Sonya McNeil, RCC
January 5, 2026
Rashmi Dhaubhadel, RSW, MSW
January 19, 2026
Nicola is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) who brings compassion, experience, and genuine care to her work with the people she supports. She holds a Master of Counselling degree from City University of Seattle and an MA (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Glasgow, Scotland where she studied before immigrating to Canada. With over ten years of experience supporting individuals through mental health challenges and times of crisis, Nicola creates a space where people feel safe, respected, and truly heard.
Nicola volunteers with the Central Okanagan Hospice Association, supporting individuals with life-limiting illnesses and families after the death of a loved one. She is also part of a provincial disaster psychosocial team, offering support to communities who have been evacuated from or lost their homes during forest fires and other natural disasters.
Nicola is committed to providing a welcoming, supportive space for people from all walks of life. Her work is trauma-informed and tailored to each client’s needs. She draws from several modalities including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and existential therapy.
She especially enjoys working with adolescents and supporting them as they navigate challenges such as ADHD, emotional regulation, self-harm, self-esteem, family dynamics, and anxiety. Nicola has experience providing counselling services to teenagers in Kelowna’s middle school system and values building trusting, collaborative relationships with both youth and their families.
Nicola recognizes that loss is a universal part of being human and that grief can take many forms. She supports individuals experiencing all types of loss including those facing existential loss, such as the loss of dreams, identity, or the life they once imagined. She understands that life can change in unexpected ways, and she offers a compassionate space to make sense of those curveballs and move forward with meaning and care.
A strong believer in lifelong learning, Nicola continually expands her knowledge and skills. She has completed Gottman Couples Therapy Training Levels 1 and 2, Gottman Affairs and Trauma, and Gottman Parenting Coaching, along with additional training in grief and loss and supporting children impacted by trauma. She is currently furthering her education in cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia. Nicola has completed San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training and has worked with Indigenous clients all over BC.
Outside of her counselling work, Nicola is a married mum of three school-aged children. She loves spending time outdoors with her family and can often be found by the lake or skiing at Big White.
- Adolescent Mental Health
- Couples Counselling
- Grief, Loss and Bereavement Support
- Life Transitions
- Women’s Mental Health and Identity
Contact Information:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 250-718-9291
- Have other questions? Contact Us
