Dale Wagner, Registered Clinical Counsellor ~ offering sessions in burnaby, vancouver & online

We all have hopes and expectations for our lives. If we have been fortunate in life and enjoyed good health, a safe and supportive environment, and had good opportunities, we might have held expectations that this would continue to be the story of our lives. But sometimes life falls apart and things come crashing down. How do we cope? How do we carry on?

For the less fortunate life may never have seemed “fair” or “hopeful”. For these folks childhood traumas, unstable families, substance use, and mental health challenges have been the longstanding challenges on life’s journey. These people, too, are wondering how to cope? How do I find more resilience to deal with the life I have?

It is common to turn to professional support from a counsellor or therapist when facing life’s challenges. Dale would consider it a privilege to walk alongside you as a fellow human being, helping you sort through what life has delivered to you.

In his counselling practice, Dale integrates a variety of therapeutic approaches to support individuals facing challenges related to addictions, mental health, anxiety, depression, and life transitions. Utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dale helps clients identify and modify negative thought patterns to foster healthier behaviors and emotional responses. Through Solution-Focused Therapy, Dale helps clients to concentrate on building solutions and leveraging existing strengths to achieve their goals. Motivational Change Approaches are employed to enhance each person's intrinsic motivation for positive change. Additionally, Narrative Therapy allows individuals to reframe their personal stories, empowering them to view their experiences from a new, more constructive perspective. For those whose faith is important, Dale incorporates a spirituality focus, recognizing and integrating their spiritual beliefs and practices into the therapeutic process. This holistic and client-centered approach ensures that everyone receives tailored support to navigate their unique journey towards mental well-being.

Dale finds that he's most helpful to individual adults, but he has years of experience working with adolescents as well. Before his work at BCG, Dale accumulated 30 years of experience working full time in settings where substance use, and mental health were the primary focus. These settings have included residential addictions treatment as well as outpatient services in the Downtown Eastside. Dale also has experience working in child and youth mental health.

Dale completed his BA at Trinity Western University, and his MA (Counselling Psychology) at UBC. 

A bit of personal stuff: Dale has been a bicycle commuter over most of his career. He loves to BBQ and is a bit of a Cheesecake Chef. He roasts coffee on his BBQ for family and friends. He has been married for 41 years, and is the father of three adult children.