Alan Caplan

Alan Caplan believes that most of what weighs on people has been kept quiet too long — and that being genuinely heard is often the first thing that actually helps. Working from Victoria, British Columbia, and online, he brings more than three decades as a counsellor, facilitator, and educator to people navigating anger and conflict, relationship difficulties, grief, addiction, anxiety, and the slow damage of stress. He works with children, teenagers, adults, and older individuals, including those dealing with abuse, trauma, and the full range of mood and personality challenges.

His training spans cognitive behavioural therapy, gestalt, process work, creative arts, drama therapy, and bodywork — a range wide enough that he can meet each person where they are rather than fitting them into a predetermined method. Body-based and creative approaches can be especially steadying for people who find it hard to wind down or be still, whether that restlessness comes from chronic stress, compulsive habits, or simply a mind that won’t quiet. Alan holds an M.A. in Education and Psychology.

He draws openly on his own experience of growing up in a family where difficult things went unspoken, and clients frequently say they find him easy to talk to. His aim is straightforward: to work alongside someone until what felt shameful or confusing becomes something they can actually live with.