Ben Wasyliuk
Master of Social Work Practicum Student
Trauma, Life Transitions, Meaning & Psychedelic-Informed Approaches
Helping people make sense of difficult experiences…
How Ben Works:
Ben approaches counselling with curiosity, openness, and a deep respect for the experiences that shape each person’s life. He believes people often have good reasons for the ways they have learned to cope, protect themselves, and make sense of the world — even when those strategies eventually stop serving them.
His approach is collaborative and person-centred. Rather than assuming there is one correct way to heal or change, Ben is interested in understanding each person’s story: how their experiences, relationships, families, communities, and values have shaped the way they understand themselves and the world around them.
A central interest in Ben’s work is the relationship between trauma, identity, meaning, and life transition. Difficult experiences can disrupt more than our sense of safety; they can change how we understand ourselves, our relationships, our work, and the future we imagined for ourselves.
Ben is particularly interested in what helps people experience meaningful and lasting change. For him, counselling is not necessarily about returning to who someone was before something difficult happened. It can also be a place to better understand who they are becoming, reconnect with what matters most, and explore how they want their story to continue from here.
His developing practice is informed by trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, acceptance- and values-based approaches, existential perspectives, mindfulness, and person-centred therapy. Across these perspectives, his focus is less on imposing a particular framework and more on helping people understand themselves more deeply and move forward in a way that feels genuinely their own.
BEYOND THE THERAPY ROOM
Before entering social work, Ben’s path took him through several different worlds, including technology, product management, psychology, and emergency services.
His experience as a firefighter and first responder has had a particularly meaningful influence on his interest in trauma, identity, purpose, and major life transitions. Emergency-service work can provide a strong sense of competence, belonging, and meaning. When trauma, injury, changing relationships, or career transitions disrupt that world, the effects can reach far beyond work itself.
Ben’s own experiences of change eventually led him toward psychology and social work, and toward broader questions about resilience, suffering, identity, and what helps people adapt when life no longer follows the story they expected.
Outside of clinical training, Ben has a longstanding interest in psychology, philosophy, spirituality, neuroscience, and human consciousness. He values approaches that make room for both evidence and uncertainty, and believes meaningful therapeutic work sometimes involves becoming more comfortable with important questions rather than rushing toward simple answers.
Areas of Interest:
Trauma and post-traumatic growth
First responders, firefighters, veterans & their families
Identity & major life transitions
Meaning, purpose & existential concerns
Grief & loss
Men’s mental health
Relationships & family systems
Psychedelic preparation & integration
Voices That Shape Ben’s Work:
William Richards
Ernest Becker
Joseph Campbell
Therapeutic Approaches:
Person-Centred Therapy
Trauma-Informed Practice
Motivational Interviewing
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)-informed approaches
Existential & meaning-oriented perspectives
Mindfulness-based approaches
Strengths-based practice
Psychedelic-informed & integration perspectives
THE PERSPECTIVES BEHIND THE PRACTICE
Ben’s developing practice is shaped by a range of therapeutic perspectives, writers, and researchers exploring trauma, meaning, consciousness, resilience, and human change. While no single framework defines his work, these influences contribute to the curious, collaborative, and meaning-oriented approach he brings into the therapy room.
Meaning, Change & What Comes Next
Ben is interested in what helps people move through experiences that change the way they understand themselves, their relationships, or the life they expected to have.
Therapy can be a place to make sense of those experiences, explore questions of identity, values, purpose, and belonging, and consider how difficult chapters might be integrated into a life that still feels meaningful and genuinely your own.
Ben’s approach leaves room for both the pain of what has happened and the possibility that new understanding, connection, or direction can emerge over time.
Training & Background
Ben is currently completing his Master of Social Work and joins Kelowna Trauma & Life Therapy as a practicum student, where he is developing his clinical practice under supervision.
His path to counselling has included experience in technology, product management, psychology, and emergency services, including work as a firefighter and first responder. These experiences have contributed to his interest in trauma, resilience, identity, meaning, and the ways major life experiences can reshape how people understand themselves and their future.
Ben’s developing clinical practice is informed by trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, person-centred therapy, acceptance- and values-based approaches, existential perspectives, mindfulness, and strengths-based practice.
He also brings a longstanding interest in psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, spirituality, and human consciousness, with particular curiosity about how people make meaning from difficult, transformative, or unexpected experiences.
As a practicum student, Ben continues to build his therapeutic skills through supervised clinical work, academic training, and ongoing professional development.
The Longer Conversation…
A little more about Ben and the lens he brings to his work.
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Ben may be a good fit for people who are navigating trauma, major life changes, questions of identity or purpose, grief, relationship challenges, or a sense that the life they are living no longer quite fits.
He may also resonate with clients who appreciate a thoughtful, collaborative approach and who are interested in exploring not only symptoms or problems, but also the deeper questions underneath them — including meaning, values, relationships, and how they want to move forward.
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Yes. Ben’s previous experience as a firefighter and first responder gives him firsthand familiarity with the culture of emergency services, including the sense of purpose and identity the work can provide, as well as the impact that trauma, injury, family stress, or career transitions can have over time.
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Ben is currently completing his Master of Social Work and is gaining clinical experience as part of his supervised practicum placement at Kelowna Trauma & Life Therapy.
As a practicum student, Ben provides counselling under the guidance and supervision of experienced clinicians. Practicum placements allow emerging therapists to develop their skills through direct clinical work while receiving regular supervision, consultation, and ongoing academic training.
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Ben’s developing practice is collaborative, person-centred, and trauma-informed. His work is influenced by Motivational Interviewing, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-informed approaches, mindfulness, strengths-based practice, existential and meaning-oriented perspectives, and psychedelic-informed preparation and integration.
Rather than applying one approach to every client, Ben is interested in understanding what is most useful for the individual sitting in front of him.
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Yes. Ben welcomes clients of different genders and has a particular interest in men’s mental health.
He is interested in the ways identity, relationships, work, responsibility, trauma, emotional expression, and life transitions can affect men, particularly when older ways of coping or understanding themselves are no longer working as well as they once did.
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Yes. These are central areas of interest in Ben’s work.
Life transitions can include career changes, relationship endings, loss, changes in family roles, injury, retirement, shifts in identity, or experiences that disrupt the future someone expected to have. Ben is interested in helping clients make sense of these changes, explore what matters now, and consider what a meaningful next chapter might look like.
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That is completely okay. You do not need to arrive in therapy with a perfectly defined goal or a clear explanation of what is wrong.
Sometimes therapy begins simply with a sense that something feels off, stuck, confusing, or ready to change. Ben’s approach is curious and collaborative, and part of the work can involve slowing things down, understanding what has been happening, and discovering together what might be most useful to explore.
As a result, healing frequently happens in relationship too. Honest, accountable, and supportive relationships can provide opportunities to experience ourselves differently, develop new ways of relating, and practice showing up in ways that are more aligned with who we want to be. While awareness and acceptance are essential foundations, lasting change is often supported through accountability, practice, new experiences, and relationships that invite us to move beyond familiar patterns.
Let's Connect
Whether you’re navigating a difficult season, questioning what comes next, or simply wanting a better understanding of yourself and the experiences that have shaped you, you’re welcome to begin with a free 15-minute consultation.
This is a chance to connect, ask questions, and get a sense of whether working with Ben feels like a good fit. You can share a little about what brings you to counselling, what you’re hoping for, and anything you’re unsure about.
As an MSW practicum student, Ben works under clinical supervision and can also help clarify whether his role and areas of interest are a good match for your needs.
If another therapist or service at Kelowna Trauma & Life Therapy would be better suited to support you, we’re happy to help point you in the right direction.