Your LGBTQ youth therapist Burnaby dishing out the tea on how AEDP therapy can make your light shine brighter

Welcome, welcome to the second installment in my two-part series on AEDP therapy. Written in collaboration with an incredible Vancouver copywriter, Viv.

So, if you’re reading this and thinking “AEDP therapy sounds like some hokey extraterrestrial terminology” - you’d be wrong - it’s definitely a therapeutic technique, but it’s also probably a sign to read the first article. 

Legit reason why AEDP therapy is near and dear to my heart

It’s been really helpful for me to write about the specific techniques that I use in my practice.

AEDP therapy is one of my favourite modalities because of how impactful it can be to my clients and really how facing your emotions - giving them a name, and really understanding the purpose they are serving, can go a long way to helping you understand yourself better.

Before we delve into AEDP therapy…

I know what you’re thinking - digging deep into AEDP therapy sounds complicated and you’re not really sure you want to see the inner workings of counselling techniques. You just want to come in and have your sessions and walk out as your true authentic self. 

Well, I’d love that for you too. Though that’s not always how it works. 

In fact, I’ve found that some of my clients really do value knowing what goes on behind-the-scenes. Some found it super fascinating getting to know AEDP therapy as a technique we might use in sessions. Especially when it comes to the neurodivergent folk; they love digging deep into the facts that support the process.

AEDP therapy is a form of talk therapy

and I use it when walking with folx through their personal identity and self exploration.

AEDP therapy can make you shine, here’s how

To understand when AEDP therapy techniques are useful, you have to start  by looking at the reasons most people come to counselling: to work through trauma, unwilled loneliness, and overwhelming negative emotions. 

The truth is, you don’t have to hit rock bottom before seeking help. Some of the folx I am walking with have shared that their day to day life seemed okay, but there was something missing. 

This is where the art of my AEDP therapy comes in.

Life is not a straight line. In fact, there are lots of twists and bumps on the road that might trip you up or point you in a direction that you don’t want to go. 

Well, as a trained youth therapist Burnaby, I use AEDP therapy to provide you with a safe space to mull things over, and right your course. 

But let me be honest, AEDP therapy isn’t a magic wand.

However, once we start down this path, your commitment and patience will be rewarded big time!

You see, AEDP therapy is another tool in my toolbox to help you on your journey. In this case, my AEDP therapy techniques are meant to help individuals meet themselves where they are at, face the root of their issue and learn to move forward. 

AEDP therapy is not a practice I use for everyone though,

because AEDP therapy focuses very heavily on unpacking the hard emotions, and to be able to achieve this successfully, we need to trust each other because working through emotional “stuff” is not easy. 

But if you’re someone who has experienced anxiety, avoidance, depression, negative automatic thoughts, or have difficulty emotionally regulating, it might be in your best interest (in the long term) to face the emotions that come up in these situations to understand what they mean, and how to work through them. This is a big step to take in order to be able to come out healthier and able to easily manage them in the future. 

AEDP therapy invites you to come as you are

One super important thing worth noting is that in AEDP therapy I go at your pace.

Yes, you read that right!

AEDP therapy puts a huge emphasis on meeting you where you are at. Which means that in my role as a youth therapist in Burnaby, I am not here to make or force you to look at, or digest your emotions.

If you feel ready to talk about  some difficult experiences and process some unpleasant emotions that pop up as a result… then let’s dive right in. But, if you are still on the fence about emotions, then we can take our time with AEDP therapy.

One thing I say to every one of my clients is that I am here and ready to chat about anything and everything you’d like to talk about.

My approach as a teens and youth therapist Burnaby is one where I’m not the one running the show or coming up with an agenda with AEDP therapy. (If you’re a parent reading this, yes, I am in control of the situation but I’m really focused on the wellbeing of the youth or teen and everything we do in session is to ensure that we build the right foundations for trust and understanding.) 

If I haven’t made it clear, AEDP therapy is built on trust.

Like I said before, it isn’t a technique that I use for every one of my clients, because not everyone is ready to face their difficult emotions head-on.

But, if you are at a place where you feel ready to process the inner workings of your thoughts and emotions, AEDP therapy can be very effective at helping you move past your emotional road-blocks. 

AEDP therapy in action: I am here with you, even in your hardest moments

My role in all this - the core of my training - is to show you that people do care, they want the best for you, I want the best for you. It’s in my nature, and why AEDP therapy is so near and dear to my heart. 

AEDP therapy is done by first forging that trusting relationship through previous conversations. Then we work on removing your sense of ‘aloneness’ by showing you through our sessions that I will be there with you as you uncover and process your uncomfortable emotions. 

The other cool thing about AEDP therapy is helping you stay grounded.

Because we’re dealing with hard emotions, it can be scary and difficult. Part of my role as your AEDP therapist Burnaby is to be aware of you - your expression, your eye movement, your overall behaviour so I can ask the right questions to guide you through each session.

Getting you situated with the lay of the AEDP therapy land

AEDP therapy sessions are meant to be inviting and impactful. Let me start there. While AEDP therapy may look like a very typical talk therapy session, we do dive into your feelings, which means you may experience painful and at times overwhelming emotions. 

But I want to repeat - if I haven’t said this enough - I got you. As a counsellor… as your counsellor… My job is to make sure that you are taken care of during our AEDP therapy sessions. 

During the course of our AEDP therapy journey, I’m here to listen and be your guide as you come face to face with the things that are in the way of you being your most authentic, genuine self. 

The starting point of AEDP therapy journey

It takes a lot of commitment to face difficult emotions and work through what they mean, and it is not something that you can do on your own. That said, our first AEDP therapy session will likely be me doing a lot more talking and explaining what you can expect as we move forward.

Throughout our AEDP therapy journey, I’ll spend a lot of time getting to know you, understanding what you are dealing with, checking in on your emotional well-being, and learning the nuances (you know, the little things) about you that will help me guide you on this journey. 

You see, from an AEDP therapy standpoint, feelings and difficult emotions colour our experiences. And when those feelings and emotions are negative, looking at the core of where they come is not something you can achieve on your own. 

The reason that AEDP therapy focuses so much on emotions is because of the belief that emotions serve a purpose. Whether that purpose is to give us a better sense of self, of overall satisfaction, and wellbeing, or if it’s to protect us from harm or allow us to defend ourselves. There is a reason we experience emotions. 

But the truth is, sometimes these responses are so deep that they result in our continued trauma. We get so caught up in the fight or flight response that we get stuck. And it is in being stuck that we lose ourselves. 

Ways AEDP therapy can make your light shine brighter

When we work together through using AEDP therapy techniques, we won’t just be focused on re-living difficult emotions, but learning how to adapt ourselves, changing our behaviours and attitudes in order to live in harmony with ourselves. 

The purpose of AEDP therapy is not only to reduce the amount of negative emotions that you feel, but to teach you the techniques you need to encourage personal growth and make your life better.

As we go through the motions of our AEDP therapy sessions, you will feel less like you are aimlessly waving in the wind. Instead, our AEDP therapy sessions will give you new understanding and perspectives to help you thrive despite the curveballs we all know life likes to throw at us. 

Why trust me with your AEDP therapy journey?

When it comes to my AEDP therapy practice, I work with youths and young adults who want to be the best versions of themselves, that much I hope I’ve made very clear. It can be really challenging for people in this age group to understand the emotions that are holding them in one place. 

Helping young people understand and work through their emotions through AEDP therapy, especially given their age, can be incredibly beneficial to setting the foundation for how they move forward through life. 

As humans, we don’t come with a handbook

(actually - we kind of wrote that handbook ourselves with therapeutic practices like AEDP therapy and you get people like me who specialize in facilitating how others walk through life, but that’s not the point - haha).

It’s hard to deal with tough situations, with feelings of aloneness, with trauma, life transitions - all the things I counsel youths and young adults through. However, when you learn to handle complex emotions, to recognize them, name them, and understand what it is they are asking of you, you are no longer a passenger in your own life.

You gain control over your experiences by not letting them dictate how you process them. 

And that’s what I do. As an AEDP therapy trained counsellor, I work with my clients to give a name to their hard emotions, teach them how to face them, and show them what they need to learn from them in order to be able to move forward in harmony within themselves, instead of being overwhelmed. 

Hello, I’m Nita Agustin

Registered Clinical Counsellor based in Burnaby, BC

My jam is helping curious and questioning queer youth and young adults move from confusion to clarity.

Most of my clients shared feeling overwhelmed by the messages the world told them how they’re supposed to be. They do not want to be defined by what society told them about themselves.

In our work together, I guide clients in figuring out who they are, who they want to be, and how to get there. We do this by processing how their past impacted the way they live out their life today. From our work together, I noticed clients develop better self-awareness and experience improved quality of life as they can show up differently in their relationships.

I offer virtual and in-person sessions in Brentwood, North Burnaby. In the summer I also offer walk-and-walk in Confederation Park.

I am licensed to practise in BC, as well as all across Canada, so I support clients all over BC, all the way from Vancouver to Kitimat. Other than working with clients who reside in BC, I also can support clients who reside in Yukon Territories, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland.

Check out my About me page to learn more about what I do and have to offer for you. Also, explore my Services page to see how I can guide you in making shifts in your life today. If you feel ready to discover ways to live life on your own terms, I welcome you to book an initial intake session. I am so stoked to meet you and start figuring out how you can show up as your best self!

Throughout this pandemic, I witnessed telehealth virtual sessions become more of a norm, and it has been super transformative seeing clients can access mental health services from the comfort of their home.

There are lots of different stereotypes out there, and society tells us who we are supposed to be and what we are supposed to do in the world. It can feel very overwhelming and confusing to compare our personal experience against those ideas. The thing is, you no longer have to be defined by what society tells you. It is your life to live, and you get to decide who get a say about your life.