
William Devon-Sand
DBT and IFS Therapist
RSW (Registered Social Worker)
MSW Masters of Social Work
FNHA Approved
Accepting new clients in-person and virtually
I work with people who are trying to connect with their emotions and find themselves getting easily stuck in their head in rumination loops. For many people that I work with worry and anxiety feels like constant background noise in their minds.
I also work with people who find themselves easily in anger and have difficulty navigating emotional reactivity that negatively impacts their closest relationships.
Most people I work with come with a strong desire to improve their relationships and communication and get unstuck in repeating patterns. I take a trauma-informed approach weaving in DBT-informed, mindfulness based therapy and Internal Family Systems therapy into my sessions with clients. I have taken additional training in Emotion-Focused Therapy(EFT) to understand the relationship patterns you find yourself stuck in and can help you find your way out of these.
I believe people are the experts on their own lives. My role isn't to direct or fix, but to be genuinely with you as you find your own way through. People tend to get to know me as a person in our work together. I bring warmth, honesty, and a bit of myself into the room.
What I love about this work and has drawn me to work as a counsellor the quality of presence it asks for. I believe sitting with what's hard in your life and trusting that being truly met and seen by another person is in itself a part of healing.
Area of Focus
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Complex Trauma & PTSD
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Anxiety
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Depression
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Life Transitions
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Emotional Connection to Self and Others
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Anger and Emotion Regulation Issues
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Relationship Communication Issues
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Grief and Loss
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Couples and Relationship Therapy
Therapy Modalities
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Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
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Internal Family Systems (IFS)
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Emotion Focussed Therapy (EFT)
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Mindfulness Based Approaches
William's Counselling Experience
I came to counselling by a longer road than most. I've worked as a teacher and a software engineer, and somewhere along the way I realized what I kept coming back to was people: their stories, their struggles, and the chance to simply be there for someone. Counselling is the best work I've ever done, and I can't imagine doing anything else.
My counselling experience includes working in a DBT Centre, and in non-profit dedicated to providing compassionate and affordable therapy to underrepresented individuals in need including people from the global majority.
More About William
Outside of work, I am enjoying life as a new dad. I've had a mindfulness practice for close to twenty years which has been a grounding force in my life. I love playing basketball, and will watch almost any sport. I am a dog lover and I am Jewish.
To learn more about William read a Q &A Article here
Blog Article written by William:
Why Internal Family Systems Therapy Might be the Right Therapy for You
Education and Training
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Masters of Social Work (MSW), University of Southern California, 2022
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Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Relay Graduate School of Education
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Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, University of Rochester
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Internal Family Systems (IFS) Level 1 — IFS Institute (2025)
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Fundamentals of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) — Vancouver Centre for EFT (2025)
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Foundations of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy — Numinus (2024)
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Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Training - Behavior Tech (2023)



