About Safe Space

Safe Space Counselling Services is a private counselling therapy practice located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations in the area more commonly known as the Kitsilano neighbourhood of Vancouver, BC​, Canada.

Founded in 2016, Safe Space specializes in helping individuals, couples and families of diverse background strengthen sense of self and bonds with each other. We value human-ness, ease, inclusion and being welcoming, and we aim to celebrate and embrace the diversity of our humanity. We also strive to support families and family members young and old impacted by experiences such as oppression and marginalisation, as well as those that have found it difficult to find understanding and effective help through the mainstream or more widely available private, community and public health services.

Our team is made up of experienced therapists that are skilled in a variety of modalities and who are passionate about supporting people from all walks of life. Our services range from therapy provided by Registered Clinical Counsellors to low-cost counselling services provided by Intern Counsellors and Master's-level counselling students. We are licensed to serve individuals, couples and families that are residents of the province of British Columbia, Canada.

We warmly welcome you to Safe Space, and we look forward to meeting you!

​​For more information or to book a session, please fill out the form on the Contact page.

Meet Our Team

Olivia Ng

Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)

Olivia Ng, MEd, RCC, (she/her) is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology from the University of British Columbia. She has experience counselling adults who have severe, persistent mental illness including schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, mood disorders, and co-occurring disorders such as personality disorders, substance abuse, and other mental challenges. She also has experience counselling adults struggling with addiction and addictive behaviours, as well as counselling family members of people with mental health and substance use difficulties, providing information and resources to ensure they are as well-supported as possible in caring for themselves and their loved ones.
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Daria Szwedowicz

Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)
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Daria Szwedowicz, MC, RCC, (she/her) is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (RCC #20671). She has experience facilitating groups with couples and trans youth and doing outreach and health advocacy work supporting adults impacted by intergenerational trauma, marginalization, and drug and alcohol addiction. She has training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and uses a warm, collaborative, person-centered, and attachment-based approach to help her clients feel safe and supported as they address challenges in their life and develop positive relationships with themselves and others.
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Michael Gelmon

Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)

Michael Gelmon, MA, RCC, (he/him) is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC #8854). He holds a Master of Arts Degree in Counselling Psychology and has been working as a counsellor since 2010. His primary modalities include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Mindfulness, Existential, Rogerian and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Michael supports clients with life transitions, identity development, grief/loss and attachment/relational challenges.
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Ash dela Cruz Yip​

Intern Counsellor
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Ash dela Cruz Yip (they/them) is a pre-licensed counsellor-in-training that has completed their clinical practicum and is working toward their registration with the BCACC as a Registered Clinical Counsellor. Their Narrative and Feminist approach centres the clients' skills/knowledge and fosters a collaborative space to navigate client issues. They are comfortable supporting with and addressing emotional dysregulation, anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, 2SLGBTQIA+ experiences, BIPOC experiences, systems of oppression, lack of connection and belonging, etc. They specialize in working with youth and emerging adults but are open to connecting with all ages.
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Essay Sun

Intern Counsellor
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Essay Sun (she/her) is a counsellor-in-training that has completed her clinical practicum and is working toward registration with the BC Association for Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) as a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC). For a decade, she volunteered with schools and sports clubs where she served as a liaison with families of expatriates and immigrants. Her approach to counselling is primarily informed by Existential Therapy, which acknowledges human limitations and emphasizes the self-construction of a meaningful life. She also integrates theories and techniques from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Psychodynamic psychology, and specializes in trauma-informed practice, anxiety and depression, relationships, grief and loss, and life transitions. She also works with partners, couples, and families, focusing on their sense of purpose, interpersonal relationships, and communication.
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Seyda Bilikci

Practicum Student Counsellor
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Seyda Bilikci (she/her, pronounced "shay-dah") is a counsellor-in-training that is currently completing a clinical practicum for a Master's degree in Counselling Psychology. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from George Mason University (Virginia, United States) and is obtaining a Master of Counselling degree at City University (Vancouver BC, Canada). She is passionate about working with people of all ages and backgrounds who are experiencing a variety of distress, such as relationship problems, trauma, anxiety, depression, burnout, loneliness, and feeling overwhelmed or “trapped”. Her preferred therapy approaches include EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy), Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Gottman marriage and couples therapy.
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Shalene Takara

Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)
​Clinical Supervisor
Founder of Safe Space
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Shalene Takara, MA, RCC, (she/her) is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC #13254), Clinical Supervisor, and founder of Safe Space Counselling Services. She holds a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology and has over 11 years of experience providing clinical counselling to individuals, couples and families. Her primary modalities include Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for individuals, couples and families and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy for trauma with a special focus on cross-cultural counselling and intergenerational trauma.
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Amandeep Jassal

Registered Social Worker (RSW)
​Clinical Supervisor
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Only accepting students for clinical supervision.
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​Amandeep Jassal, MSW, RSW, (he/him) is a Registered Social Worker (RSW #12408) governed by the British Columbia College of Social Workers. He graduated with a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from UBC with a focus in clinical counselling. Some of his specialized training includes CBT (Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy), DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy), Indigenous Cultural Safety Training, Suicide Risk Assessment Training, and Crisis Intervention Training.
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Choosing a Therapist

There are so many different kinds of therapists. What is the difference? How do I choose?
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Good question! Since our therapists range from students to interns to fully licensed professionals, we're able to provide therapy services that range from free/sliding-scale to low-cost to regular rate depending on the therapist's education/experience and licensure.

Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)
A Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) is a fully licensed professional that has completed a Master's degree in Counselling Psychology. Rate: $170-185 +GST / 50-minute session.

Intern Counsellor
An Intern Counsellor is a Master's-level clinician that has finished their clinical practicum and is working toward an RCC/CCC designation with BCACC or CCPA. Rate: $140-160 +GST / 50-minute session.

Practicum Student Counsellor
A Practicum Student Counsellor is a Master's student that is completing a Clinical Practicum for a Master's degree in counselling psychology. Rate: $40-60 +GST / 50-minute session.
​For more information or to book a session, please fill out the form on the Contact page.