Meet Alicja D

About

Hi there! My name is Alicja (she/her) and I am a first generation Canadian with Polish heritage. I was born and raised in Ontario on the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississauga’s of the Credit. I moved to the Lower Mainland in pursuit of my doctoral degree (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology five years ago and just recently moved to Victoria for my year-long pre-doctoral internship. I am continually touched by the warmth and welcoming atmosphere of the people that live here.

Counselling approach

It takes a lot of courage to recognize that something in your life (e.g., how you feel, your relationships, your career) is not the way you wish it would be; it takes even more courage to decide that it might be time to reach out for help. As a clinician, I place a lot of value on being authentic, transparent, and collaborative with my clients. I frequently use humour, validation, and metaphor in sessions. My goal is to equip you with the skills that will empower you to make the changes you want to see in your life.

My psychotherapy experience began on the Downtown Eastside. There, my work primarily consisted of brief interventions for grief, anger management, and medication adherence. I then transitioned to a community mental health clinic, wherein I mainly treated PTSD and Complex PTSD (CPTSD). This work often included helping my clients get in touch with their emotions and manage them safely, improve their depressed mood, manage their anxiety, process their grief, and become skilled at communicating and asserting their needs. In my experience, these clients also tended to walk away with a richer understanding of their past and a deepened sense of self-compassion. I then completed training in a transitional housing facility for young men in recovery from addiction. There, I had the opportunity to design and facilitate a skills-based mindfulness and emotion regulation group to help with craving management. Over the last year, I have also been working under supervision in a private practice.

I look forward to meeting you!

Areas of Interest

• OCD
• Phobias
• Identity exploration
• Grief and loss
• Emotion regulation
• Boundary setting and assertiveness