Surya Govender
Pre-Licensed Associate Counsellor
(she/her/hers)
In-Person and Virtual Sessions
Surya is currently accepting new clients to her waitlist!
If you are interested in connecting with Surya, please contact surya@expressivewellness.ca. For existing clients, self-book here.
As an art therapist, I take a feminist, trauma-informed perspective, focused on compassion, harm reduction and finding joy. I use somatic techniques, which means I believe that healing is rooted in the body. We begin with your strengths and work to access a deeper connection between mind and body through art making. We will consider your personal context and recognize the very real impacts of culture and society on your circumstances and choices.
I enjoy working with clients with overlapping identities. I particularly welcome people living with addictions or in recovery, BIPOC, sex workers, folks exploring their sexual or gender identity, and people living with anxiety. I am biracial, queer, able bodied and cisgendered. I am also a parent with a deep understanding of the ways our chosen and birth families shape us.
In my personal life, I love making art with textiles, paint and collage. I am co-parent to a tween, a teen and a middle aged dog, and an auntie to many in my extended network. I am biracial - of German/Canadian and Indian/South African heritage - queer, able bodied and cisgendered. I am a second and third generation settler, located on the unceded traditional and ancestral land of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
I will work with you to create a safe, nurturing space to learn and heal. In my practice, I centre the making of art as a place to begin; I also value the role of verbal and body-centred processing and our sessions may include all these approaches.
I am fully vaccinated and will wear a mask on request. I do not require that you wear a mask, but you are welcome to. My services are not currently covered by public or private insurance, but I will be working towards this in the near future. I offer a few spots for sliding scale clients. If you think we might be a good fit, please feel free to book a short phone consultation (free of charge) to ask me any questions you might have!
Surya’s Rates
15 min Phone Consultation
No Cost
Individual Counselling
50 min
Sliding Scale: Open
Standard: $120
Generous: $125+
75 min
Sliding Scale: Open
Standard: $180
Generous: $185+
Relationship Counselling
50 min
Sliding Scale: Available
Standard: $150
Generous: $155+
75 min
Sliding Scale: Available
Standard: $225
Generous: $230+
(Rates include GST)
Surya’s Availability
Location: Hastings Sunrise, Virtual
Days and Hours:
Monday 10:00am - 2:00pm & 5:00pm to 8:00pm (Hastings Sunrise or Virtual)
Tuesday 10:00am - 3:30pm (Hastings Sunrise or Virtual)
Thursday 10:00am - 3:30pm (Hastings Sunrise or Virtual)
Surya Govender
Pre-Licensed Associate Counsellor
Image Description: Surya is facing the camera, leaning her chin into her left hand and smiling. She is wearing black framed glasses and has short, black and grey hair and dark eyes. In the background, there is a blurred out bookcase filled with different books. She is wearing a shirt with thin black and white stripes and has pale green nail polish on her fingernails.