Aster Wellness Centre is a health and wellness clinic located in downtown Port Coquitlam that has been welcoming clients since 2017. The owners, James Alexander and Lynn Windels, are both Registered Clinical Counsellors and mental health advocates in the community. Before opening the clinic, Lynn and James were working in the mental health field for several years. But as husband and wife, it was always the goal to build a one-stop shop for wellness with a team that works holistically in support of mental and physical health. This means Aster does not just focus on Mental Health Counselling, it also focuses on Nutrition Counselling, Naturopathic Medicine & Testing, Acupuncture, Registered Massage Therapy, and Bowen Therapy. Lynn and James have always believed in the holistic approach and have created a clinic that stands out as unique due to its significant focus from the mental health perspective.
Enough with this stigma around psychological well-being! Enough of being shamed or feeling ashamed! Aster Wellness Centre considers Mental Health and the development of resilience a true priority, and they are here for you to overcome these challenges!
They receive a lot of questions where the name “Aster” comes from. James and Lynn are fanatic hikers and outdoor lovers. They enjoy hiking in the mountains and seeking out tall peaks surrounded by the beautiful meadows filled with wildflowers. One of British Columbia’s local wildflowers are named Asters. The word Aster brings them back to the mountains and their personal safe-place. It is a gentle reminder regarding the priority of self-care – a topic that they promote amongst the team with their clients too!
Their mental-health professionals are all Registered Clinical Counsellors and are part of the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors. This means that their counselling team is educated to at least a master’s-degree level and contributes to research-based/empirical studies. Their entire team celebrates its diversity in expertise and variety of specializations; each Aster counsellor focuses on their own passion and niche, and there are a variety of therapeutic approaches offered at our clinic.
Aster Wellness Centre is a teaching clinic as well. Every year, they have two student counsellors working in our team. Our students are supervised by the clinic directors, but they have a full counselling network to learn from. It also works out well for those local PoCo residents who are seeking counselling services at a reduced rate, so services become more affordable & accessible for everyone.
Clients have the option to attend in-person sessions or to choose the online/virtual sessions. They are very flexible and leave our meeting-style up to the client’s preference. In light of the current Covid restrictions, they are also happy that our offices are large enough for social-distancing during our counselling sessions; however, clients are required to wear a mask when entering the clinic and when waiting in the waiting room.
They have an awesome online booking system that is super quick and easy, which alleviates the stress of booking sessions. Check it out at www.asterwellness.ca