MTh, RCC. Founder, Clinical Supervisor, Senior Therapeutic Counsellor, Marriage and Family Therapist, Registered Clinical Counsellor (#2560), Nanaimo.

Ian Gartshore is our founder, Clinical Supervisor, and lead therapist for eating disorders. He served as our founding Executive Director through July 2018.

Ian has been professionally assisting clients for about three decades. His specialties are working with couples, anger, anxiety and depression issues, and clinical supervision of new therapists. Ian’s therapy style includes both long-term and short-term counselling approaches, according to the need of the clients.

Ian is highly trained, both in an academic education and in supervised clinical (practical) training. His approach is “holistic”, assisting people become healthy through improving their relationships, rather than blaming or shaming individuals.

Ian is trained in Family Systems (holistic, relationship-based), providing therapy utilizing a variety of styles and situations which allow him to sensitively tailor-make his work for each person and relationship. He is sensitive to cultural, religious, environmental and gender issues. While appreciating religious and spiritual components to a person’s life, he does not seek to convert or change a person’s beliefs. Ian is sensitive and respectful as well as effective at assisting clients to make needed changes.