Maryanne Wong, RSW

Associate Counsellor
(she/her/hers or they/them/theirs)

In-Person, Walk and Talk, and Virtual Sessions

Maryanne is not currently accepting new clients, waitlist available!

If you are interested in connecting with Maryanne, please contact maryanne@collective-healing.ca. For existing clients, self-book here.

Sometimes we need a place where we can kick off our shoes, speak our minds plainly, and work through difficult situations, thoughts, and feelings. Maryanne strives to create a space grounded in respect, empathy, and curiosity; together, you will co-create a space that works for you.

Maryanne is a queer, fat, neurodivergent, disabled, gender-fluid, working-turned-middle-class, second-generation Chinese Canadian who knows their way around various alt-spaces. They are a social worker and counsellor. They were born and continue to live and work as an uninvited settler on stolen territories of the səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam) Nations. As a settler, Maryanne strives to treat the First Peoples, land, and plant/animal relatives with care and respect.

Who Maryanne works with

Maryanne has been a registered social worker since 2012, providing counselling and social work services for a wide range of folks, including members of the following communities:

2SLGBTQIA+
QTBIPoC
Second-generation diaspora
Folks with disabilities and/or neurodivergent
Caregivers of vulnerable adults
BDSM/kinky/leather
Poly/ethical non-monogamy

What to expect from working alongside Maryanne

Maryanne’s perspective is inflected with an intersectional feminist social justice lens. They approach their counselling work with a collaborative, inquisitive spirit and trauma-aware, harm-reduced, relationally accountable approach. Sessions with them often feel like a friendly conversation that weaves through different life areas, with both laughter and sometimes inconveniently truthful reflections. Expect to explore both internal landscapes and the larger systems in society that impact what we think/feel.

Areas of Focus

Maryanne has a breadth of professional and lived experience across a range of areas, including:

navigating multiple group memberships (e.g., sexuality and cultural minority; gender and disability)
self-esteem, anxiety, depression, perfectionism
exploring sexuality and gender (including initial conversations about hormone therapies)
alternate relationship configurations
life transitions
Medically based services
- adjustment to changes in ability
- caregiver burnout
- navigating medical systems
- advance care planning/end-of-life planning
- Medical Assistance in Dying

When she is not working with clients, Maryanne enjoys snuggling with their small fluffy dog, choreographing dances, planting urban food forests, introducing friends to dim sum, and toodling on the seawall with their Beloved. They look forward to connecting with you!

Maryanne is fully vaccinated, boosted, and continues to practice COVID safer precautions.

Maryanne’s Rates

15 min Phone Consultation
No Cost

Individual Counselling

50 min
Sliding Scale: Waitlist Available
Standard: $150
Generous: $155+

75 min
Sliding Scale: Waitlist Available
Standard: $215
Generous: $220+

Hormone Readiness Assessments
Two 40-minute sessions: $300 per assessment

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

Maryanne's Availability

Location: Cambie & Hastings, Virtual, Phone, Walk and Talk*

Days and Hours:

Wednesday 11:00am – 7:00pm (Virtual, Phone, Walk and Talk)
Saturday 1:00pm - 8:00pm (Cambie & Hastings, Virtual, Phone)

*Maryanne wears a mask when meeting fully vaccinated and masked clients for in-person Walk and Talk sessions. Walk and Talk area boundaries are Coal Harbour (North), PNE (East), King Edward (South), UBC (West).

Approaches in Therapy

Maryanne uses an integrative approach that is tailored to the needs of each client. They pull from the following therapies:

Person-Centered
Somatic
Feminist/Intersectional
Internal Family Systems
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)
EMDR

Licensure & Degrees

Registered Social Worker (RSW), BC College of Social Workers
Master of Social Work (2022, UVIC)
Bachelor of Social Work (2012, UVIC)
Bachelor of Fine Arts—Dance (2008, SFU)
Bachelor of Arts Psychology/Behavioural Neuroscience & Social Studies of Medicine (2002, McGill)

Selected Professional Training

Internal Family Systems Online Circle (2023)
Living with the Legacy of Loss: Somatic Tools for Working with Grief (2023)
EMDR 5-Day Training (2022)
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Training (2022)
Somatic Interventions for Chronic Pain and Syndromes (2022)
Dulwich Centre Narrative Therapy Basics (2021)
Motivational Interviewing—Vancouver Coastal Health (2015)
Brief Intervention and Assessment—Vancouver Coastal Health (2014)
Working with Trauma—University of Victoria (2012)