READY FOR CHANGE?

LET’S TURN YOUR STORM INTO A STORY OF STRENGTH

Counselling in Victoria BC, cobble hill bc & ONline

Kendra Shaw, MSW

Provisional Social Work Counsellor

Accepting new individuals for counselling in Victoria, BC & online across Canada.

“Believing in the inherent wisdom within each individual, I aim to cultivate a safe & non-judgmental environment where you can delve into your inner self, discover your strengths, & navigate your unique life journey. I honour the mind-body-spirit connection & will take a holistic approach to help you achieve balance & harmony in your life.”

Individual Counselling: $100 per session

Areas of focus

  • TRAUMA

  • CHRONIC PAIN & ILLNESS

  • PARTS WORK & INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS (IFS)

  • ANXIETY

  • DEPRESSION

  • SELF-ESTEEM & SELF-LOVE

  • EMOTIONAL REGULATION

  • NON-ORDINARY STATE INTEGRATION

  • ATTACHMENT WOUNDS & RELATIONAL TRAUMA

My Approach

My approach to therapy is relational and integrative, weaving together parts work, somatic therapy, relational attunement, and emotional resonance. I aim to support you in making sense of your experiences, recognizing and offering compassion to the ways you’ve learned to survive, and ultimately setting down the burdens and narratives that no longer serve you, or were never yours to carry. Together, we can create the space to gently meet your inner parts, offering each one safety, empathy, and the chance to be witnessed. 

I also recognize that distress doesn’t exist in a vacuum, but is shaped and sustained by systemic, historic, and social forces. With this in mind, I make space for a critical consciousness of the systems that impact us all, and invite you to collaborate with me in naming their harms and identifying opportunities for resistance.

I believe that each of us finds our own unique pathway to healing. I strive to honour your inner healing intelligence, with the understanding that you are the expert of your own life and story. My role is to walk alongside you, co-creating a space where you feel safe enough to explore, connect with your inner wisdom, and move toward healing in a way that feels right for you. At its core, I hope our work together feels like a partnership where you feel seen, heard, and empowered.


My Story

I grew up on the traditional and unceded territory of the Wolastoqiyik peoples, colonially known as Fredericton, New Brunswick. Since then, I’ve lived on Treaty 6 territory in Edmonton, Alberta, where I completed my undergraduate degree in psychology at MacEwan University in 2017.

In 2018, I moved to what is colonially known as Victoria, BC, on the unceded territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən- and SENĆOŦEN-speaking peoples, including the Songhees, Esquimalt, and W̱SÁNEĆ Nations. From 2023 to 2025, I completed my Master of Social Work degree at the University of Victoria and am currently working toward registration with the British Columbia College of Social Workers.

My path to this work has been deeply personal. My own experiences with mental health challenges, and with the pathologizing, individualizing nature of dominant mental health systems, have shaped my desire to approach healing differently, and to be the person I needed when I was at my lowest.

I began my professional journey working in community mental health in 2018, spending six years working alongside individuals navigating a range of mental health experiences. In 2024, I began my practicum placement at Strength In Heart under the supervision of Carla Mae Leuschen and have since completed over 900 hours of training as a practicum student counsellor.

I am immensely grateful, honoured and humbled that I get the opportunity to support others on their healing journeys, and I look forward to walking alongside you on your own path.

Education & Training

  • Master of Social Work – University of Victoria (2025)

  • Trauma, Stress, and Addictions Training – Dr. Gabor Maté (2025)

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy Training – Stacy Ruse, LPC (2025)

  • Integrative Somatic Parts Work (Levels 1–3) – Fran Booth, LICSW (2024)

  • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Skills Training (2022)

  • San'yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training (2022)

  • ASIST Suicide First Aid (2021)

  • Bachelor of Arts in Psychology – MacEwan University (2017)

Professional Memberships

  • BCASW Student Member #2000665