About Aiyana Petronis
Background & Interests
I completed a B.A. in Gender/Women’s Studies at Western University and an M.A. in Counselling Psychology at the University of Victoria. I'm a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC), certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). I'm also a certified Intuitive Eating Counsellor, and I've completed extensive training in Somatic Experiencing (SE), Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), and Somatic Parts Work.
Some of my previous work includes providing care to folks impacted by HIV and Hepatitis C at an AIDS service organization, offering post-critical-incident debriefing and support for social service agencies and staff, and developing and facilitating psychoeducational and therapeutic groups related to burnout, grief, and somatic skills for trauma recovery.
I love working with queer folks of all sorts, activists, social service workers, caregivers, and anyone looking to deepen their own embodied presence in the service of more joy and a better world for all.
I'm committed to ongoing learning and exploration related to healing, resilience, and personal and collective liberation. I'm especially interested in thinking about knowledges and strategies that emerge at the intersections of collapse awareness, queer and disability theories, anti-capitalist movements, attachment theory, somatics, magic, science, and play.
Outside of work, I enjoy writing poetry, pulling tarot cards, hiking, talking to crows, making sauerkraut, and greeting neighborhood dogs.
Training and Certification:
Certified Intuitive Eating Counsellor (2024)
Integrative Somatic Parts Work Certification with Fran Booth (2023)
Somatic Experiencing training with Joshua Sylvae (2020-2021)
Gender as Trauma: Training for Somatic Therapists with Alex Iantaffi (2021)
EMDR Certification (2019)
Approach
The work of healing and liberation is dynamic, and the focus of therapy varies with the needs and goals of each person. For some, the therapeutic work may center on addressing trauma symptoms such as chronic pain, hypervigilance, or insomnia. Others may need support to expand their capacity to experience and be present with a wider range of emotions. Some may be seeking refuge and peace amidst grief, loss, or illness. Others are learning to communicate more effectively in relationships, leaving behind unhelpful addictive patterns, or restructuring their lives to better align with their values and needs. Some folks are exploring gender identity and expression, sexuality, or relationship structures. Many are struggling to find meaning and purpose through these times of climate collapse, political upheaval, and global uncertainty.
Whatever a client’s goals and most pressing concerns, I approach therapy as a deeply collaborative process that recognizes the complex root systems of both what is painful and what supports joy and transformation. I'm committed to working together to build a supportive therapeutic space, honoring the strategies people have developed to navigate their struggles, while helping them find new approaches that better serve them here and now. I draw on a variety of perspectives and techniques to facilitate transformation: Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR); Somatic Experiencing (SE), Intuitive Eating, Internal Family Systems and parts work; queer, feminist, and disability theories; and somatic, relational, and neurobiological understandings of mental and emotional health.
I honor and celebrate the diversity of experience people have of gender and sexuality, as well as the many ways people have of thinking, processing, communicating, and finding kinship.
Work With Me
Sessions are available in-person in downtown Victoria, or online anywhere in Canada. Book a FREE 20 minute consultation to see if working together is a good fit!