Wendy Ma

MEd, CCC #11245196, RCC #28185

Wendy Ma is not accepting new clients.

Welcome. I appreciate your time and courage for landing here today. My name is Wendy, 馬凱怡, and my pronouns are she/her. I am a second-generation Chinese-Canadian, born in “Vancouver”, but raised in a family that immigrated from Taishan (台山), Guangdong. I am an extraverted, curious, cisgender, able-bodied, fellow human.

Claiming heritage, taking up space and living authentically

My passion lies in advocating for marginalized communities impacted by systemic oppression. My heart pulls me towards work surrounding the asian diaspora, and with bicultural clients experiencing mental health challenges due to racism, cultural grief, intergenerational trauma, and/or minority stress. My lived experience has allowed me to empathize with the complexities of balancing personal needs alongside collective needs. I also recognize some of us have learned to stay silent in order to protect ourselves and others. I hope to empower clients to reclaim their heritage; to learn that they no longer have to negotiate their culture and values, that they have permission to take up space and live authentically, and that being strong can also mean embracing softness.

Stories are Important

I view life as a collection of stories that have made us become the person we are. Our stories are shaped by the relationships we have with other people and the world. As humans, we are meaning-makers and storytellers – every day, we’re either sharing, creating, re-experiencing, or rewriting our stories. We’re collectively unique because we can experience the exact same situation in a number of different ways. We construct reality for ourselves and I believe there’s no right or wrong way of experiencing this.

Understanding our own values and experience

As a counsellor, my role would be to understand your unique reality, and identify what is working and no longer working for you. My intention is not to tell you what you need to change, but to guide you to remember the values behind your way of being. Together, we will foster curiosity and compassion to explore your inner beliefs and strengths, and increase your connection with yourself. Although we can’t change our history, we can change our relationship with it. We can take action in the present and I will walk alongside you to support you in your healing journey.

Person-Centered Clinical Counselling

I don’t believe that one size fits all. People are unique in their personalities, values, and experiences, and that is why I take a person-centred approach. I work collaboratively with my clients because I know that humans are incredibly resilient, and that before each person has entered my office, they’ve already come far in life, carrying inner wisdom and resources. My role as a therapist would be to add to that – to make adjustments in their coping skills by enhancing their self-awareness and nurturing their way of healthy emotional expression. Using a trauma-informed approach, I invite clients to explore hidden memories, unconscious assumptions, and automatic bodily reactions. From an attachment-based lens, I also believe the largest factors to success in therapy is trust and connection between the therapist and client. At any time, I welcome clients to seek another therapist that may be a better fit. Being authentic and transparent about your thoughts and expectations in counselling is crucial to receiving the best support possible.

Strong and Meaningful Connections

For over 9 years, I have dedicated myself to a variety of people-oriented settings where I cultivated strong and meaningful connections. I have worked with the children’s hospice, kids with autism, crisis and suicide intervention with adults, care home support with seniors, and more. I am also a member of the Growth and Solidarity Lab at the University of Victoria, gathering research on intergenerational trauma and resilience and its impact on Chinese-Canadian families and their mental health. All my experiences have nurtured my abilities to foster a gentle, safe, healing space for clients.

Apart from listening to people’s stories, you’ll also find me scrambling on mountain peaks, playing ultimate frisbee, crying to kdramas, petting cats, sipping bubble tea, singing my heart out, baking goodies to share, and playing board games a little too competitively.

English, Cantonese, Taishanese Speaking Counselling Local and Virtual

I can speak English, Cantonese, and Taishanese, and I see counselling clients both in-person in Vancouver and virtually. I am a professional member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association licensed as a Certified Clinical Counsellor (CCC) and the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors licensed as a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC). If you are receiving third party funding for counselling, please check with your insurance provider to see if you will be covered prior to booking with me.

I am currently not accepting new clients, but if you would like to be added to my waitlist you can email me at wendymacounselling@gmail.com!

Wendy’s informed consent form can be found here.

Approaches Used

Anti-Oppressive, Attachment Informed / Attachment Based Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Critical Race Theory / Culturally Informed / Culturally Competent, Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Expressive Arts Therapy / Art Therapist, Feminist Intersectional Therapy (FIT), Group Therapy, Humanistic / Person-Centred Therapy / Rogerian, Mindfulness, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Narrative Therapy, Relational / Relationship Therapy, Solutions Focused Therapy (SFT), Somatic and Body-Centred Approaches, Strengths Based Therapy, Trauma Informed Therapy

Wendy Ma is not accepting new clients.

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

I grew up in our family grocery store and began working the moment I was able to walk. My ancestors come from a village known to be hard workers – most of the Chinese people who built the Canadian Pacific Railway were Taishanese. Working during my childhood was a bittersweet experience. It inspired the drive I have to achieve my goals and taught me strong interpersonal skills, but it also caused me to grow up too fast. In my own healing journey, I learned to reparent my inner child and give myself permission to play and rest.

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

Only ONE favourite thing?! If I had to choose only one, it would be the privilege and honour I have to witness my clients’ stories and be part of their journey. The nuances of their lived experiences that make each of them special always continues to inspire me.

What is a personal challenge that you have overcome in your own life?

During a life transition, I felt lost about my identity. I questioned who I was and what my purpose was in the world. At times, I thought my purpose was to make other peoples’ lives easier, and that I needed to put everyone else’s needs before mine to do that. These beliefs came from our capitalist, patriarchal, society that taught women to be quiet, powerless, caretakers. In my own therapy, I gave myself permission to say no, be angry, and speak up. I found freedom and wholeness – I learned that I could accept myself and still belong and bring value to the world.