Meet Simon
I’m Simon Erlich, a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) committed to guiding individuals and couples toward deeper healing and authentic living. My practice is informed by both my own life experiences and extensive training, fueled by a genuine fascination with how we find resilience, purpose and meaningful connection in our lives.
My Healing Journey and How It Shapes My Psychotherapy Practice
As the grandson of Holocaust survivors, I witnessed how trauma can shape families across generations and understood early on that healing demands both compassion and curiosity. While I once channeled discomfort into academic and career achievement, as well as athletic pursuits, I learned that true well-being requires listening inward, acknowledging difficult emotions and seeking connection and safety in relationships. Influential works like The Body Keeps the Score and When the Body Says No opened my eyes to the emotional roots of physical pain and led me to explore mindfulness, somatic practices and Internal Family Systems among other approaches that helped me reclaim and integrate neglected parts of myself.
My Approach to Psychotherapy and Relational Healing
Clients describe our work as warm, grounded and attuned to their needs. I view therapy as a collaborative journey where trust and curiosity guide each step. In sessions, you choose what to explore and how deeply, and I offer methods—including Internal Family Systems, Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy, somatic awareness and humanistic traditions—that honor your unique path. Together, we cultivate a space of empathy, authenticity and gentle humor to support insight and meaningful change.
My Education, Experience, and Systemic Lens
Before dedicating myself to counselling, I spent over a decade in higher education as a professor, career coach, facilitator and community builder, earning master’s degrees in Counselling Psychology and Human Geography. This background shapes my systemic lens, reminding me that individual growth is intertwined with social, economic and environmental forces. I hold advanced training in Internal Family Systems, Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy, Somatic Therapy and Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration, and I am certified in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training and Mental Health First Aid.
A Personal Note
This work is more than a career, it is my ongoing practice of learning, healing and connection. I am humbled by the trust clients place in me and honored to walk beside each person on their journey toward wholeness and belonging.
© 2023 Simon Erlich Counselling