Sage Birley

Hello, my name is Sage Birley (He/ Him) and I am thrilled to be joining the Camosun Counselling team as a Counselling Student Intern. I am grateful to live and learn as a visitor on the territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən and WSÁNEĆ Peoples. I feel fortunate to develop as a counsellor here and hold great respect for the careful stewardship and relationships to these lands which have continued since time immemorial. 

I am Metis with English, Scottish and Cree ancestry and I was raised on the territory of the Dane-zaa within Treaty 8 in Northeastern BC. The Peace River Region is where I feel at home and my relationship to land, family, and community remain essential to my wellness and sense of self. Getting outdoors, hiking, running, and spending time in my garden all help me to maintain balance in my life. 

I am in my second and final year of a Master’s in Counselling Psychology and my training has been integrative drawing from multiple theories with strong trauma informed foundations. I see personal sources of meaning as critical to supporting wellness and respect the central role culture plays in meaning making. I’m guided by a person-centered, strength-based focus, and view wellness holistically involving body, mind, emotions, spirit, and relations. I see counselling as a collaborative process where persons are expert in their experience and possess inner capacities for growth and wellness. I believe therapeutic relationships based on compassionate acceptance and supportive reflections offer space for self-exploration, growth, and change. I will strive to walk alongside you, listen, ask questions, offer perspective, and support you in identifying and working towards personalized wellness goals that build on your strengths. I’m honored and grateful to have this opportunity to learn alongside you and am eager to draw on all my learning to better support you on your wellness journey.