Areas of practice
Relationship and sex therapy in Vancouver and across BC
At Mareel, every one of our counsellors has advanced training in sexuality and relationships. That is not to say we are all the same. Each of us has specialty areas where we have more education, training, lived experience, or simply love working in. What we share is a deep well of knowledge, a genuinely non-judgmental approach, and the ability to sit steady with whatever you bring into the room.
Many of our clients come to a sex therapist or relationship counsellor in Vancouver with no intention of exploring those areas directly. They want us to understand them, their sexuality, their relationships, and their experiences on a deep level. If you come to us for help with anxiety or a life transition, we will not make your poly relationship or your unique sexual expression the focus unless you want us to. You will never have to educate us. You just get to show up.
Whatever you need to explore in order to rediscover or find your sparkle, we have got you.
Sex therapy in Vancouver and across BC
Our Vancouver sex therapists meet you exactly where you are, without agenda or assumptions about where your exploration should lead. We are LGBTQIA+ knowledgeable and kink aware, and we work across the full spectrum of sexual experience and identity.
Some of the specific areas we work with include:
Painful sex and vaginismus
Erectile difficulties
Low desire and desire discrepancies
Orgasm difficulties
Performance anxiety
Sexual exploration and identity
Adapting your sex life to new physical or relational challenges
Sexuality and aging
Reclaiming pleasure after trauma or major life change
You do not need to be in a relationship to benefit from sex therapy. Your sexuality belongs to you.
Relationship Counselling in Vancouver and across BC
We work with relationships of every kind and every configuration. You will not need to explain or justify how you love. Common areas we support include:
Desire differences and mismatched libidos
Communication breakdowns and recurring conflict
The weight of parenting on a partnership
Sexual difficulties and differences
Navigating chronic illness together
Rebuilding after infidelity or a major rupture
Non-monogamy, polyamory, and kink-aware relationship support
Sometimes just having a skilled, warm third party in the room changes everything. Sessions can be joint, individual, or a combination of both depending on what feels right.
Sexual assault, abuse, and resulting trauma
Our team has extensive experience supporting people who have experienced sexual assault or abuse, including trauma that began in childhood. We bring a trauma-informed lens to all of our work, which means we understand how trauma lives in the body and in relationships, not just in memory.
This work can include:
Processing and healing from past sexual trauma
Reclaiming safety in your body and in intimacy
Finding your way back to joy and pleasure on your own terms
Navigating the impact of childhood sexual abuse on adult relationships and sexuality
You do not have to have it figured out before you come in. You just have to be ready to start.
Gendered expectations
The expectations placed on us around gender shape how we move through the world, how we relate to others, and how we feel about ourselves. Many of us have absorbed these expectations without ever choosing them.
We help clients work through:
Invisible labour and the uneven weight of domestic and emotional responsibility
Parenting pressures and gendered roles within families
Expectations around sexual expression, desire, and performance
The gap between who you are and who the world expects you to be
This work creates space for a more authentic and self-determined way of living.
Life transitions and personal growth
Some of the most disorienting moments in life are the ones that look fine from the outside. We work with people navigating all kinds of change and all kinds of questions, including:
Midlife transformations and the search for what comes next
Menopause and its impact on sexuality, identity, and relationships
Career changes and shifting sense of purpose
Family changes, estrangement, and evolving dynamics
Aging and the adjustments it brings
Personal growth work for people who are not in crisis but want more clarity or connection with themselves
Therapy does not have to begin with a problem. Curiosity is enough.
Anxiety
Anxiety shows up differently for everyone, and we work with all of it. We do not treat anxiety as something to be eliminated but as something to understand, so that it stops running the show.
We work with:
Anxiety in the context of sex and intimacy
Dating anxiety and relationship anxiety
Performance anxiety
General anxiety as part of everyday life
Our approach is warm, practical, and grounded in what actually works for the specific person in front of us.
Neurodiversity and neurodivergence
All of our therapists have additional training and many have lived experience in this area, particularly where neurodivergence intersects with sexuality, relationships, and communication. You will not be asked to mask here.
We work with people navigating:
ADHD and its impact on relationships and intimacy
Autism spectrum disorder and Asperger's
The intersection of neurodivergence with sexual expression and identity
Communication differences within relationships
Finding connection in a world that was not built for your brain
Our approach adapts to how you actually process and communicate, not how the world thinks you should.
Body image
How we feel about our bodies shapes almost everything: how comfortable we are with intimacy, how we move through the world, how much space we allow ourselves to take up.
We work with body image concerns connected to:
Sexuality and intimacy
Chronic illness and physical change
Aging and shifting relationship with the body
Gender and gender expression
The pressure of social and cultural messaging
This is gentle, non-prescriptive work focused on building a more compassionate relationship with your body on your own terms.
Grief and loss
Grief is not only about death. We are comfortable sitting with all kinds of loss, and we do not rush toward resolution or silver linings.
We work with grief around:
Relationship endings and divorce
Changes in sexual functioning
Fertility challenges, pregnancy loss, and infertility
The losses that come quietly with major life transitions
Grief tied to identity and who you thought you would be by now
We help you move through at the pace that is right for you.
Common questions about our services
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Not exactly, though they often overlap. Sex therapy focuses specifically on sexuality: physical, psychological, and relational aspects of sexual experience and functioning. Relationship counselling focuses more broadly on how people connect, communicate, and navigate challenges together. Many clients find they benefit from both, and our therapists are trained in each. We will help you figure out what kind of support makes the most sense for you during your free consultation.
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Not at all. Many of our clients come to sex therapy as individuals. Your sexuality belongs to you, whether or not you are in a relationship, and there is plenty of meaningful work to be done on your own.
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Fees vary by therapist and session type. Our Registered Clinical Counsellors charge between $130 and $175 per session. Nicole, our master’s level counsellor, offers sessions at a lower rate. We also have sliding scale spots available with select therapists, and lower cost options coming in summer 2026. We never want cost to be a barrier, so if you are unsure what you can afford, just ask.
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It depends entirely on what you are working through and what you want from therapy. Some people come for a handful of focused sessions and feel they have what they need. Others do longer-term work that evolves over time. Many do a combination of both. Most people notice some movement or relief within the first few sessions. We talk about this openly from the start, so you always know what to expect.
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Yes. We work with monogamous, polyamorous, ethically non-monogamous, and all consensual relationship structures. You will not need to explain or justify how your relationship works. We are genuinely knowledgeable in this area and come without judgment.
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Absolutely, and we actively encourage it. The therapeutic relationship is the most important factor in whether therapy works. If you meet with one of our therapists and it does not feel right, you can try another member of the team at any time. Getting the right fit matters more to us than anything else.
Ready to find your light?
We are happy to do solution-focused work for the issue you need immediate help with, longer-term depth work, or a combination of both as your needs evolve. If we ever feel an issue is outside our scope of practice, we will always let you know and help connect you with the right support.