Jaya Minhas

Practicum Counsellor

Jaya Minhas is accepting new clients.

About Me

Hi, I’m Jaya (she/her). I am a counselling practicum student completing my Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University. I support adults, young adults, and teens who are dealing with anxiety, perfectionism, chronic stress, burnout, overthinking, depression, cultural or family pressures, major life changes, chronic pain, and emotion regulation.

Before entering the counselling field, I gained experience in healthcare and community-based settings. I currently work in an administrative role within a multidisciplinary healthcare and counselling clinic, where I support individuals accessing care for their physical and mental well-being. My community work has also included supporting youth programs, individuals experiencing food insecurity, and initiatives for youth and families facing financial barriers. These experiences have strengthened my understanding of how mental health can be shaped by stress, access to resources, family circumstances, and community support. I bring this perspective into counselling by approaching each client with compassion, curiosity, and respect for their unique circumstances.

As a South Asian and Punjabi Canadian counsellor, I recognize how culture, family, identity, and community can shape our experiences and mental health. I understand that navigating cultural values, family expectations, and your own needs can sometimes feel complicated. I aim to create a culturally responsive, trauma-informed space where you feel heard, understood, and respected, while approaching your experiences with curiosity and compassion.

Counselling for Anxiety, Stress, Burnout, and Overthinking

Anxiety, ongoing stress, and burnout can leave you feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or unable to switch your mind off. You may find yourself overthinking, putting pressure on yourself to get everything right, struggling to slow down, or feeling like you are constantly running on empty.

In counselling, we can work together to understand the thoughts, emotions, and patterns contributing to your stress. We can also develop practical strategies to manage anxiety, recognize signs of burnout, challenge unhelpful thought patterns, set healthier boundaries, and find a greater sense of balance in your everyday life.

Counselling for Teens and Young Adults

Being a teen or young adult can come with pressure from many directions. You may be trying to manage school, relationships, family expectations, your mental health, and uncertainty about your future all at once.

I support teens and young adults experiencing anxiety, stress, low self-esteem, relationship concerns, identity questions, school pressures, and uncertainty about what comes next. My goal is to create a space where you feel heard, respected, and comfortable talking about what is important to you.

Cultural Identity, Family Expectations, and Belonging

Culture and family can be important sources of connection and strength, but they can also bring complicated expectations.

As a South Asian and Punjabi Canadian counsellor, I understand that mental health does not exist separately from culture, family, identity, religion, and community. You may be balancing your own needs with family expectations, navigating different cultural values, or trying to figure out where you belong.

I welcome clients from all cultural backgrounds and aim to approach these conversations with curiosity rather than assumptions. Together, we can explore how your experiences have shaped you while helping you identify what feels right for you.

Life Transitions, School, and Career Uncertainty

Starting university, finishing school, changing careers, moving, experiencing relationship changes, or entering a new stage of life can leave you feeling uncertain about what comes next.

Counselling can give you space to sort through competing thoughts and expectations, understand what matters to you, and make decisions that feel more aligned with the life you want to build.

Counselling for Chronic Pain and Emotional Well-Being

Living with chronic pain can affect more than your physical health. It can impact your mood, stress levels, relationships, daily routines, and ability to do the things that matter to you. You may feel frustrated, exhausted, isolated, or overwhelmed by the ongoing demands of managing pain.

In counselling, we can explore how chronic pain is affecting your emotional well-being and daily life. Together, we can work on managing stress, coping with difficult emotions, adjusting to changes or limitations, and finding ways to stay connected to the activities, relationships, and parts of life that are meaningful to you.

My Approach to Counselling

My approach is collaborative, person-centred, strengths-based, and trauma-informed. I believe you are the expert in your own life, and my role is to work alongside you to understand what you are experiencing and identify what may help.

I draw from Solution-Focused Therapy, mindfulness-based approaches, strengths-based practice, and person-centred counselling. In our sessions, we may focus on what you would like to be different, recognize what is already working, identify your strengths and resources, and take small, realistic steps toward your goals. We may also use mindfulness strategies to help you slow down, manage overwhelming emotions, and become more aware of your thoughts and experiences in the present moment.

I tailor our work to your individual needs, goals, and experiences so that counselling feels relevant and meaningful to you.

A Little About Me

Outside of counselling, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, exercising, and exploring local coffee shops and restaurants.

I offer both virtual and in-person counselling sessions. If you are wondering whether counselling with me might be a good fit, you are welcome to book a consultation or first session.

You can view my Informed Consent Form here.

Affordable Counselling with a Practicum Student – Quality Mental Health Care at Reduced Cost

A note from Peak Resilience: Practicum Counsellors are counsellors. They are fully trained, and receive regular supervision to ensure they deliver the same quality mental health care clients expect from Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCC) and Registered Social Workers (RSW). Practicum is the final stage before registration. Counselling Rates for Practicum Students are $35/50 minutes, with no eligibility questions asked, no limits to services and no waitlist.

Approaches Used

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Oppressive, Bowen Family Systems Therapy (BFST), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Critical Race Theory / Culturally Informed / Culturally Competent, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Emotion Focused Couples Therapy (EFT), Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), Emotion Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT), Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Existential Therapy, Family Systems Therapy (FST), Feminist Intersectional Therapy (FIT), Gottman Couples Therapy, Gottman Method, Harm Reduction Based, Humanistic / Person-Centred Therapy / Rogerian, Internal Family Systems (IFS) – Parts Work, LGBTQIA2S+ Affirming, Mindfulness, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Narrative Therapy, Relational / Relationship Therapy, Solutions Focused Therapy (SFT), Strengths Based Therapy, Trauma Informed Therapy

Specialties and Areas of Practice

Accessible Counselling, Accountability, ADHD, Anxiety, BIPOC and Cultural Issues, Body Image, Boundary Setting, Break-Ups, Burnout, Career Counselling / Work Issues, Communication Skills, Couples Therapy, Creative Blocks, Dating, Depression, Eating Disorders, Emotional Regulation and Anger, Family Conflict, Family Counselling, First Nations Issues, Goal Setting, Identity, Immigrant Experience, Interpersonal Challenges, Life Meaning and Purpose, Life Transitions, Marriage Therapy, Minority Issues, Motivation, Neglect, Nervous System Regulation, OCD, Pain Management, Panic Attacks, Perfectionism, Practicum, PTSD / Complex PTSD, Relational Trauma, Relationship Issues, Self Worth and Personal Growth, Self-Development and Coaching, Self-Esteem, Sexuality and Gender, Shame, Stress Management and Stress Reduction, Student Support, Substance Use Issues, Transgender / Nonbinary / Gender-Nonconforming, Trauma, Youth / Young Adults 14+

Jaya Minhas is accepting new clients.

How Much Counselling Will I Need?

It depends on what you want. Most clients fall into one of three categories:

One (or two) and done – I just want some advice to move forward on a problem. Cool, just let me know that so I can make sure the session will be focused.
Acute issue – I need some support to resolve an issue, but I don’t want to be in counselling forever. This usually takes 8-12 sessions but could be shorter or longer based on your needs (time, financial, issue complexity). We create the ideal structure together.
Long-term therapeutic relationship – I need a safe space to process life events. Sessions are often booked up to a year in advance so you can count on the structure and support. The topic often changes session to session, but relates back to an overarching theme of self-development, relationship management, or something of that nature.

I can’t tell you which issues fall into which bucket, or guarantee results, because each client is unique. It’s best to let me know which category you think you might fall into, we can check and adjust as needed.

What experience or background do you bring to your counselling and supervision practice that is uniquely yours?

I bring experience as a South Asian woman who has grown up navigating the intersection of culture, family, community, and individual identity. This has shaped my curiosity about how our backgrounds influence the way we understand ourselves, relationships, mental health, and help-seeking. I also bring experience from healthcare and community-based settings, where I have worked closely with people from diverse backgrounds and learned the importance of empathy, advocacy, collaboration, and meeting people where they are. These experiences have strengthened my commitment to providing culturally responsive and individualized counselling.

What is your favourite thing about working closely with people every day?

My favourite thing about working closely with people is having the opportunity to learn about their stories and understand what matters most to them. I enjoy building genuine connections and creating a space where people feel comfortable sharing parts of themselves that they may not always have the opportunity to express. It is especially meaningful to witness the moments when someone begins recognizing their own strengths.

What have you learned from your work?

My work has taught me that feeling genuinely heard and understood can be incredibly meaningful. I have learned that supporting someone does not always mean having the perfect answer or immediately trying to solve a problem. Sometimes the most important thing we can offer is curiosity, compassion, and a space where someone feels comfortable being themselves. My experiences have also taught me that every person brings their own strengths, values, culture, and life experiences into the room, and these deserve to be recognized as part of the counselling process.

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Last Updated: September 23, 2026 Created: August 6, 2026

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