Elise Barber, RSW

Associate Counsellor
(she/her/hers)

In-Person and Virtual Sessions

Elise is not currently accepting new clients, waitlist available!

If you are interested in connecting with Elise, please contact elise@expressivewellness.ca. For existing clients, self-book here.


In my counselling practice, I seek to create a warm, grounding and generative space. I work from a humanistic perspective, centred in a belief that each of us is insightful, resourceful and capable. In a counselling session with me, you will find calm patience and encouragement. There will be attentive reflections, curiosity and likely some laughter.

Through more than a decade of experience in community practice, focused on education and capacity-building, I have learned that belonging is a core human need, and a motivator for many behaviours. Informed by attachment theory, I believe that an understanding of ourselves within our relationships can be a powerful foundation for healing and growth. I am interested in supporting clients to deepen their emotional literacy, self-compassion and relational skills to achieve their goals for change. I bring many years of facilitation and leadership experience in community, where I create and hold space for folks to learn, share, grow and relate to one another.

My work is guided by a commitment to social justice values. As a white, non-disabled, cisgender queer femme, I continue to deepen my anti-oppression practices, and I bring an intersectional feminist lens to my work with clients.

Elise specializes in working with adults navigating:

  • Anxiety

  • Chronic stress & burnout

  • Relationship issues 

  • Strained family relations

  • Communicating through conflict

  • Building self compassion

  • Social injustice

  • Identity exploration 


Elise’s Rates

15 min Phone Consultation
No Cost

Individual Counselling

50 min
Sliding Scale: $110-140
Standard: $140
Generous: $145+

75 min
Sliding Scale: $160-190
Standard: $190
Generous: $195+

Relationship/Family Counselling

50 min
Sliding Scale: $160-190
Standard: $190
Generous: $195+

75 min
Sliding Scale: $210-240
Standard: $240
Generous: $245+

Hormone Readiness Assessments
$300

(As a RSW, Elise’s rates are GST exempt)


Elise’s Availability

Location: Mount Pleasant, Virtual

Days and Hours:

  • Monday 2:15 pm - 8:25 pm (Mount Pleasant or Virtual)


Approaches in Therapy

  • Person-Centred

  • Attachment Theory

  • Mindfulness

  • Intersectional Feminist

  • Queer Theory

  • Emotional Focused Family Therapy (EFFT)

  • Somatics

  • Parts Work (IFS)

Licensure & Degrees

  • Registered Social Worker (RSW), BC College of Social Workers

  • Masters of Social Work, Wilfrid Laurier University

  • Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, University of Guelph

Selected Professional Training

  • Deep Democracy - Conflict Resolution Foundations and Intermediate Courses

  • Heart of Facilitation, Partners for Youth Empowerment

  • Trauma Informed Practice Level 1 - Trauma Informed Practice Institute

  • Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) Core and Advanced trainings

Elise Barber
RSW

Image Description: Elise is slightly offset to the left, facing the camera and smiling. Elise has long brown hair tied in a bun and green eyes. She is a white, queer femme wearing black-rimmed glasses, a nose ring, long white earrings and a turquoise sweater. Behind Elise, there is part of a large houseplant to her left and light coloured blinds on her right. Photo credit ​www.roughclub.ca/