Aspects of my practice:

I once heard that the purpose of therapy is not meant to change who you are, but to become who you are. My goal in our work together is to help you feel empowered to be able to handle what life has given to you with skill, grace, and to enjoy life, genuinely.

I can offer treatment for people who have difficulties with depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, insomnia, and many other mental health issues. As well, when people are going through difficult times with their physical health, their mental wellbeing suffers as well. I value working with individuals who have problems with or related to chronic health issues such as chronic pain (including fibromyalgia), diabetes, bariatric issues, respiratory issues, gastrointestinal disease, and other chronic conditions.

If you have these issues, I will work with you in two broad categories, lifestyle and mental health. How we think, feel, and act are all interconnected parts of life that can affect our physical and mental health. As well, I find that clients often benefit when I work with their medical and allied health providers to ensure wraparound care.

I have experience with people who are both time-limited and who need longer term care. I typically see patients for 6-12 sessions, but will tailor treatment programs to each patient’s individual needs. My work is always evidence-based and is centered on acceptance and commitment therapy, and I often place an emphasis on being solution-focused with patients. My therapeutic style is warm, personable, collaborative, and I try to use humor when possible. I balance this with focus and professionalism to ensure that you reach your goals.

One of my clinical and research interests is sleep, as the three foundations of good health are diet, physical activity, and sleep. When we get consistent sleep, research has shown that we can manage our moods better, our body heals itself, and we tend to have an overall better quality of life.

I have extensive training in working in inter-professional health-settings. This includes time working with patients in pain clinics, diabetes clinics, primary care, and internal medicine clinics as well as in traditional therapy settings. Within my doctoral training, I specialized in Health Psychology with a concentration in inter-professional education. In addition to individual therapy, I have facilitated groups for patients with fibromyalgia, chronic pain, COPD, sleep issues, and smoking cessation.

I am always excited to meet new people and honored to be a trusted partner in your journey to wellness. If anything on this page has connected with what you are looking for in a therapist, feel free to book an appointment!

I have undertaken post-doctoral training and supervision in forensic assessment related to family law matters. This includes conducting Section 211 reports, Views of the Child reports, and Parenting Capacity reports. As well, I am able to do diagnostic assessments for the Court in British Columbia. Please contact me for fees and availability as these are separate from my therapy practice. My CV can be found here.

Along with advocacy, I work with healthcare organizations to hire and train psychologists, and create integrated behavioural health programs. I work with my colleagues Dr. Lesley Lutes and Dr. Erika Penner to customize programs that are patient-centred, data-driven, and evidence-based. If you or your organization is interested in hearing about how integrated care can improve your patient outcomes, improve patient experience, decrease cost to your organization, and reduce provider burnout, please feel free to go to the contact page or email me at DrSimon@Elterman.ca.

One of my core values in life is improving the lives of as many people as I can. Advocacy has become one of my passions as it allows me to pursue change at the structural level in addition to providing therapy and creating change at the personal level. My advocacy work has largely focused on primary care. I believe that primary care is the foundation for which a large proportion of the everyone's health relies. We can track this through research and I often see that people understand this intrinsically.

Primary care is where we go for daily issues and chronic issues. Strengthening primary care can help reduce bigger problems by addressing issues earlier on in their course. When we have emergencies and have to go to urgent care, the most common recommendation is "follow our instructions and follow up with your family physician".

Primary care is where we go for any problem we aren't sure how to face. Family physicians are essentially our go-to's when it comes to our health, including physical and mental health, because of the trust patients and doctors have over time.

I believe that, right now, British Columbia is beginning to go through a primary care crisis. Fewer and fewer British Columbians have access to family physicians and barriers to receiving high-quality and evidence-based psychotherapy is low as well. By placing psychologists in primary care, we can eliminate barriers to care and help physicians see more patients and experience less burnout. An added advantage is that research shows evidence that putting psychologists in primary care saves the economy.

I am currently the Vice President and the Chair of the advocacy committee for the British Columbia Psychological Association. To read more about the work I have done with other incredible psychologists, you can visit my Primary Care Advocacy page.