Professional Bio

Gillian Sutherland, MSW, RCSW, RCC

Gillian began her career with a passion for supporting children and youth who have experienced trauma, as well as those with mental health concerns. This is a passion she has carried for more than 20 years. Through combined professional development and clinical experience, she has made trauma recovery her primary focus, supporting individuals across the lifespan and supporting First Responders recovering from occupational injury. She brings a deep understanding of the impact of trauma on life transitions, and family dynamics, and helps clients to navigate these challenges with insight and compassion. Inspired in part by her experiences as a child, along with her training, professional experiences, and ongoing personal growth, Gillian approaches her practice with empathy, insight, and a deep commitment to helping clients feel heard, understood, and supported. She is known for building genuine, collaborative relationships, fostering trust, safety, and hope.

Gillian earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work, with a specialization in Clinical Counselling, from Florida Atlantic University in 2004. She is both a Registered Clinical Social Worker (RCSW) and a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and has over 20 years of experience working in diverse clinical settings including residential mental health and substance use treatment for youth and adults, school-based counselling, outpatient counselling for youth with mental health and substance use concerns, outpatient counselling for adult with mental health concerns, and acute care mental health.

Gillian practices from a client-centred, culturally responsive, and holistic perspective, recognizing each individual’s unique experiences, strengths, and goals. She works collaboratively with clients to develop thoughtful, evidence-based plans of care. Her primary therapeutic modalities include EMDR Therapy and Internal Family Systems (IFS), with the additional integration of Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), Emotion Coaching, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and harm reduction approaches.

Gillian is an EMDR Canada and EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist™ with advanced training and expertise in the treatment of trauma, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Since 2011, she has used EMDR extensively in her work with members of the Canadian Armed Forces, Veterans, First Responders, Residential School Survivors, and adults and children with developmental and complex trauma. She brings a strong emphasis on safety, pacing, and attunement to this work.

In addition to her EMDR expertise, Gillian has specialized training in the integration of EMDR and Internal Family Systems (IFS). This integrative approach allows her to combine the structured reprocessing of EMDR with the compassion-based, parts-oriented framework of IFS, supporting clients whose internal systems may benefit from greater relational sensitivity and flexibility. This approach is particularly helpful for individuals with complex trauma, strong protective parts, or prior experiences of therapy that felt overwhelming or insufficiently attuned.

Gillian is also an EMDRIA Consultant in Training™ (CIT) and provides EMDR case consultation to licensed mental health professionals who have completed EMDR basic training. In this role, she supports clinicians in strengthening their application of the EMDR standard protocol, deepening case conceptualization, and thoughtfully integrating IFS-informed perspectives when requested, into EMDR practice. Gillian is committed to ongoing professional development and participates in regular consultation to ensure ethical, effective, and responsive care for both clients and clinicians.

Professional Registrations

Gillian is a Registered Clinical Social Worker (RCSW). The governing body that oversees RCSW’s is the British Columbia College of Social Workers. Click here to learn more about Registered Clinical Social Workers (RCSW) and their expertise in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders based on the DSM 5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).

Gillian is also a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC). The governing body that oversees RCC’s is the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors. Click here to learn more about Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCC).