Virlyn Collantes
Virlyn Collantes is a Registered Social Worker who takes a warm, culturally responsive approach, helping clients shift long-standing patterns and build healthier relationships with themselves and others. She believes healing is a deeply personal journey without a fixed timeline, and that therapy can be a powerful space for reflection, growth, and lasting change. Her own experience with grief has shaped her compassionate understanding of how emotions naturally ebb and flow. Clients can expect a non-judgmental space where their feelings are honored and small shifts are recognized as meaningful progress. She welcomes anyone seeking confidence, clarity, and deeper self-understanding to reach out and begin their journey.
- Challenges individuals face when seeking support — Shaped by my experience as a clinical social worker in research and hospital settings across Chicago, San Diego, and Vancouver
- Importance of empathy and shared experience in healing — Drawn from working with patients navigating chronic illness, trauma, and mental health struggles
- Understanding how the healthcare system impacts care — Informed by hospital-based work with individuals facing significant physical and mental health challenges
- Affirming complex identities in therapy — Including those shaped by illness, cultural differences, or minority status, and the importance of validating these experiences in the therapeutic space
Expertise
Areas of Focus
Therapeutic Frameworks & Approach
Populations Served
Practice Details
Service Offerings & Rates
- Create a space where you feel safe, understood, and supported, no matter what your specific experiences or struggles might be.
- Ground my approach in the belief that therapy is most effective when built on shared humanity and genuine connection.
Insurance & Benefits Coverage
Schedule
In Person Sessions
Virtual Sessions
More Info
Education
Erikson Institute
Master of Social Work, 2021
Tyndale University
Bachelors in Psychology & Health and Human Services, 2017
Certifications
Gottman Institute
Gottman Method Couples Therapy
DBT Centre of Vancouver
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy for Mental Health Professionals