Jay Hails, MEd, CCC

Jay Hails View Specialties

  • Canadian Certified Counsellor
  • 400-601 West Broadway, Vancouver , British Columbia, V5Z 4C2
  • Phone: 6048344367
  • Send A Message To Jay.
  • Session Fees: $150/hour +GST
  • jayhails.com
  • This member is also available for online counseling.
  • Online-counseling methods: Email, Phone, Webcam



What's shareable is bearable.  If you’re overwhelmed or stuck, or if you’ve lost something precious, I can help. If your feelings seem too intense, or you don’t even know what you’re feeling anymore, I’m here to help with that, too. Reaching out can be the most difficult thing to do—but also the best decision you can make.
I'm certified by the CCPA (Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association). I was born to settlers on Treaty Six territory and the homeland of the Metis. I am grateful now to live on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations. I have years of of experience working with people of all ages and diverse backgrounds. I offer my clients empathy, respect, curiosity, and honesty. My strength is in helping you identify and celebrate your own unique strengths. 
These are some of my areas of expertise:
  • childhood emotional and behaviour issues
  • anxiety and managing stress
  • celebrating 2SLGBTQ+ identities
  • self-harm and suicide prevention
  • trauma response and recovery
  • parenting and school problems

Fun facts:
  • I have a background in music, having toured with a scrappy prairie celtic folk punk roots band for a few years, as well as recording a few albums.
  • I've done very rewarding work as a behavioural consultant for some of the Saskatoon Tribal Council schools in Saskatchewan.
  • I have decades of experience working in schools as a special education teacher. I can help children navigate these complex systems to succeed.
  • I was a school counsellor in core neighbourhoods for years. I learned more from my young clients than they learned from me.
  • I get counselling at difficult times in my own life, so I get to see the therapeutic alliance from both sides.
  • When you talk to me and I seem absorbed by your story, that's because I'm genuinely curious about what you're going through.
  • I gave up social media as an experiment years ago, and never went back to it. I've been much happier ever since.
  • I'm registered with the BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy). This registration requires that I follow a strict code of ethics, receive regular updated training, and get supervision from a seasoned counsellor. It also means I can work in the UK if I decide to swap snow and poutine for rain and Yorkshire pudding.


Some things I know are true: 
  • Emotions tell us what's going on with ourselves. We need to pay attention to them, feel them, and express them.
  • When you're making a change, baby steps are your best bet.
  • Direction, not perfection.
  • You earn someone's trust and respect by offering trust and respect first.
  • "The truth about stories is that that's all we are." (Thomas King)
  • Sometimes all a story wants is to be told.
  • There's no lesson more valuable than learning to trust yourself.
  • We often already know the answers to the questions we ask.
 
  






Jay Hails Reaches

Vancouver BC