Counselling

Counselling

Counselling will help you to find a new perspective on old patterns and beliefs.
  • Private sessions are a safe and confidential way to explore the underlying causes of surface symptoms and behaviours. Choose Again are proud to have  truly international clientele, and we want to make sure we are here for you, no matter where you are! We offer sessions via Skype with a number of our counsellors, at various rates.
  • Couples and family sessions can help you learn and practice new communication tools and find a new purpose for your relationship. ​​
  • Group sessions (circles) are incredibly effective as other people frequently reflect aspects of ourselves, and as they share and get to the root of their issues, so too do we. We see a dynamic mix of experienced and newcomers, everyone can learn a lot from each other.​

All our facilitators are Choose Again trained. Each facilitator has come to this work as part of their own healing journey, so they have experienced first-hand the incredible transformation it brings, and they are here to help you experience the same transformation in your own life.

Online Counsellors:

Diederik Wolsak RPC, MPCP

Diederik is the founder and program director of Choose Again. Diederik’s journey started in 1942 on the island of Java, Indonesia. He spent the first three years of his life in Japanese concentration camps. Many of his core beliefs were developed during that early, potentially traumatic phase. At age 8 he was sent to a foster home in Holland and by the time he rejoined his parents and brothers two years later he was filled with self-hatred and fear of the world around him. This self-hatred, fear and guilt translated into prolonged alcohol and drug abuse till finally at age 50 he reached that point where he realized that there had to be a better way or there would be no point in continuing. While his self-hatred drove him to be a successful businessman and international athlete, it allowed him little joy.
Following the fork in the road where something had to change, Diederik entered upon a spiritual path of deep healing. This path eventually led to a fulfilling career as counsellor in private practice. He is a masterful therapist. Every client recognizes immediately that they are being trained to become independent of their counsellor, that they are worthy of respect and that they have their own answers. Diederik is there to assist in finding and removing all blocks to happiness and peace in a most gentle and loving way. Clients also sense that Diederik has been in many of the dark places they see in themselves; he has personal knowledge of deep depression and substance abuse. He has personal experience of what they are going through and has largely transformed his life. However, he will be the first to tell you: “I am a work in progress.”
Diederik is the founder and program director of the Choose Again Attitudinal Healing Centre. He is the lead facilitator of both the Vancouver and Costa Rica arms of the organization. He is an international workshop leader, public speaker and relationship counsellor with years of experience in group facilitation.

Paul Panteleyev

I first became involved with Choose Again in the beginning of 2012 in the aftermath of the suicide of my long term girlfriend and coinciding with a long pattern of self hatred, antisocial behavior, dysfunctional relationships and substance abuse. My day to day life had become unbearable and filled with feelings of despair and hopelessness. I knew very little of what was involved but was aware that a major change was both imperative and long overdue. In all honesty I was skeptical that any improvement would be possible but decided to investigate what was being offered.
The results were nearly immediate and surpassed any and all expectations. I was amazed by the effectiveness of the tools and teachings and began applying them to completely transform my self made identity. The result continues to be nothing short of remarkable and has completely transformed my life to one filled with joy and peace. When the opportunity to join the team in a leadership role was presented, I gladly accepted and embraced the opportunity with enthusiasm and gratitude. It has provided a daily environment in which to deepen my understanding and grow from each experience presented. It is my pleasure to share what I have learned and what it has meant in my life, the results speak for themselves and are available to anyone ready to make a real positive change.

Gad Sprukt

​Growing up in a suburb of Jerusalem, Israel, a part of me always knew that eternal happiness is mine to have. 
It wasn't so clear, to begin with. Indeed, it took more than twenty years of relentless wandering, seeking, falling flat on my face and rising up again. But today I can say with certainty that my childhood intuition was correct; peace and happiness are always available to me if I choose them. This is the great lesson that I keep learning and sharing here at Choose Again.
Before joining Choose Again 2017, my professional and spiritual background included:
The study and practice of Buddhist insight meditation, in Thailand and Israel. 
I have a bachelor degree in Philosophy from Tel Aviv Universality. 
I was married and divorced (twice). 
In 2008 I became introduced to the teachings of Advaita Vedanta. I met the British teacher Rupert Spira whose spiritual instructions and guidance provided the framework for my life, for the next four years.
But despite all the insights under my spiritual belt, my life was in many ways dysfunctional. I was carrying unprocessed childhood trauma that no yoga or meditation could dislodge. And so I decided to dive deeper into my mind. 
In 2012 I left the life I had built in the UK to join the Sat Yoga Ashram community in Costa Rica. I lived with this visionary community for five years as a postulant monk. 
There I was given the opportunity to study the insights of the great minds of western depth psychology (Jung and Lacan). I was able to undergo a course of psychoanalysis, with weekly sessions for almost five years. I could not wish for a better school in which to learn and explore the hidden labyrinths of the human soul.
I found Choose Again soon after my time at the Ashram came to its natural close. I initially joined as a volunteer, but it quickly became clear that I found a place in which to tie the loose ends that were left in all my years of study. At Choose Again I was finally able to get right to the core of the issues that were keeping me from resting in happiness.
As I write this, I feel very grateful for the humbling opportunity given me here. Here I get to remember again and again that abiding Happiness is mine to have. It's the most beautiful gift I could ever wish for.

Dawn Green RTC, CCAC

I trained as an elementary school teacher at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver BC, and after a brief period with the Vancouver School Board, I branched out to working for a private organisation teaching vocational skills to mentally challenged adults. I led weekly meetings on healing dysfunctional relationships with food and body image as this issue healed in my own life due to the universal principles of healing that I was learning and applying. I enjoyed running my own Reiki practice and have worked extensively with A Course in Miracles, which I first drew into my life about 30 years ago. I also studied and practiced Buddhism for an extensive period of time.
I have been with Choose Again for almost 8 years as a counsellor in our Costa Rican residential centre, and have recently moved to Vancouver Island the continue the same work. It has been a dream of mine for many years to move to Vancouver Island, and I now live in Nanaimo, where I work as a counsellor and circle facilitator. I will also be working in Duncan and Victoria.

Elaine Clark BA, RPC, CTC

Elaine has a BA in Counselling Psychotherapy, a Citation in Counselling and a Certificate in Transpersonal Counselling. Elaine Clark is a therapist with 20 years experience. This began with a very successful program called Youth on Purpose and it evolved into Choose Again. Elaine has worked with many families in crisis and has been a foster parent of teenage boys.
Her clients call her a genius at process-oriented, solution-driven ideas that inspire and motivate. She is a gifted teacher with a remarkable talent for aligning passion and practicality. A commitment to bringing peace and harmony to relationships is the focus of most of the rewarding work that she is involved in.
Elaine uses meditation, holotropic breathwork, and reenactment as well as talk therapy. Her professional qualifications and ongoing passion for learning are the basis of a natural calm and balance that allows clients to feel accepted while being challenged to question their beliefs.

Amy Rice

Amy became involved with Choose Again in 2002 sparked by a desire to be pro-active in seeking deeper happiness in her life. The results were immediate as Amy found that her power to experience happiness was limited ONLY by beliefs she held about herself. As she quickly gathered tools for learning how to identify and correct beliefs within herself, she has become a skilled teacher in helping others find the light and joy within themselves. Amy spent two years working at Choose Again’s residential treatment facility in Costa Rica and has recently moved back to join the Vancouver team.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education both from UBC. In addition to working with Choose Again, Amy is a classroom teacher in West Vancouver.Amy writes, “This work is the perfect combination of psychology, philosophy and spirituality. It appeals to my intellectual curiosity while providing tools for understanding my emotions better. As I learn more about myself, every single one of my past, present and future relationships are simultaneously transformed for the better.”Amy is available for private counselling sessions in Vancouver, and facilitates Holotropic Breathwork sessions on request.

Claudia Mosele

What brought me to Choose Again was my strong desire to deepen in my spiritual journey. Before I came to the Healing Centre in Costa Rica I had been studying the Course in Miracles for many years and I had lived in a residential community dedicated to this teaching. But at Choose Again I immediately recognised that I had found an important piece of my healing puzzle and an effective tool that helped me to truly question my beliefs. I got to see how powerful I am and that I can choose in every moment how to experience myself and the world around me. Now the choice is simple: "Do I want to suffer or do I want Peace?"
Supporting others in this work gives me a purpose that I have long been searching for. To share and feel the changes in someone who opens up to seeing themselves differently is truly beautiful. This moment of clarity connects myself and "the client" at a very deep level. We both recognise our inherent Truth and it becomes clear that your healing is also my healing. I look forward to connecting with You!

Anne Andrew

​Anne has been involved with Choose Again for over fifteen years since she began working with Diederik to help her through a crisis in the family. She quickly discovered that her depression was a choice and swapped it for feelings of euphoria that she had seldom experienced prior to doing ‘the work’. As a result of her remarkable healing, every member of her family has been introduced to the Choose Again methodology. 
 
Anne began facilitating circles in Vancouver in October 2017 and spent the summer of 2018 co-facilitating workshops at Les Labadous in June and September. Feedback from clients tells of the supportive, safe space she provides for healing to occur. Her background in teaching has helped her to develop a number of visual aids and other strategies for helping clients to assimilate the Choose Again philosophy more easily.
 
Applying the Six-Step Process to parenting issues is of particular interest to her and she wishes that she had access to this information before having children. That’s why she wrote What They Don’t Teach in Prenatal Class:  The Key to Raising Trouble-Free Kids and Teens and teaches workshops for parents in person and online.

Saskia Wolsak

I have been a counsellor with Choose Again since 2006. Long before that, however, I began my life-long interest in the transformative power of honesty and awareness. This began at an early age with my interest in poetry, and later in the visual arts. Through writing and painting I taught myself to become aware of my own thought patterns and to transform them by opening my mind to greater insights.  
My quest for self-awareness then branched out to include Buddhist meditation, Aikido, the culinary arts, and wilderness survival skills, in particular traditional plant knowledge. When I am not counselling, I am a researcher and educator in the field of ethnobiology – helping to rebuild bridges between humans and the natural world through historical inquiry and experiential education. My guiding principle in life seems to be: what does it mean to be human, and how can we do it well? 

Working as a counsellor for Choose Again offers me the opportunity to deepen self-awareness while guiding clients to do the same. I view counselling as a partnership in healing; we learn from and grow with each other. 

As a counsellor, I strongly believe that we each have access to an inner knowing – call it intuition, our higher self, or an inner teacher – which can help us through our most difficult times and guide us in every decision. My goal is to help clients access this inner knowing through cultivating awareness of old patterns and habits; learning to question the stories that drive us; and practicing the 6-step process of forgiveness. I believe that everyone has the ability to reconnect with the desire to heal and to love that resides within us all. 

I am available for one-on-one Skype sessions; and for in-person one-on-one and Holotropic breathing sessions in Vancouver. 

Circles

Group Session or Circles as we call them, are incredibly effective healing environments. A Choose Again Circle is a safe place to bring up any challenges you might be experiencing in your life, and get help in seeing and healing the root of the issue. Participants find that by addressing the root they experience positive changes in many areas of their lives. 
Participants are usually a mix of experienced regulars and newcomers, making a dynamic group in which everyone can learn a lot from each other. We frequently see reflections of ourselves in each other, and as others share and heal their issues, so too, do we. When our perception shifts, the whole world appears to change. 
Each week participants learn a new exercise, meditation, or teaching that helps them to stay on purpose in their daily lives. The majority of the circle is spent practicing the Choose Again Six Steps to Freedom, and applying them to any personal challenges brought to the group.