Anxiety
Why does my mind race at night?
You lie down. The house goes quiet. And somehow, that is exactly when your mind decides to get very, very loud.
July 2026
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Registered Clinical Counsellor · Vancouver, BC
Clinical counselling
Some things are difficult to put into words. An old wound that still feels unresolved. A pattern that continues to repeat, even when you are aware of it. Feelings that were set aside long ago and may have been forgotten over time. Therapy can be a place where you bring these parts of yourself and feel heard, without needing to have everything figured out first.
RCC
CCC
MA
About me
Valessa Rizzotto, MA, RCC, CCC
I am Valessa Rizzotto, a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) in British Columbia, as well as a licensed psychologist in Brazil. Across both countries, I bring over 25 years of clinical experience supporting individuals through life's challenges.
When I moved to Canada with my family in 2016, I experienced firsthand how much our upbringing, relationships, and cultural backgrounds influence the way we see ourselves and connect with others. That experience reinforced something I had seen throughout my career: our stories shape us, but they don't have to define us.
I believe that the relationship between therapist and client is one of the most important parts of therapy. When you feel safe enough to bring more of yourself into the room, meaningful change becomes possible. Patterns that once felt automatic can begin to shift, and experiences that once felt too difficult to face can gradually become easier to understand. There is no need to rush that process. We will take the time it takes.
I hold a Master's Degree in Counselling Psychology and continue investing in my professional growth, with specialized training in trauma, grief, couples therapy, and sex therapy.
I work in both English and Portuguese.
Learn more about meServices
We all find ways to cope — some that once made sense, some that stopped working a long time ago. Whether you come alone or with your partner, this is a space to look at what is actually going on.
Individual counselling
This is your space, completely. A place to slow down and look at what is really going on inside. Together, we explore the feelings, the memories, and the patterns that shape your life, so you can begin to understand yourself more deeply and relate to others in ways that feel more like you.
Couple counselling
When a relationship is struggling, it is rarely about just one thing. There are layers of emotional wounds, unspoken needs, and ways you each learned to love and be loved. I help couples slow down, listen to each other differently, and find their way back to real connection.
Online counselling
Online sessions offer the same depth as in-person work, sometimes more, because you're already in a space that feels like yours. You connect from wherever is comfortable, and what we do together is no less real for it.
Specialties
Pain doesn't always announce itself clearly. Whatever you're carrying, you don't need to have it sorted before you reach out.
How I work
Attachment therapy
Psychodynamic therapy
Emotionally focused therapy
Mindfulness
Neuropsychoanalysis
Service fees
Services in-person or online (per session).
Fees follow the recommendations of the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC).
Individual Counselling
50 minutes
CAD $150
Couple Counselling
50 minutes
CAD $200
*waiting list
Receipts are provided upon payment and sent to your email after each session.
Extended health care plans often cover counselling. Please check with your provider prior to your session to confirm coverage.
Reflections
Thoughts on therapy, relationships, and the quiet work of understanding yourself.
Anxiety
When anxiety looks like having it together
There is a version of anxiety that nobody warns you about. It does not look like falling apart. It looks like the opposite.
June 2026
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Relationships
Understanding attachment patterns in relationships
Have you ever noticed that you tend to do the same things in relationships, across different people, different circumstances — sometimes even when you can see it happening?
May 2026
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Free consultation
You don't need the right words. You don't need to know what you're looking for. A free 20-minute conversation is a low-key way to get a sense of each other — no commitment, no intake form, just a conversation.
Ready when you are
A free 20-minute conversation. No commitment, no pressure.
Book your sessionYour information is kept confidential in accordance with BC privacy law and professional standards. Please note that email, SMS, and WhatsApp are not fully secure. See privacy policy.