Garrett Rokosh

Thanks for considering me

Thank you for considering me as your counsellor. I recognize that choosing a counsellor is a big decision. You're choosing someone to let into some of the most vulnerable and personal corners of your life. Someone who will get to know your struggles, your relationships, your hopes, and perhaps parts of yourself you haven't yet shared with anyone.I'm deeply honoured by the possibility of being that person in your corner - to have your back through challenging times, celebrate your wins, and accompany you through the adventures of your inner world. My hope is to build a relationship where you feel safe enough to be real, challenged enough to grow, and supported in becoming more fully yourself.

My Approach & Training

MY APPROACHI support clients navigating a wide range of experiences, including anxiety, depression, addiction, communication struggles, relationship difficulties, grief, spirituality, life transitions, and questions of meaning and purpose. My approach is integrative, drawing from person-centred, systems-based, trauma-informed, somatic, solution-focused, and nature-based therapies.I'm interested in exploring not just what's happening in your life today, but how your relationships, childhood, culture, and life experiences have shaped the person you've become. Together, we might deepen your awareness of your emotions and bodily experiences, get curious about the different parts of your inner world, and explore new ways of relating to yourself and others.No two clients are alike, and neither are my relationships with them.Sometimes our sessions might feel like we're shooting the shit, telling stories, and laughing together. Other times, we might slow right down and spend time with a feeling that's emerging in the present moment. Sometimes I'll share tools for communication, emotional regulation, or navigating difficult situations that you can experiment with outside our sessions. Some clients love homework and others don't. Some want practical strategies, while others want space to explore their inner world. If you're navigating addiction, we'll move at your pace, without pressure, shame, or a predetermined timeline for recovery. I aim to bring compassion and non-judgement to all of it.When working with couples and families, I'm particularly interested in the patterns that emerge between people. We might explore how each person communicates, responds to conflict, protects themselves, or struggles to feel understood. Rather than simply determining who's right or wrong, I'm interested in helping people better understand themselves and each other, and find new ways of connecting.One thing clients, peers, and supervisors have reflected back to me is that my style tends to be more direct, honest, and compassionately confrontational than some other approaches to counselling. I'm not particularly interested in putting on a polished therapist persona. I show up as a real person, and I've found that doing so often invites clients to bring more of their own realness into the room. I'll listen deeply, offer compassion, and sometimes gently challenge what I'm hearing when I think it might serve you.EDUCATION & TRAININGMaster of Arts in Counselling Psychology — Yorkville UniversityGraduate training in a wide range of counselling theories, approaches, and clinical skills, including a supervised counselling practicum with Leanne Downs, MSW.Compassionate Inquiry — Dr. Gabor MatéOver 400 hours of training in Compassionate Inquiry, a trauma-informed psychotherapeutic approach that explores the underlying emotional experiences, beliefs, and adaptations shaping our lives.Wisdom of the Earth Wilderness SchoolA two-year immersion in deep nature connection, mentoring, and cultural repair, exploring how relationships with nature, community, and ancestral ways of living can support personal and collective wellbeing.My approach is also deeply influenced by my years facilitating and teaching conscious communication, authentic relating, and relational skills through Circling Canada.MY ETHOS"The addictions and the diseases and the mental illnesses that people develop are actually normal responses to an abnormal situation."
— Dr. Gabor Maté"The healthiest environment for child rearing is the hunter gatherer society, hunter gatherer village."
— Dr. Gabor MatéThese two reflections from Dr. Gabor Maté capture how I understand mental health, relationships, and healing. I believe that many of the struggles we experience make more sense when we consider the environments and systems we've adapted to. We're not just isolated individuals with problems to fix. We're relational beings, profoundly shaped by our families, communities, cultures, histories, and relationships with the natural world.For much of human history, people lived within communities where connection to family, land, spirituality, ancestral stories, and collective rituals was woven into everyday life. Many of these connections have been disrupted over generations through colonization, displacement, industrialization, and changes in how we live together.I believe much of what we call dysfunction can also be understood as adaptation: ways we've learned to survive environments that don't always meet our deeper human needs. This doesn't mean every struggle has the same origin, or that connection alone resolves every challenge. But it does shape the questions I'm interested in exploring.Rather than only asking, "What's wrong with me?" we might also ask, "What happened to me? What did I learn to do to survive? What have I become disconnected from? And what might help me feel more whole?" From this perspective, counselling is partly about supporting you in reconnecting with yourself, your emotions, your relationships, your community, nature, and, if meaningful to you, spirituality or something greater than yourself.INCLUSIVITYAs a white, heterosexual, cisgender man, I recognize that my own lived experience doesn't encompass the full diversity of experiences that clients bring to counselling. I welcome clients of all backgrounds, including BIPOC, queer, trans, and gender-diverse people.I don't pretend to personally understand every experience of discrimination, marginalization, or intergenerational trauma. What I do offer is a space grounded in non-judgement, compassion, curiosity, and respect. My intention is to create a relationship where you don't have to hide or minimize important parts of who you are.

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Get Started

The first step is to book a free 15-minute discovery call. This gives us a chance to meet each other, talk about what you're looking for, and see whether we're a good fit.RatesIndividual Counselling: $150 / 60 minutesCouples & Family Counselling: $180 / 60 minutesDiscovery Call: Free / 15 minutesHow We Begin1. Free 15-minute discovery call. We'll meet over video or phone for a free 15-minute conversation. This is a chance for us to get to know each other a little, talk about what you're looking for, and explore whether my approach feels like a good fit.2. Intake form. If we decide to work together, I'll send you a confidential intake form to complete at least 24 hours before our first counselling session. This helps me get a foundational understanding of who you are, some of the headlines of your life story, and what you're hoping to get out of counselling. You're welcome to share as much or as little as feels comfortable.3. Our first counselling session. How we begin depends on what you're looking for. If you're coming with a particular challenge that needs immediate attention, we can get right into it. If you're interested in longer-term work, we might take more time getting to know your life story, relationships, childhood environment, and the experiences that have shaped you. There's no single formula. We'll find a pace and direction that works for you.

• Book a Free 15-Min Discovery Call