- Anger
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- Career
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- Depression
- Grief and Loss
- Relationships
- Self-Esteem
- Shame and Guilt
- Trauma
- Stress
- Men’s Issues
Rebuild Connection, Trust, and Love in Your Relationship
Some Wellspring Counselling & Psychotherapy Inc. counsellors use Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Parts Work to help clients heal profoundly and meaningfully.
This approach lets people explore different parts of themselves with curiosity and compassion. It helps them find emotional balance and better understand themselves.
IFS is a potent therapy model based on evidence. It understands that we have many “parts,” each with thoughts, feelings, and roles. These parts often form in response to past experiences and can hold pain, protective strategies, or unmet needs.
Instead of trying to get rid of complicated feelings, IFS encourages you to understand them with kindness and curiosity. This approach helps you connect better with your core Self, calm, wise, and caring center.
Many people struggle with repeated behaviour patterns that can be hard to understand or change. These patterns can include harsh self-criticism, strong emotional reactions, avoidance, or a strong need to please others. The Internal Family Systems (IFS) model offers a new way to view these behaviours. Instead of seeing them as personal flaws, it views them as survival strategies that developed in response to past experiences and challenges.
Some patterns in our behaviour come from parts of ourselves that are developed to help us deal with emotional pain, trauma, or unmet needs. For example, being self-critical might come from a part of us being afraid of failure. Similarly, wanting to please others may arise from a part that seeks approval or love.
By understanding their inner parts, people can start to heal. This helps them become more aware of why they act the way they do and encourages kind conversations with themselves. As a result, they can lessen the inner conflicts that cause emotional pain and work towards lasting emotional freedom and well-being.
If working with a counsellor who uses IFS, you’ll learn how to:
IFS can be especially helpful if you:
Clients Say
Mr. Gordon is someone that captures the spirit and the heart of active engagement. He is empathic, genuine and incorporates action and creative problem solving into his practice. I have no hesitation in recommending Mr. Gordon as an effective career and personal counsellor.
I had no experience with therapy and was unsure of the whole process. Alistair made everything very accessible and unintimidating. It was clear that he puts quite a lot of effort and preparation into every session. I'm so glad that I decided to do this, and could not have asked for a better person to help me with this. I would highly recommend Alistair to anyone who has ever thought that they might benefit from talking to a professional.
I am a young professional which for a long time now, has struggled with anxiety, insecurity, and difficulty in finding effective life coping mechanisms. Alistair was referred to me by a friend and upon the first meeting, I found Alistair to be empathetic, compassionate and intuitive. I have now been seeing Alistair regularly for 6 months and through that time my anxiety has significantly decreased, I have found effective methods of dealing with stress, found support dealing with identity issues, as well as finding inner strength to get through a tough break up. Alistair again and again, went the extra mile -thank you Alistair for your candor, openness and a safe space to get support. Thank you for playing such a large role in keeping me healthy and positive.
I have been working with Alistair Gordon as my counsellor at Wellspring for almost 6 months now and cannot begin to tell you how far I have come with his help. I have tried working with other counsellors and therapists in the past but never really found one that clicked for me. I always felt judged, unsupported, and rushed at those appointments until I booked my first appointment with Wellspring and with Allistair. To anyone on the fence about booking an appointment or engaging in therapy: if you are willing to do the work, you couldn't ask for a better partner in your healing journey.
When I decided to find a counsellor, I tried to find someone that I could relate to, someone that is like-minded and down-to-earth and with Alistair I really found the right person. He uses an integrative approach, showed me techniques to relax and get aware of my emotions, and helped me see things in a new perspective. Of course this is an ongoing process but I enjoy meeting and working with Alistair every time. The downtown office is a very neutral place - not too intimate, not too clinical - which is helpful to overcome apprehension, especially the first couple of times. What I find remarkable is that Alistair almost always knows what I'm trying to say, even if I can't put it into words. Working with Alistair helped me a lot and it was the right decision to put my trust in him.
Alistair really cares about you the person, and I could really feel him trying to tackle my challenges. He was also very available for off-session contact via text and email. I think he did a great job with confronting me where I needed it. Alistair always could remember the important peoples' names in my personal life, which really helped with talking about my problems. I really felt like I was talking to a friend.
Alistair is an awesome counsellor. He has been so helpful in working with me through some tough times in my life. He's always been available to chat with me in-between sessions. I'd recommend Alistair to anyone - he's really the ideal counsellor in my view.
I enjoy how sessions are collaborative where I can take the lead for the direction of what we talk about, and at the same time I know that Alistair will offer helpful guidance and insight along the way. I also like how we focus on the future instead of just the past. I find this to be empowering and helpful to move forward in life.
Alistair is an awesome counsellor. He has been so helpful in working with me through some tough times in my life. He's always been available to chat with me in-between sessions. I'd recommend Alistair to anyone - he's really the ideal counsellor in my view.
I have always felt very comfortable with Alistair. He has a calming presence, and you can tell he cares about being the best counsellor for you. He helps you with all aspects of your concern, and is always able to help me find a solution to the problem I'm having.
Alistair is an exceptionally talented counsellor and has always demonstrated strong ethics, great compassion, wisdom and respect for others. I highly recommend him as a counselling practitioner.
Affiliations
Not all of our therapists use IFS/Parts Work. If this approach resonates with you, we’re happy to match you with one of our counsellors who specializes in it, such as Jaimi, Blair, or Lorilee.
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🔹 Serving Couples Across British Columbia & Canada (where permitted)
