Peter Mackenzie

About Peter

I am serious about tough situations, but we also laugh. Diving into feelings is important, but laughter shifts perspective, so I don’t underestimate it. More than ever, we all need a place to talk, laugh and drop our guard. Good counselling is like Brazilian soccer: it’s not just scoring goals, it’s about sweet plays and creatively moving the ball up field. Win or lose, the game is a celebration. (Hopefully the Canucks know this too.)

I help people look at how they move through life. Adler called it a “line of movement”. For me, it’s how our personality expresses itself and helps (or hurts) to get what we want. We look at what creates aliveness and meaning for you. (I am also good on career stuff.) Yes, we look at core beliefs and some cuts and scrapes from the past. Do we like ourselves? Do we deserve good things?

An “existential” counsellor knows that life happens on a moral and spiritual level, but I also acknowledge that physical, social and financial health play an important role. “Biopsychosocial” isn’t a sexy term, but it’s the basis of my counselling practice. (It should be in the drop-down menu.) I follow neurologists like Andrew Huberman and mythologists like Joseph Campbell. Calling myself a “spiritual counsellor” is sometimes tough to swallow, but so much of my work with clients is on an existential-spiritual-interpersonal level that it’s an accurate description. That’s where I do my work. I use elements of CBT and mindfulness, but not out of a workbook. I help people turn over the soil of their lives. Clients need a place to tell their story before they decide which direction to go.

I evolve with research, but some things in my therapeutic style stay the same: I sit, I listen, I ask good questions and we laugh and marvel at absurd things. This work can’t be forced in you and deep work won’t happen until you are ready, so finding a counsellor with a similar sense of humour is as good a place to start.

I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor in Fairview/South Granville (close to several Skytrain stations and good parking). My clients are high-achievers who need to churn the soil of their busy lives. Many people find me after a death, a separation or a job loss. The way out starts when we can ask, “what might this experience teach me?”

People need time to unpack this stuff. My sessions are 75 minutes. (My office has a great coffee machine and we can break halfway through.) My practice is growing slowly. For the past 3 years, I did 35-40 sessions per week in an industrial camp, but now it’s better to slow down and listen deeply. I am not the right counsellor for everyone, but I am very good for some underrepresented folks who need the support and genuinely appreciate it. Weekly or biweekly sessions are best, but many folks by necessity come in 6-10 session “arcs”. My caseload always churns, but it provides my clients with flexibility tp tackle things in stages, like seasons of “Curb Your Enthusiasm”. it allows them to step away for weeks or months to integrate or take breaks (those are good too). We explore through conversation and writing. Certain themes don’t lend themselves to linear project management and they need room to breathe.

My career has mostly focused on professionals, tradespeople and entrepreneurs, but I connect with folks from all walks of life. I still do some math tricks and career counselling. Increasingly, I enjoy working with teenagers and my style works well for them. I love an algebra sesh and I will read along with the Lit 12 syllabus if the books are good. I use lots of sports and construction metaphors and sessions can veer into conversations about politics, economics, psychology, human geography and writing. I spend lots of time reading, writing and learning. When I kick back, I watch documentaries, stand-up comedy, cheesy rom-coms and sci fi. The best sessions are the ones where I say little and the work unfolds. I putter around the city, I build simple things and a few times per year I fit every important thing I own into a backpack. I do my best writing on the road.

Book a 15min phone call (or a full session) through www.pivotcounselling.ca. Feel free to ask a question at [email protected] (but please, no confidential stuff in the email). Sessions are $225 for 75 minutes and payment can be made by cash or e-transfer. –Pete Mackenzie, RCC#17508