences which may have contributed to the current challenges in their relationship. These are, without question, valid approaches. However, at the Gilmour Group we are less interested in the history of the problem (our clients have probably already spent enough time and energy trying to figure that out prior to coming in to see us) but rather our focus is primarily on pragmatic steps to walk our clients ‘out of the problems’ and ‘in to the solutions’ to them. Our goal is to do this as quickly as possible.
Our NO-NONSENSE tools and strategies are research-based (see our Counselling Approach) and are not designed to be band-aids for the current crisis but can serve to provide the skills with which to bring about lasting change. We work with our clients in creating personally relevant strategies, clearly explaining and describing their purpose throughout the process, de-mystifying what can easily become a “fuzzy and blurry” process.
At the Gilmour Group, we believe that you have to “DO” rather than “THINK” your way out of conflict. We are here to facilitate the “DOING”, guiding the process with honesty, respect, humor, and hope.
The underlying principles of our work are applicable to couples, marriage, relationship, and individual counselling.
View Our Latest Blog:
DATE NIGHT – What, Where, When, How, Why
"Go out on a DATE together?”, my clients say in almost perfect unison and in similar tones of poorly masked skepticism. “A DATE?? Together?? Just the two of us?? How?? Why??” Pay attention to what you, the reader, are thinking right now as you read the word...
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SOLUTIONS in Counselling
As you go through life, brother, Whatever be your goal: Keep your eye upon the doughnut, And not upon the hole. (Anonymous, 1998) This little snippet pretty well sums up my counselling approach in a nutshell. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is based on the...
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“I’ve Been Dumped, I Can’t Breathe and I Need Hope”!
Preface: The following isn’t gender, age, race or sexual orientation-specific. I refer to the client as ‘they’ and to the boyfriend/girlfriend as the ‘partner’. The First Call I get the call from the client, I can tell right away they’re fighting to keep themselves...
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