About
Sandigan Wellness was created to bring a holistic, culturally sensitive, and creative take to counselling that embraces a person's own individual intersectionality.



Our Story
Who We Are
Life brings us to many places as we journey ahead and cultural lenses (age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, faith, (dis)ability, social class) play a part in who we are and in turn our own individual experiences.
Sandigan Wellness was created to bring a holistic, culturally sensitive, and creative take to counselling that embraces a person's own individual intersectionality. Many forms of therapy have been created for and by, as well as researched for and by, people of cultural majority groups; Sandigan Wellness seeks to adapt these approaches to embrace all parts of you – even the parts that don't fall into those categories.
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Sandigan Wellness is a safe space for marginalized individuals and communities to find the support and healing they too deserve.

Sandigan Wellness:
Esther Chu, M.A., RCC, CCC
Being faced with challenges is a normal part of life, but that doesn't mean you need to face them alone. I am a counsellor who is familiar working with and navigating areas such as intergenerational and interpersonal trauma, bi-cultural stress and healing, identity exploration, grief, as well as various mental health challenges. My work is grounded by the understanding that we, as people, are a walking mosaic of our lived experiences as well as the experiences we did not receive.
As a Counsellor...
My approach to counselling is guided by the understanding that we as people are a walking mosaic of our lived experiences as well as the experiences we did not receive. I dream of a world where “good” mental health no longer seems like a luxury item. Working with me is a creative and collaborative process that may step outside of conventional talk therapy to take us where words may fail. I work to learn your strengths as well as the current themes and patterns in your life to build a foundation for our work together.
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​As a counsellor I specialize in navigating complex, multi-layered areas of life such as inter-generational and interpersonal trauma, cultural stress, as well as identity exploration. Additionally, those who struggle with depression (including post-partum depression) and grief hold a soft spot in my heart. I am skilled at working with PTSD and trauma. At this time, I currently only work with individuals 13+. I can speak English and Tagalog.
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My work is grounded in a person-centred approach and draws upon various therapeutic modalities such as:
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Narrative Therapy
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Experiential Therapy
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Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)
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Internal Family Systems (IFS)
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Attachment-Based Approaches
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Sand Tray Therapy
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Somatic-Based Approaches
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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) ​​
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Emotionally-Focused Therapy
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I hold a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University and I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors. I also am a Canadian Certified Counsellor with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association as well as an approved ICBC Service Provider for counselling. ​
I teach you skills, lessons, and the “why” behind aspects of life so that you may grow confident in your own ability to walk through life. If you are looking for a counsellor who will ask you the hard questions, be honest with you, teach you new skills and perspectives, as well as advocate for you – welcome home.