Who, WHy, What, How ?

Who is Aim ?

My name is Aigin Larki, pronounced (Eye-gheen Lar-key) and I am the founder of Aim. I am a registered clinical counsellor, of Turkic Iranian descent, I speak conversational French and Farsi and have lived in Canada since early childhood.

My journey as a therapist began through my interest in Hypnotherapy. My personal experience with hypnosis was transformative and I learned how to provide this experience for others.

I received training in Hypnotherapy through an intensive apprenticeship in 2008 and worked as a hypnotherapist prior to obtaining a BA and Masters degree in Psychology and Counselling.

I am a lifelong learner and continuously growing my knowledge within the field of anthropology, sociology and psychology. Understanding how to help people heal and improve their lives is a passion I enjoy greatly.

I am specifically driven to help people foster meaning, connection, resilience, internal calm and gratitude. These things often lead to greater fulfilment and joy which is a privilege to witness in the people I work with.

Why Therapy?

People seek therapy for various reasons, including but not limited to : anxiety, depression, grief/loss and/or family, friend or relationship issues or unmet expectations.

Some people seek support to process past experiences that negatively impact their present day experiences, others seek support in identifying and envisioning a brighter future.

Therapy can be effective in helping change dynamics in difficult relationships with co-workers, friends, family and romantic partners.  

Although many people seek therapy when they are in challenging periods of their lives; therapy is even more beneficial when things are “OK but not great” and there is no specific crisis.

People who seek therapy when they are in a relatively stable place have the opportunity to explore their inner conflicts and motivations in order to create more meaningful and fulfilling lives.

Regardless of what initially brings someone to therapy, most people in therapy want to live more authentically in accordance with their own unique values and desires.

For a great majority of those who invest in themselves through therapy, doing so leads to greater contentment and ease in their day to day experiences.

What happens in a session?

Therapy may include processing everyday challenges, may focus more on past experiences or might be centred on building a better future.

I’ll be there to help guide you, but where we go, the. pace we take and what is important is really up to you :)

The style of therapy I gravitate towards is Emotion Focused, Solution Oriented, Trauma and Nervous System Informed.

Emotion Focused : This means I believes it’s important to pay attention to our emotional responses. That emotions are messengers telling us things we may not be paying attention to. Emotions are not good or bad, but not understanding them or not knowing how to regulate them can cause distress.

Solution Oriented: This means my goal is to help people no longer need therapy.

I believe we all have internal resources and wisdom to move from problems towards solutions. My task as therapist is to help you reconnect to your internal wisdom, and motivate change through a compassionate therapeutic alliance.

Trauma and Nervous System Informed: I use research backed techniques to help people feel at ease in their bodies and at ease in their lives. Trauma is not what happens to us but rather the experience of feeling alone and unable to feel safe when experiencing something that is overwhelming to our minds and body. Trauma can be a single incident or shock or continued experiences of feeling alone or helpless.

Together we will indentify whether there are small and big traumas in your past, how you may unknowingly continue to be reactive to perceived threats and how to begin to feel calm and safe again in your body and environment.

How does it work?

I employ interventions such as Focusing, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Observed Experiential Integration (OEI), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Bilateral Stimulation, Emotion Freedom Technique (EFT), Mindfulness and Hypnotherapy. 

All interventions are supported by empirical research and utilized at a pace that is suitable to the client and presenting issue.

My goal is to help clients gain greater insight, understanding and compassion for themselves; past, present and future.

In my experience deeper insights gained in a compassionate environment translates to personal empowerment, motivates positive changes and moves people towards greater emotional wellbeing.

Everyone's healing journey is different, and therapy is most helpful when there is a good fit between a client's needs and the therapist’s offerings.

If you are curious or would like to get a better feel for whether we might be a good fit please schedule a consultation call to learn more.

I look forward to connecting with you :)

Credentials / Education

I have a Master's degree in Counselling Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of British Columbia.

I am a member in good standing with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (membership #15256).

I am trained in Clinical Hypnotherapy which I learned through a private apprenticeship and have been practicing hypnotherapy since 2008.

In additions to these credentials I continuously take classes and workshops in various healing modalities.