A shared self.
A shared path to healing.

Emil has a particular focus on trauma and its impact on emotional well-being, relationships, behaviour, and everyday functioning. He incorporates trauma-informed principles into his work and has completed specialized training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

His approach is designed to help clients better understand the impact of difficult experiences, develop emotional regulation and coping skills, strengthen their sense of safety, and work toward meaningful recovery.

Emil recognizes that trauma can affect people differently and believes that effective counselling begins with creating a therapeutic environment where clients feel safe, respected, heard, and understood.

In addition to his private practice, Emil works in community mental health supporting individuals experiencing complex mental health and social challenges. His experience includes conducting mental health and risk assessments, providing crisis intervention and supportive counselling, developing individualized care plans, and coordinating services with healthcare providers, community organizations, housing programs, and multidisciplinary teams.

His professional experience has also included supporting individuals with behavioural and developmental needs, providing caregiver support, working with youth experiencing complex mental health concerns, and supporting individuals navigating substance use, housing instability, and significant life transitions.

This diverse experience allows Emil to look beyond a presenting concern and consider the whole person—including their relationships, environment, culture, strengths, experiences, and goals.

Emil believes that counselling should be collaborative and culturally responsive. As a Filipino counsellor who speaks English and Tagalog, he is particularly passionate about creating accessible and culturally sensitive mental health support for individuals and families within the Filipino and broader multicultural communities.

He believes that clients should not have to leave their culture, identity, or lived experiences at the door when seeking mental health support.

Emil is an approved ICBC provider and provides counselling support for individuals navigating the psychological and emotional impact of motor vehicle accidents and related life changes.

His clinical work may include support with trauma responses, anxiety, depression, emotional distress, adjustment difficulties, coping, and recovery following difficult or unexpected experiences.

Emil believes that healing does not happen through judgment—it happens through connection, safety, understanding, and collaboration.

His approach focuses on helping clients develop greater self-awareness, understand the connection between their experiences and current patterns, strengthen emotional regulation, develop practical coping strategies, and reconnect with the parts of themselves that may have been affected by difficult experiences.

At Kapwa Counseling, Emil strives to create a space where clients can feel seen, heard, respected, and supported as they move toward greater emotional well-being and meaningful change.

Tiago takes an evidence-informed, individualized, and collaborative approach to supporting clients. He draws from Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) to understand behaviour within the context of an individual’s environment, relationships, and lived experiences, using this understanding to develop practical and meaningful intervention strategies.

His practice is also informed by child-centred and trauma-informed principles, as well as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Through ACT, Tiago supports clients in developing psychological flexibility, increasing self-awareness, practicing acceptance, and taking meaningful action guided by their personal values.

Rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach, Tiago works collaboratively with each client and family to understand their unique strengths, needs, goals, and circumstances.

At Kapwa Counseling, Tiago works with children, adolescents, adults, parents, caregivers, and families experiencing a range of emotional, behavioural, and developmental challenges.

For parents and caregivers, he provides individualized parenting support designed to help:

• Reduce caregiver stress and burnout
• Strengthen parent-child relationships
• Improve communication and connection
• Build children’s emotional tolerance
• Support emotional regulation
• Develop practical parenting strategies
• Reduce maladaptive behavioural patterns
• Create healthier and more supportive family routines

With children and adolescents, Tiago focuses on helping them develop emotional awareness, regulation skills, coping strategies, communication skills, and practical tools for navigating challenges at home, school, and in their relationships.

With adults, he supports clients in developing greater self-awareness, managing emotions, strengthening coping skills, and working toward meaningful and sustainable changes in their personal and professional lives.

Tiago believes effective support begins with understanding the person behind the behaviour. He strives to create a compassionate and non-judgmental environment where clients and families feel heard, respected, and supported.

His work emphasizes building self-awareness, emotional regulation, practical coping skills, grounding strategies, and psychological flexibility while recognizing the strengths and lived experiences that each individual brings.

At Kapwa Counseling, Tiago is committed to walking alongside clients and families as they work toward healthier relationships, greater emotional well-being, and meaningful, sustainable change.