Yiwen Tao

I am a clinical counsellor, doula, photographer, writer, and community practitioner based in Victoria, BC, on the traditional lands of the lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples. As a first-generation settler, I am grateful to live and work as an uninvited guest on these lands. My work is fueled by a simple belief: that the art of paying attention is not only therapeutic or descriptive, but creative and generative—it carries the potential for world-making. I came into counselling through many years immersed in literary and cultural studies, community work, archival research, teaching, parenting, and birth work. These experiences continue to shape how I show up across the different domains of my life and work, and have taught me deeply about value-based work including those of mutual aid, transformative justice, abolition, cultural humility, and decolonization. I am trained in a range of counselling approaches, including narrative, somatic, family systems, and nature-based practices. You can read more about my counselling offering here. I offer counselling in English, Mandarin Chinese, and Wu Chinese (Shanghainese). Alongside my work as a therapist, I support families through doula work, offer sliding-scale photography, write poetry and essays, and participate in community and advocacy projects. To me, these are not separate pursuits. They are different ways of paying attention to and caring for what we love. Across all of my work, I center the dignity and autonomy of those who put their trust in me. I am so glad you are here.