About Nashina Merani
Nashina Merani is a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor (RTC #2678, ACCT of Canada), certified Reiki practitioner and workshop facilitator based in North Burnaby, BC, offering trauma-informed, culturally-centred therapy for BIPOC individuals, couples, and family duos — in person and online across BC.
Meet Nashina
My name is Nashina. I’m a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor with the Association of Cooperative Counselling Therapists of Canada and a workshop facilitator, offering counselling in Burnaby, BC. I identify as a first-generation South Asian Canadian. It's an honour for me to be a guide for individuals seeking to reclaim their mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. My focus centers on supporting QTBIPOC, and I work with people in various relationship dynamics, including individuals, couples, and duos (e.g., siblings, parents, and their adult children).
I live nestled in nature, on the ancestral and unceded territory of the hən̓̓ qəmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples. My work is one of the ways I contribute to deconstructing oppressive impacts on the mental health industry.
To replenish my mind, body and spirit, I like to spend time outdoors, read, and listen to podcasts. I love to organize a forgotten drawer or closet. I value time spent with family. I enjoy cooking and tend to recycle the top 3 Pinterest saves for months before trying something new! I bask in quiet evenings with my husband, always tempted to watch "just one more episode." I enjoy a girl’s night that ends by 10 pm unless a 90’s playlist seduces me! I am the proud Mom (and empty nester) of a young adult finding his place in the world.
I would be honored to be a part of your journey. Book a complimentary consultation and let’s see if we’re a good fit.
Sessions offered online and in-person in Burnaby, BC.
Who I Am
I remember my first counselling session. Not knowing where to begin or what I would say. The only thing I knew for sure was I could no longer function the way I had been for all these years. I was in a new-ish romantic relationship, a single brown mom in my early 30s, raising a nine-year-old son with the same fear-based energy that had shaped my upbringing. I was carrying the cloud of shame that hung over me as my son had entered this world out of wedlock. I lacked what some might call a 'real' job or impressive education. In the eyes of many, I let down and shamed my family and felt like a failure.
Where It All Began
I was brought up in a lower-middle-class, immigrant, religious household. I believe my parents aspired to achieve the success stories they witnessed around them. Tales of opportunity and wealth, a Western first-world country was bound to provide. But it didn’t turn out that way. My dad's mental health, coupled with my mom's increasing physical disabilities, created a challenging situation. The home environment was unpredictable. While lighthearted moments filled our home, they were often overshadowed by the uncertainty of someone triggering a chain of unfortunate events.
I learned to become fearful of anger because of how it was expressed. I was expected to go the extra mile but taught not to ask for anything, because then I would be indebted or judged for being needy or incapable. I treated my body with little regard or respect, as it had acclimated to punitive, harsh treatment. I learned to be an agreeable helper and caregiver. I desperately craved a sense of belonging but mistook it for fitting in. Shape-shifting led to repeated situations that left me feeling more like an outcast than ever. I swung between diffusing people's ‘negative’ emotions or absorbing them. I learned to read (predict) reactions before they occurred, keeping me in a constant state of worry.
Above all, I was called a ‘good’ girl. A label that came with praise, validation and worth.
I adapted to the environment, and various innocent coping mechanisms developed as a result. I now recognize these strategies as a form of survival for which I am grateful.
Eventually, I no longer wanted to be good - I wanted to be FREE.
Where That Led Me
Fast forward to my early 30’s, I knew I needed help. My relationships felt strained, I felt unfulfilled in my career at that time, I was deeply insecure and felt I was letting my son and partner down. All of this bubbled inside of me erupting in the most irresponsible ways. I needed somewhere soft to land. A place where I could feel, express, and unleash decades of what had been silenced, stifled or dismissed.
Enter therapy.
My counselling journey helped me cultivate self-awareness and compassion around my experiences. This awareness grew into a practice of creating micro-moments of pause. From this newfound space of reflection, I began to explore and process my emotions, uncover false narratives (imposed or self-constructed), and began to adopt new beliefs that actually served me. And yes, this disappointed others. And yes, there was guilt.
But, what overrode the guilt was a sense of freedom and ease that came with having choices. Something I rarely had growing up. There was pushback from those who were used to (or benefited from) my old ways of being agreeable but I was committed to embodying this new sense of freedom and self-trust. I understood myself better and therefore spent less and less time fixated on figuring out everyone and everything else. That didn’t mean I was comfortable. It meant I felt a sense of safeness while uncomfortable.
Where I Am Now
At 36, I went back to school to become a counsellor, juggling work, motherhood and a relationship. I got married at 38 (late as it seems by Aunty's standards) to an incredible man and established my counselling practice at 39.
Investing in myself took time, energy, and money. Not all of this came easily or readily; however, I recognize that being able to pursue something better for myself is a privilege. For that, I am deeply grateful.
I took an unconventional path, defying traditional order. Despite the challenges, this journey revealed my true strength. I'm elated to have embraced this part of myself, and she's here to stay!
Credentials, Training & Workshops
Knowledge and ethical practice are important to me. The training & continuing education I select center my values and take into consideration the folks I wish to be in healing relationships with therapeutically, professionally, and within the community at large.
Registered Therapeutic Counsellor registered with the Association of Cooperative Counselling Therapists of Canada Clearmind International Training Institute, 2015-2018
Trauma-Informed Practice Levels 1 & 2 with Trish Walsh and Alyson Quinn, 2020 / 2021
Cultural Somatics Workshop with Resmaa Menakem, 2022
Anti-Racism Course Certificate with Selam Debs, 2022
Grief Care Professional Certificate with Megan Devine, 2022
Breaking the Cycle of Unhealthy Family Relationships: Tools for Better Boundaries Workshop with Nedra Tawaab, 2022
Narcissistic Abuse In-Depth Workshop with Dr.Ramani Durvasula, 2022
When Sex Hurts Certificate with Allura Sex Therapy Centre, Vancouver, 2023
Collective Care, Solidarity & Justice-Doing: Resisting Burnout Workshop with Vikki Reynolds, 2024
DNVC (Decolonizing Non-Violent Communication) Self-Study program with Meenadchi, 2024
Battered Women’s Support Services: Violence Prevention Intervention Training, 2024
Somatic Embodiment & Nervous System Regulation Strategies Certificate: Collectively Rooted with Linda Thai, 2024
Foundations in Embodied Somatic Abolitionism (FESA): Black Octopus Society with Jennifer-Lee Kolbe & Resmaa Menakem, 2025
Ayurvedic Head Massage Certificate Course Level 1: Isis Wellness Centre with Parvinder, 2025
Heart, Politics, and Healing: An Introduction to Generative Somatics' Methodology for Practitioners with Nazbah Tom & Fayza Bundalli, 2025
Sharing Practice: Navigating Multiple Relationships - not Dual Relationships with Vikki Reynolds, 2026
Generative Somatic Foundations for Q/T & BIPOC Practitioners Certificate with Fayza Bundalli, 2026
Consent and Power in Grief, Death and Dying with Helena De Felice, 2026
Mastering Internal Family Systems Intensive Certificate with Dr. Frank Anderson, 2026