Jason never planned on being a counsellor. Originally choosing civil engineering as his career path, Jason was busy climbing the corporate ladder until he started to experience significant burn out and decided to focus on his own health. After leaving the engineering field, Jason spent time learning to manage compulsive skin-picking, which he suffered from for some time. “It was a shameful secret I hid from everyone,” he says, “When I left my engineering, I did not want to be a counsellor at first, I just wanted to focus on managing my skin picking.” After implementing strategies to help with this, Jason noticed a huge improvement in his quality of life and became inspired to help others.
Jason is now fully immersed in the mental health field. He is currently taking his Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology and is a virtual intern counsellor with Island Clinical Counselling. Jason focuses on the treatment of Body Focused Repetitive Behaviours (BFRBs) like skin picking, nail biting, or hair pulling. He works alongside clients who are learning how to manage these behaviours and provides training to other professionals who are interested in doing the same. Jason speaks openly about the treatment of his own BFRB and has created educational content and a podcast to raise awareness of these conditions. “I can remember the feelings of guilt, embarrassment, and social anxiety, and so I feel most connected to addressing these areas in my work.”
Jason also has a passion for working with neurodivergent clients and is an ADHD coach. He focuses on building awareness and practical daily skills that can make a big different in everyday life. “It can feel overwhelming to know where to start after living with these challenges for so many years,” he says, “So I work with clients to break big challenges into small, manageable pieces and brainstorm experiments that seem reasonable to try.” In his work, Jason draws from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and Neurodivergent Affirming Care.
As the child of Chinese immigrants, Jason can communicate with clients in Mandarin Chinese and is also conversational in French. Jason grew up in Chilliwack, but feels he always felt pressure to fit into mainstream Canadian culture. This experience has given him a way to connect with others who feel a bit out of place. “I am most passionate about working with people who feel misunderstood. I love the moment in session where people say ‘Oh yeah! I have felt that for such a long time, but I never knew how it put it into words!’”
Outside of work, Jason enjoys biking around Vancouver, where he currently lives. He is also into rock climbing and has started to explore more racket sports. When he’s not out and about, he likes to work on the New York Times crossword with his partner, watch stand-up comedy, and listen to Tiny Desk concerts.
Jason is available to meet with clients 11 and up. He also runs monthly adult support groups for BFRBs and ADHD, which are designed to help participants feel as comfortable as possible. “It can be hard to explain what we’re experiencing, but we can totally relate when some else explains their thought process,” he says, “If one-on-one counselling seems a bit intimidating, I encourage you to try a group!” Members are welcome to leave their camera off and just listen in if this is more comfortable.
Jason was also highlighted in this NY Times article!
If you are interested in speaking with Jason, please book a virtual session or free 15-minute consultation.
Written by Cat Zydyk