Ritu Verma

MA (Counselling Psychology)  ·  MEng  ·  RCC (BC)  ·  RP (Qualifying, Ontario)

Somatic trauma therapist, working with the nervous system, not just the story.

You just want situations and people to be less difficult.

You already know that a lot of your anxiety, phobias, and OCD loops are reflections of what your mind and body are going through. You may be carrying the weight of shifting identities, daily pressures, high-functioning burnout, or the deep grief of losing your best support system, or never having one. Perhaps you are holding the fear, silence, and consequences of relational trauma, abuse, or coercive control, and you are tired of walking on eggshells. But you also know you are so much more than your symptoms.

I understand this from the inside. I have navigated my own lived experiences with family and peers, carrying shame, guilt, complex cultural transitions, and high-pressure expectations in both my professional and personal life. For years, I performed strength under heavy cultural expectations. My own journey taught me that true wellness comes from living from a place of peace, and my work with you is to offer the grounding and space you need so you don't crumble under the pressure.

Who I work with

I can help you heal from

• •Relational trauma & coercive control — safely untangling emotional abuse, gaslighting, and the lingering echoes of intimate-partner violence.
• •High-functioning burnout & Type C traits — calming a body locked in people-pleasing and chronic masking, so you can find true rest.
• •Anxiety & OCD loops — interrupting the exhausting cycle of fighting your own thoughts and physical sensations, including somatic OCD.
• •Postnatal depletion & life transitions — navigating reproductive transitions, the intense identity shifts of parenthood, and midlife change.
• •Complex grief & loss — including the grief of losing your support system, or the grief of never having had one.

My care is culturally sensitive, Indigenous-informed, and LGBTQ+ affirming. I work often with first- and second-generation immigrants, visible minorities, and high-achieving professionals running on empty.

How I work

Relational, body-based, and never rushed

I am a deeply relational practitioner who believes our bodies hold a great deal of truth and wisdom. I hold a Master's in Counselling Psychology alongside a Master's in Engineering, a background that lets me weave sharp, analytical thinking with warm human connection and intuition. Often, I understand what you are experiencing without your needing to say much at all.

The pauses and reflective sentences I use are intentional — to take the pressure off, bring out your depth, and let you steep safely into your own inner wisdom. Together, layer by layer and entirely at your own pace, we make room for the questions you may never have had space to ask: Who am I in this relationship? What do I actually want? Does what I'm feeling make sense?

I bring roughly a decade of somatic work and over 1,500 hours of specialized training. Our sessions draw on gentle, bottom-up tools:

• •EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing)
• •Internal Family Systems (IFS)
• •Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
• •Trauma-Informed ACT
• •Somatic Therapy & Emotional Regulation

My practice, Veda Somatics Psychotherapy and Wellness, bridges modern Western psychotherapy with ancient Eastern healing traditions. Some days our work will feel deep, and some days it will feel light. I want to offer you an absolutely warm, zero-judgment space to step out of a self-defeating mode, because a part of you already knows that is not who you really are.

Sessions & fees

The practical details

• •Individual session $160 (50 minutes)
• •In person in Burnaby (501 – 3292 Production Way, V5A 4R4) or online · Tuesdays & Fridays
• •Payment by e-transfer or credit card on file through Jane. I provide detailed receipts for extended-health reimbursement.

Credentials & training

Qualifications

• •Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) — British Columbia, #23952
• •Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) — CRPO, Ontario, #21865
• •Master of Arts, Counselling Psychology
• •Master of Engineering (MEng)
• •EMDR (basic-trained; pursuing Level I)
• •Internal Family Systems (IFS) — trained with Frank Anderson
• •Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Level 1
• •Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) — trained with Russ Harris
• •900-hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training — The Yoga Institute (2018)
• •~10 years of somatic therapy · 1,500+ hours of specialized training

Let's connect for a free 15-minute consultation and see if we could be on this journey together.

vedasomatics.com