Meet Zoe
Hello!
I’m Zoe, a Registered Professional Counsellor, artist and mom living in British Columbia. I am a white settler of European descent living on the unceded (stolen) territory of the Skwxwú7mesh-ulh Temíx̱w (Squamish), Shíshálh Swíya (Sechelt), Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla nations. I recognize my privilege to live on these beautiful lands and I extend my immense gratitude to all of the human and non-human people who are the stewards of this land since time immemorial.
My specialties are grief and loss, pregnancy and infant loss, perinatal & reproductive mental health, birth trauma and adverse outcomes, estrangement, life limiting illnesses, life transitions, spiritual awakening and self-worth and purpose. Depression and anxiety, because of course!
As a therapist/guide/human I am always growing and learning more through relationship with my clients and myself. I see you as the expert of your own experience. I take a non-pathologizing approach to grief, and to all mental wellness whenever possible. I prefer a humanistic and strengths-based approach that also incorporates spirituality and ritual when appropriate. My practice is informed by existential, solution focused and feminist theories, logotherapy and relational somatics. I see each person holistically, taking into account, mind, body, soul and circumstances.
Working with me you can expect us to spend some time setting a safe, trauma-informed container in which we will explore more challenging emotions and experiences such as traumatic grief. Your safety is of paramount importance to me and to the healing process. Slow and steady, with love. I will happily teach you coping skills for whatever challenges you are experiencing; however, my preference is to support you in harnessing values, boundaries, grief competency and skill development to achieve the type of life that requires fewer coping skills. A life you can navigate with confidence and authenticity!
In my personal time I’m a mom, artist and metalsmith, avid reader, outdoor person, activist and volunteer. I enjoy cooking for people I love, travelling and my dark sense of humor. I am a lover of all people both human and non-human and I am constantly striving to decolonize my mind and practice.
I invite you to reach out for a free consultation to see if I am a good fit for you.
With love,
Zoe Stratis (RPC-C #4459)
My Core Values:
Community, Authenticity, Respect, Humanity and Trust.
My Path
My path to this role has been a long and winding journey. I have always been an artist and it was my career for many years, I am thrilled to be able to incorporate my love of the arts into therapy now. I went to art school for fine arts, I have a diploma in fashion design and am a self-taught metalsmith. Something always felt like it was missing for me as a career artist. I loved it for myself, but I wanted to make a difference in the world in a way that felt more tangible to me.
An enduring interest in human psychology, physiology and spirituality had me unsure which thread to follow. I spent some time as a personal trainer and have a great love of nutrition, movement and the undeniable connection between the mind, body and soul. Countless hours of my life have been spent foraging and wildcrafting foods and natural medicines. With the deep connection to the land that nourishes me and my love of natural health, I thought I’d end up as some kind of nutritionist/trainer/herbalist mix up. But still, something didn’t fit with this vision and over time I came to realize that it was because I have always had an easier time doing than being. Even my healthiest passions were based on doing, doing, doing, and I found it hard to just be.
It was an experience in my life that brought me face to face with the harsh reality of needing to learn to BE with what IS that ultimately reshaped my life and set me on this path. In 2019, my first son died at 4 days old due to a hypoxic injury sustained during birth. To say I was shattered would be a terrible understatement, but there just aren’t words for this depth of loss. When the proverbial dust cleared, I found out that there is very little specialized support for perinatal loss. I couldn’t find anything in my time of need. Suddenly and clearly, I knew that I wanted to be that support for others. I knew I could meet people in this place and just BE with them without rushing or fixing or being scared away by big, uncomfortable feelings.
Grief has revealed so much to me and forced me to slow down and be present, because if you don’t it will make you sick. For me, profound grief has been a crash course on being with what is. Though I would trade everything to have my son back, I must acknowledge and express my eternal gratitude to him for the potent medicine and gifts he has given me. I feel like he taught me the meaning of life.
These days my greatest joy and purpose is in bearing witness to people’s stories. They are all so unique and sacred and I consider it my life’s greatest privilege to be trusted as a guide and companion on this wild ride called life.
Formal Education + Training
- Diploma in Applied Psychology and Counselling – Kelowna College of Professional Counselling
- Certification in Pregnancy and Infant Loss Coaching – Seeds of Growth Academy
- Hospice Volunteer Training – Sunshine Coast Hospice Society
- Trauma Informed Facilitation Skills (with relational somatics) – Shauna Janz
- MAPS & KAP training
- EMDR training
- Somatic & Sensorimotor Psychotherapy training
- A New Paradigm of Care decolonial training with Dr. Rosales Mesa
- Internal Family Systems training
- Gottman Institute training
Personal Work
- Decades of various types of therapy
- Plant medicine ceremonies with the NAC and other guides
- Currently in grief therapy
- Currently receiving mentorship from Mallory Meyer of White Wolf Reiki
- Currently completing Self Attunement and Embodied Healing with Ally Wise
- I would love to engage in long term Somatic Experiencing
Job Titles
-
Registered Professional Counsellor- Candidate (reg. #4459 with the CPCA)
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Certified Pregnancy and Infant Loss Coach
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Parent & Spouse 😉
What You Can Expect of Me:
Empathy, Patience, Safety and Clear Communication.