Carla Leuschen, MPA, MSW, RSW
Registered Social Worker
Victoria BC
This idea that “dis-connection” leads to “dis-ease” is now a foundational piece of my personal & professional philosophy. I currently own a private practice counselling business in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, called “Strength in Heart Counselling”, where I support clients to push the boundaries of “normal” & empower them to re-connect with their inner strength and resilience so that they can begin to live a more fulfilled, authentic life.
I hold an honours degree in Psychology, a graduate degree in Public Administration, a graduate degree in Social Work, & I am a Registered Social Worker in British Columbia, Canada. Over the past 14 years I have worked with people in various areas of mental health (mood disorders, FASD, police & forensic, trauma, etc.). My personal passion for psychedelic integration work began about 12 years ago when I was introduced to the work of Dr. Stanislav Grof by his brother Dr. Paul Grof. During that time, I worked for Paul Grof as a psychiatric research assistant in mood disorders (not involving psychedelics) & it was then that I began to read his brother Stan’s work and apply the concepts of psychedelic psychotherapy to my own personal journey. This led to a pivotal shift in my career path.
Although my original career goal had been to broadly improve mental health treatment & policy through academic and government research, I quickly realized that I needed to do more than study people who suffered from mental illness. My heart repeatedly told me that I needed to connect with people in a more relational, supportive way – and that through this type of connection I would make a positive difference in both the lives of others and my self. As a result, I became immersed in training in anti-oppressive, compassionate counselling practices. About five years ago I began to directly focus my professional energy and resources on mental health & psychedelic integration counselling.