Guido is a Certified Canadian Counsellor with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. He has provided services to families and couples helping them to resolve rifts, violence and hard issues defying solution. He has assisted individuals to handle their anxiety and depression; to manage their anger, and to survive major losses. He is interested in the challenges faced by seniors, including with their families; and those trying to cope with chronic illness.
Guido has counselled at Victoria Hospice, Citizens Counselling, and Cascadia Counselling Clinic. He has collaborated with the Centre of Reponse-Based Practice against violence and abuse; and has worked with the James Bay New Horizons Society and Dr. Joan McHardy to develop proactive mental health programs for Seniors.
Guido has taken specialized training in couples and marriage counselling, critical incident debriefing, inter cultural sensitivity, narrative therapy, solution-focussed therapy, client focussed therapy, elder abuse and response-based practice to expand his masters in counselling psychology knowledge. Allan Wade's response-based ideas have had a profound influence on how he sees his role in therapy.
Before coming to Canada in 2003, Guido worked in South Africa where he held executive positions in engineering, transportation planning and strategic facilitation. He played a direct role in the transformation of South Africa. He organized retreats to improve the relationship between the White administrators and Black politicians. He ran workshops to prepare the established administrators for the changes that were coming and to help the new political leaders with the tasks ahead. In Canada he is continuing this work as a management consultant in private and public organizations helping to solve difficulties at work, developing strategy and change management plans, and performing organizational development tasks. His therapy experience influences his work with organizations, and his organizational work has changed how he performs therapy.
Guido's approach is to listen carefully to what clients are sharing, and through respectful questioning to clarify with the client their specific responses to their unique circumstances. Key underlying influences tend to become visible in this process, empowering clients to move beyond their current worries and frustrations. He adjusts his intervention depending on whether the client is trying to handle a crisis, manage a situation better, or wants to evolve to a different place in their life and grow.
Guido facilitated chronic disease self management sessions for the University of Victoria program and continues to facilitate the Be Alive program for seniors at James Bay New Horizons and he has worked with the Centre of Response-Based Practice. He sees private clients in Langford, Victoria, and James Bay.
He lives with his partner Gwen-Ann in Bear Mountain, Victoria.
Guido Timmermans Reaches
Langford BC