Meet the Counsellor

Alexandra Marinova

Registered Clinical Counsellor

When I first went to counselling, I was convinced it was a waste of my time but I agreed to it anyway, to get my concerned parents off my back. That was the start of my healing journey from an eating disorder and it did not really take off until I personally decided that I wanted to be on that path myself. Despite my resolve, the road ahead was still very bumpy and longer than I anticipated. Because of that, I can appreciate change is not easy for you either and your being here takes courage. And yet, even as you read this, a part of you knows a better life is possible for you and worth the effort; I am here to tell you this part is correct.

Approach and Philosophy

I specialize in depth psychotherapy and short-term counselling and coaching. My approach is Cognitive-Existential which combines the current gold-standard and evidence-based therapy of CBT, with the philosophically-informed psychotherapy of Existentialism. The Cognitive-Existential lens integrates efficiency with depth and allows me to help you achieve your immediate goals and resolve long-standing and complex issues that may have been a theme in your life.

From an Existential standpoint, you are the expert on yourself and have the innate potential to heal. By removing blocks that are currently holding you back, you can live a meaningful and fulfilling life. Existentialism emphasizes and honours your subjective experience and uniqueness. The CBT perspective adds that while you are unique, your problems may not be and this is a good thing – because there is an effective method to treat anxiety in less than three sessions, for example. Thus, one part of my approach speaks to the depths of the person and the ultimate concerns of existence, while the other provides focus and direction to resolve issues for which reliable solutions already exist. Therefore, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel in every session if you suffer from anxiety because CBT has many tools to manage this and we can make use of Existential theory for how to deal with the fact that you are not immortal if this is the underlying cause of your anxiety.

Education and Training + more Background

I hold a Bachelors of Science in Pharmacology and Neuroscience with a Minor in Buddhism and Mental Health. My undergraduate education was primarily in “hard” science which reflects my interest in understanding, in a scientific way, mental health which in its practice is more akin to art. Studying mental health scientifically was important to me because when I was younger, naive and full of hope, I tried many (what I would now describe as pseudoscientific) ways to improve my mental health which caused more harm than good. Because of this experience, I was determined to do my due diligence to avoid falling prey to intentional deceit or well-meaning ignorance. And what better way than becoming a scientist?

The next step in my education was a Diploma in Counselling from the Vancouver College of Counsellor Training which taught me the practical, hands-on aspects of the counselling art. This was transformative and challenging, as till that point I knew a lot about the art of mental health but was in no way an artist myself. Despite my earlier negative experience with self-proclaimed experts on well-being without any formal education, I was humbled by the fact some of my classmates were already phenomenal counsellors since day one. This showed me that there are many intuitive healers who don’t need to understand how counselling works in precise scientific ways to be good at it.

While attending the college I also stumbled upon an opportunity to study Existential Analysis. What drew me to this approach was partly the promise that it can reconcile the apparent conflict between the science and art of mental health because it is grounded in both science and subjectivity (see more on phenomenology). Turns out there was much more to like and I am so far I’ve completed four years of training.

Having spent some years in training as a metaphorical artist and working in the field as a Registered Professional Counsellor, I felt it was time to return to academia to sharpen my tools. I enrolled in the Masters of Arts in Counselling Psychology with Yorkville University which I completed in August of 2023. In the process of writing countless papers I began to rethink whether I agree with the Existential assumption that the subjective and unique part of the person holds the key to healing. After all, virtually all people I’ve met struggle with a combination of unique to them problems requiring unique solutions and problems that most people have, that can be reduced to a diagnosis and therefore have a general solution. The counterbalance my approach was missing is best exemplified by CBT. And this takes us to the present day, where I consider myself a Cognitive-Existential therapist.

My current position is that art is intuitive but it can be improved by having better tools, and similarly, a good counsellor is an artist with evidence-based counselling interventions. Finally, a counsellor has to also be a philosopher to reflect on how their life experience has led to certain biases, integrate different ways of knowing and knowledge, and articulate how their specific style of counselling works.

Who I work with

  • You know exactly what you want to work on and need concrete strategies or feedback – short-term CBT-based counselling and coaching may be a good fit for you.
  • You are not sure what is wrong but you have a strong sense it is time to figure this out OR you have a good idea what the problem is, have worked on this on your own with some success, previous therapy has only made a small difference and you want to explore this more deeply – depth (Existential) therapy may be a good fit for you.
  • You love your partner but find yourselves stuck in a cycle of circular arguments and need a neutral third person to help you break out of this pattern – couples counselling using Gottman method may be a good fit for you.

Areas of Focus in Counselling

  • Eating Disorders
  • Anxiety & Panic
  • Depression & Mood Disorders
  • Narcissistic Abuse
  • Personality Disorders
  • Meaninglessness
  • Indecision
  • Procrastination
  • Loss and Grief, Pet Loss
  • Life Transitions & Identity
  • Relationship difficulties
  • Self-esteem
  • Work-life balance and Stress
  • PMDD & other women’s issues
  • ADHD & Neurodivergence
  • Trauma*

*If you don’t see your current concerns reflected in this list, I encourage you to contact me regardless. This list is condensed and not exhaustive.

I would be honoured to walk besides you on your healing journey and play a small part in it as the main character is and always will be you.