Meet William: Our Newest Therapist at Emotion Wise Counselling in Vancouver, BC.

We are so thrilled to welcome Wiliam Devon-Sand to our Emotion Wise Team in Vancouver, BC. In meeting William, I was initially struck by his warmth and genuine ability to connect with others.

It's clear that William loves being a therapist and is thrilled to be doing the work he loves as a DBT-Trained and Internal Family Systems Therapist.

I was happy to get the time to ask William some questions about himself so we can all get to know him.

So glad you've joined Emotion Wise! Tell us how did you end up becoming a counsellor?

I started out as a teacher, then made the move into software engineering, and somewhere along the way I realized I was missing something. The technical work was interesting but I kept wanting to actually be present with people, not just solve problems on a screen. That feeling kept growing until I finally did something about it and went back to school for counselling. Best decision I ever made, honestly.

If you could tell your younger self at 18 years old anything what would you share with them?

I'd tell him that what people called a weakness was actually the best thing about him. I felt things deeply growing up and got the message pretty early that was somehow too much, that I needed to toughen up. So I spent a lot of energy trying to dial it down. What I know now is that sensitivity is actually a superpower, especially in this work. It's how you connect with people, how you notice what's really going on in a room, how you sit with someone in pain without flinching. I'd just tell him to trust it a little sooner.

Tell us, what is one piece of wisdom that has been coming up in sessions that you can share with us?

Something a client shared recently has really stuck with me. He said the most valuable thing he'd taken away from our work together was learning to just sit with his emotions rather than trying to fix or change them. That landed for me because it's so counter to what most of us are taught. We treat discomfort like a problem that needs solving, something to push through or get rid of as fast as possible. But there's something really powerful that happens when you just let a feeling be there. It doesn't swallow you. It actually moves through faster than when you fight it. He said it pretty simply but I thought it was one of the wisest things I'd heard in a while.

If you were not a therapist what would you be doing in life?

If i was taller and a lot more athletic, I be a professional basketball player.

What is your favourite thing to do outside of work?

Play basketball and spend time with my daughter.

Connect with WIlliam

If what William shared about his life and practice resonated with you, we'd love for you to connect with him.

He's now welcoming new clients virtually and in-person at Emotion Wise Counselling in Vancouver, BC, and specializes in DBT and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy.

Whether you're someone who feels things deeply — or you're just ready to stop fighting your emotions and start understanding them, he might be exactly the right fit.

You can learn more about William emotionwise.ca/william.

Book an free initial consultation today : emotionwise.janeapp.com

We're really glad he's part of the team!