Ria Vardeleon, M.C.
Ria Vardeleon
Ria completed her Masters of Counselling degree from City University of Seattle and is a Registered Provisional Psychologist. Her areas of focus include complex trauma, intergenerational trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, grief and loss, and navigating cultural identity. She believes therapy should be a safe environment where individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences are celebrated, which makes being culturally sensitive and an LGBTQ2S+ ally her priority. Her therapeutic approach draws from Internal Family Systems (IFS), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectic Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Polyvagal Theory, psychodynamic therapy, and attachment-based therapy. As for couples work, Ria uses Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), the Gottman Method, and IFS for couples. She is also experienced in incorporating animals into therapy through equine-assisted therapy and canine-assisted therapy. Ria believes that healing can happen when we embrace and empathize with our most authentic self and make choices that align with it.
Prior to joining Equinox, Ria supported children and their families in managing a wide range of presenting concerns in and out of the classroom. She spent many years volunteering with Big Brothers and Big Sisters and the Stollery Children’s Hospital. Ria also currently sits on the board of Momentum Counselling and chairs the organization’s Inclusion and Diversity Committee.
In her free time, Ria can be found in the stables with her horse, Santana, or playing with her dog, Snickers. She also enjoys running in the River Valley and Terwillegar park and going on road trips with her loved ones.