Psychotherapy · Vancouver, BC
Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)

Duality Counselling

Understanding the different parts of you that want different things.

Online therapy for individuals and couples across British Columbia.

You might notice moments where part of you wants one thing — and another part pulls in the opposite direction.

Many introspective and self-aware people experience this inner tension.

You might recognise moments like

  • Wanting closeness but pulling away when someone gets near
  • Wanting to rest yet feeling uneasy when you slow down
  • Wanting to make a change but staying where it feels safe
  • Wanting to quit a habit but returning to it when loneliness or stress rises

Understanding Duality

We all contain different parts of ourselves.

One part might reach toward connection, creativity, or growth. Another part may try to protect you from disappointment, overwhelm, or being hurt again.

These protective patterns often develop for good reasons — usually helping you cope with life. But over time, the same strategies that once kept you safe can begin to limit closeness, rest, and meaningful change.

Understanding this inner duality can open the door to new possibilities.

In therapy we slow things down and look closely at the patterns shaping your life.

As we begin to understand where these patterns come from and what they are trying to protect, something important starts to shift. The moments that once felt automatic begin to open up. You start to notice choices where before there only seemed to be reactions.

Our work may also include paying attention to the body and physical sensations, which often carry important information about stress, protection, and emotional experience.

Over time, this work can help you

  • Stay present during conflict instead of shutting down
  • Notice urges without automatically acting on them
  • Tolerate closeness without pushing people away
  • Rest without guilt
  • Take meaningful steps toward the life you want

The goal isn't to eliminate parts of yourself, but to relate to them differently — so you can respond with greater clarity, choice, and compassion.

"There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy."
— Friedrich Nietzsche

Ways We Can Work Together

Individual Therapy

One-on-one therapy to understand the patterns shaping your inner life, relationships, and decisions.

Couples Therapy

Therapy for couples caught in repeating cycles who want to understand each other more deeply and communicate differently.

EMDR Therapy

EMDR therapy to help process difficult experiences and reduce the emotional charge of past events.

My work integrates depth-oriented psychotherapy, EMDR, somatic awareness, and attachment-informed approaches.

Available in Vancouver and online across British Columbia.

Registered Clinical Counsellor — Covered by most extended health plans

Individual sessions $160  ·  Couples sessions $180  ·  Sliding scale available

Book a Free Consultation
Utku Ucay, Registered Clinical Counsellor in Vancouver BC

About

Hi, I'm Utku.

I'm a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) based in Vancouver, BC. My work focuses on helping introspective adults understand the patterns shaping their relationships, work, and inner life.

Many of the people I work with are self-aware. They often feel pulled in different directions — wanting change while another part of them seeks safety.

In our work together, we approach these tensions with curiosity and compassion. Therapy becomes a collaborative space where we slow things down, explore patterns, and begin to understand the different parts of you that shape how you move through the world.

Sessions with me tend to be reflective and exploratory. We slow things down and stay with what feels important, helping you understand why certain reactions or patterns keep showing up.

My own path into this work has been shaped by living in several different cultures and languages, which has deepened my interest in how identity, relationships, and inner life evolve over time.

I offer individual counselling, couples counselling, and trauma-informed approaches such as EMDR.

I also offer sessions in Turkish — one of very few RCCs in British Columbia able to work in this language.

More About Me
"It is a joy to be hidden and a disaster not to be found."
— D. W. Winnicott

Who I Work With

I work with individuals and couples who find themselves experiencing things like:

Individuals

  • Wanting change but feeling stuck repeating familiar patterns

  • Longing for closeness while also pushing people away

  • Trying to change their relationship with substances

  • Feeling uncertain about career or life direction

  • Difficulty slowing down or resting without guilt

Couples

  • Getting caught in the same arguments without feeling understood

  • Feeling like conversations quickly turn into conflict or withdrawal

  • Wanting to rebuild trust or reconnect after difficult periods

If you're curious about working together

Sessions are currently offered online across British Columbia. In-person sessions will be available soon in Vancouver.

Begin with a free 15-minute consultation

Book a Consultation