Welcome to Soma House Counselling & Wellness. We’re a multidisciplinary practice offering:

🧠Clinical Counselling & psychotherapy with Farnaz*: Collaborative and directive therapy for trauma, anxiety, grief, life transitions, and emotional overwhelm. Farnaz works with all ages and also offers EMDR therapy.

💆Booking site coming soon! Nuad Bo-Rarn Thai Massage (assisted stretching + movement-based therapy), Lomi Lomi (Hawaiian rhythmic, flowing relaxation massage), Thai Reflexology, Hot Stone Therapy Indian Head Massage with Lana (Not an RMT):

Service Coverage Under Benefits Providers

Farnaz is a Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC) and a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC). She offers counselling in British Columbia and unregulated provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Newfoundland & Labrador). If your plan covers RCCs and/or CCCs, receipts are typically eligible for reimbursement.

Direct billing is available for: Pacific Blue Cross, Medavie Blue Cross (for Veterans Affairs Canada members), Autism Funding Unit (AFU) — if Farnaz is approved as a service provider for your family (please confirm details with AFU directly).

Massages with Jacqueline may be covered under a Wellness or Health Spending Account. Please check with your provider.

Payment Options & Cancellation Policy

We accept e-transfers, Interac, and credit cards via Square (3% fee + GST). Cash is not accepted.

Please review our cancellation policy to avoid any fees.

Counselling with Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes (CCC & RCC) - Direct Billing Available

At Soma House, Farnaz Farrokhi-holmes, Certified Canadian Counsellor (C.C.C) and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) focuses on the following areas: * Anxiety, Burnout, & Stress Management * ADHD, Neurodiversity, & Self-Confidence Development * PTSD, Trauma Recovery, & Nervous System Regulation * Depression, Grief, Loss (i.e. job loss, anticipatory grief, and child or pet loss), & Season... Read More

At Soma House, Farnaz Farrokhi-holmes, Certified Canadian Counsellor (C.C.C) and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) focuses on the following areas:
* Anxiety, Burnout, & Stress Management
* ADHD, Neurodiversity, & Self-Confidence Development
* PTSD, Trauma Recovery, & Nervous System Regulation
* Depression, Grief, Loss (i.e. job loss, anticipatory grief, and child or pet loss), & Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
* Life Transitions (i.e. becoming parents, separation, divorce, co-parenting, retirement), Identity, & Inner Child Work
* Mental Health Support for Military, Veterans, Professional Helpers, First Responders, their Spouses, and Families
* Self-Esteem, Imposter Syndrome, & Boundaries
* Survivors of Narcissistic Abuse & Antagonistic Relationships
* Workplace Mental Health Support and Management (including for Executives, Senior Leadership Teams, and politicians)
* Women's Sexual Health (i.e. peri/menopause, reproductive challenges, pelvic floor health)
* Relationship Challenges, Spiritual Growth, & Emotional Well-Being


EMDR Therapy with Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes (CCC & RCC) - Direct Billing Available

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy consists of eight phases, each designed to help individuals process distressing memories and develop healthier responses. Here’s a brief overview: 1) History-Taking – The therapist gathers information about the client’s history, identifies target memories, and develops a treatment plan. 2) Preparation – The therapist explains EM... Read More

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy consists of eight phases, each designed to help individuals process distressing memories and develop healthier responses. Here’s a brief overview:

1) History-Taking – The therapist gathers information about the client’s history, identifies target memories, and develops a treatment plan.

2) Preparation – The therapist explains EMDR, builds trust, and teaches relaxation techniques to help the client manage distress.

3) Assessment – The client selects a target memory and identifies related emotions, beliefs, and body sensations.

4) Desensitization – Bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements or tapping) is used to process the memory until it becomes less distressing.

5) Installation – Positive beliefs are reinforced to replace negative ones linked to the traumatic memory.

6) Body Scan – The client checks for any remaining physical tension or discomfort related to the memory and continues processing if needed.

7) Closure – The therapist ensures the client feels stable and provides coping strategies to use between sessions.

8) Reevaluation – In later sessions, the therapist checks progress, revisits any remaining distress, and adjusts the treatment as needed.

Each phase builds on the last, helping clients process trauma in a safe and structured way.

Hello, I’m Farnaz. I’m a Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC) and a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC). I am the founder of Soma House Counselling & Wellness—a warm, grounded space that feels more like home than a clinic. With master’s degrees in Counselling Psychology and Communications, I draw on both lived experience and clinical training to support those navigating life’s most challenging moments.

Having grown up in a war-torn country and on air force bases, then later working in the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada, I understand firsthand the toll high-stress environments can take. My leadership roles and secondments to Emergency Operations Centres during crises deepened my insight into the emotional demands placed on those in service-oriented professions.

This is why I’m passionate about supporting military personnel, veterans, first responders, health care professionals, and their families as they navigate occupational stress, trauma, and complex life transitions. My clients also include individuals, children, and families facing anxiety, burnout, ADHD, trauma, grief, and major life changes. Whether you’re raising a neurodivergent child, caregiving for a loved one, or feeling overwhelmed by past experiences, I offer a compassionate, evidence-based, trauma-informed approach—and I’m here to walk alongside you.

Hello, I’m Farnaz. I’m a Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC) and a Registered Clinical Counsellor... Read More

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Located at: 238 Dawkins Ln, Suite B - Entrance off of Ashlee Road (Corner of Dawkins Ln and Ashlee Rd) , Nanaimo
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