Meet Yvonne Paquette, RSW: Trauma-Informed Counselling in Victoria, BC & Online Across Canada
If you’re looking for a counsellor who brings both clinical depth and real-world understanding to the therapy room, Yvonne Paquette, RSW offers a compassionate, non-judgmental space for healing, self-discovery, and lasting change.
Yvonne Paquette, MSW, RSW
At Strength in Heart Counselling, Yvonne supports individuals in Victoria, BC and online across Canada who are navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, addiction, burnout, identity work, and complex life experiences. Her work is especially meaningful for people seeking a therapist who understands the realities of BDSM, kink, ethical non-monogamy, alternative relationship structures, hoarding, front-line burnout, and post-trauma healing.
A Counsellor Who Understands Complexity Without Judgment
One of the biggest barriers to starting therapy is the fear of being misunderstood. Yvonne’s practice is built around helping clients feel seen, accepted, and safe enough to be fully honest.
Her approach blends a strong understanding of the brain, body, trauma, and emotional meaning-making. She helps clients make sense of their internal experiences while building practical tools for coping, regulation, and healing. For clients carrying pain, shame, or long-standing survival patterns, this work can be deeply transformative.
Yvonne draws from frameworks including:
Internal Family Systems
Trauma-informed practice
Polyvagal theory
Attachment theory
Harm reduction
Indigenous and decolonial perspectives
This makes her a strong fit for people who want therapy that is both grounded and deeply human.
Specializations That Matter in Real Life
Yvonne supports clients across a wide range of concerns, including:
Anxiety, depression, and stress
Grief and loss
Substance use and addiction
Distress tolerance and emotional regulation
Crisis management
Advocacy and system navigation
Self-realization and self-empowerment
Front-line work and workplace clinical burnout
Hoarding and collecting
Post-trauma healing
She also offers a rare and valuable specialization in kink, BDSM, fetish, and ethical non-monogamy (ENM).
Kink-Affirming Therapy in Victoria, BC & Online
For many people in the kink and BDSM communities, finding the right therapist can feel exhausting. Too often, clients are left educating providers or worrying that important parts of their identity will be judged or pathologized.
Yvonne offers kink-affirming therapy that respects sexual autonomy, self-expression, and relational diversity. Whether you’re exploring identity, navigating shame, processing relationship dynamics, managing anxiety, or wanting support from someone who genuinely understands kink culture, Yvonne provides a radically non-judgmental space.
Her work is informed by lived experience, community understanding, and principles such as:
SSC (Sane, Sober, Consensual)
RACK (Risk-Aware Consensual Kink)
This creates a therapy experience where clients can talk openly about power exchange, sensation play, protocols, sub drop, communication, and relationship structure without needing to explain the basics first.
Why Clients Connect With Yvonne
Yvonne’s story and professional path give her a unique ability to sit with life’s messiness, pain, and resilience. Her background in social work, youth support, mental health, and substance use informs a practice that is compassionate, skilled, and deeply attuned to the realities many clients face.
Clients who work with Yvonne often want more than symptom relief. They want to:
Understand why they feel the way they do
Build a healthier relationship with themselves
Heal the impact of trauma and attachment wounds
Feel less alone in taboo or stigmatized experiences
Create a life that feels more authentic, empowered, and fulfilling
Book a Free Consultation With Yvonne
If you’ve been searching for trauma-informed counselling in Victoria, BC, online therapy across Canada, or a therapist who specializes in kink, BDSM, alternative relationships, addiction, grief, and burnout, Yvonne Paquette may be an excellent fit.
She is currently accepting new individual counselling clients.
Book a free consultation to see if working together feels right: Book a free consult
You don’t have to tone yourself down to get support. The right therapy space can help you feel understood, empowered, and ready for change.
