WE ARE REGISTERED CLINICAL COUNSELLORS IN LANGLEY, BC
Our Story
Back in 2000 Best Marriages & Affinity Counselling Services (Est. 1991) joined forces to provide a variety of choices for counsellors because everyone loves choice. Have you ever been to an ice cream shop with only one flavour. Talk about disappointing. We know counselling is such a personal thing and people are all so different. We can provide you with the best counsellors and highest specialized relationship certification available. Regardless of whom you choose, you will be getting a veteran counsellor that is highly respected in their field and is constantly upgrading to provide the latest treatment modalities.
Lawrence Stoyanowski, M.Sc., M.F.T., R.C.C., C.G.T.
Lawrence has been practicing marriage and family, and individual therapy since 1991, after receiving his degree from one of the top 5 Marriage and Family Therapy Programs in the world, Loma Linda University. He is co-owner of Bestmarriages.com and Affinity Counseling Services and co-founder of Lighthouse Therapeutic Services.
After being certified in the Gottman Method of Couples Therapy it became a passion of his to use this approach with clients to help integrate the principles and skills into their relationships. He has been described by clients as being straight forward, vibrant, energetic, and action-orientated. He creates a positive, comfortable, and humour-filled, environment which is conducive to learning. He finds it so gratifying to see couples and individuals become excited about their lives, relationships, and futures. He offers a wide range of services, which include Marriage and Family Therapy, Communication Skills, Stress Management, Depression and Anxiety Management, Conflict Resolution, Esteem Issues, Collaborative Law Coach and Grief Recovery.
With his experience, he holds a number of titles at The Gottman Institute which include being a Certified Gottman Therapist, Certified Gottman ASL presenter, Level 1,2,3 Gottman Method Trainer, Gottman Consultant and ASL Presenter Trainer. He has been designated as one of only 13 Certified Gottman Therapists in the world who are specifically endorsed by the Gottman Institute to teach level 3, as well as being one of 13 presenters on The Gottman Institute’s Speaker’s Bureau.
He holds a deep commitment and interest in the local community. Through the years he has had the privilege to sit on several boards and committees in the Langley area. He has a strong desire to help people overcome challenges, take control of their lives and realize their full potential.
When not working or being active in the community He enjoys spending time and travelling with his best friends which are his wife and two daughters – and playing golf with his buddies..
Darren Wilk, M.A., R.C.C
Certified Gottman Couples Therapist Darren Wilk, Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and Co-owner of Best Marriages and Affinity counselling agencies, has been working with marriages, individuals and families since 1988. This includes being a foster parent, providing care as a professional parent loving and inspiring children with various challenges. He also is a senior consultant for the Gottman Organization in Canada and regularly presents Gottman Couples Workshops across the Canada and trains other counselors on how to use the Gottman Method of couple’s therapy. Dr. John Gottman is one of the most trusted relationship experts in the World and has written over 40 books and on his 40 years of couples research.
Clients love Darren’s straight forward and down to earth counselling approach. He uses humor, emotional connection and practical education to help couples connect and individuals get back on track.
Darren holds Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Religion and a Master of Arts in Counseling/Psychology. His experience also includes work with the Ministry for Children and Families in Chilliwack, couples communication workshops, addictions counselor in a residential treatment center, Sexual abuse counseling, development and leading of anger management groups, and parenting classes. Recently, he has been having great success working with anxiety and trauma, especially PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome). One of the effective techniques he uses is Called “OEI Observed and Experienced Integration”, which works directly on the brain and quickly helps clear negative thoughts, traumatic memories and overwhelming feelings.
When Darren is not working, he enjoys 4-wheeling, long distance hiking ,camping and playing with his own family, which includes a wife of over 25 years, four children, and two cats.
LaVerna Wilk, M.C., R.C.C.
LaVerna Wilk, MC, RCC, builds champions and helps people experience freedom in their lives every chance she gets. She has worked with families, couples and individuals since 1988. As a therapist she has helped people step out of their rut and move on to experience the life they want. She is a Certified Gottman Couples Therapist, teaching tools so that they can move out of gridlock and begin to feel movement with their perpetual issues without hurting each other.
LaVerna also specializes in working with individuals who have experienced trauma and anxiety. She is certified and experienced as a trauma therapist for people struggling with depression, anxieties, sleep difficulties, adult ADD/ADHD, panic, stress management, racing thoughts, etc.
La Verna connects well with those she meets because she is real and laid back. She brings energy to her work by helping people give up wishing for a better past and reach for what they want most for themselves. She has presented couples workshops, personality workshops, anger management groups and run parenting groups, focusing on attachment issues as well as a variety of other parenting issues. La Verna holds a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Religion and a Master of Counselling. She is a wife of more than 25 years and has been a parent for 20 years. She enjoys outdoor activities, wheeling, meaningful friendships and has a huge capacity for entertainment of many types.
“She creates opportunities for people to feel like champions, changing the world one heart at a time.”
Duncan O’Mahoney M.A., M.P.C., C.C.C.
Duncan is an Irish born Canadian citizen. He grew up on three continents as his family moved in search of a better life and opportunities. As a senior in high school he had his first encounter with kicking a football, this combined with a special coach who helped accommodate his schedule opened the door to play collegiate soccer and university football.
It was not soon thereafter that soccer was left behind for kicking and punting a football. After a stellar career with the UBC Thunderbirds, Duncan was selected 14th overall in the Canadian Football League draft and went on to play 7 years of professional sports. During these years he was an all-star and played in 2 Grey Cups, winning 1 in 2001, and garnished several team awards and league nominations.
After professional sports, Duncan transitioned his life by completing further education and graduate training in both counselling and sports psychology. He is a performance specialist who has a passion for helping people overcome obstacles in their lives that maintain the struggle within. Duncan is a cognitive therapist, who pulls in an emotion focused lens. He has an ability to connect with people with where they are in life. His style is empathetic while maintaining a pragmatic approach.
Duncan has worked with children, youth and parents in both the public and private sector. His draw to couples’ therapy has spawn out of his work with youth. Having had the task of supporting so many youths with parental discord, he wanted to move up stream and shift his focus to supporting couples. After going to an Art and Science of Love workshop in Seattle with his wife, he was sold on the Gottman method. This motivated him to receive his Gottman Level 1 & 2 training.
Duncan believes that men are reluctant to enter therapy and that some may feel inadequate in relationships which can lead to feeling negative emotional states. Other men believe that asking for help can be perceived as shameful or a sign of weakness. Duncan wants to help create an environment that is supportive, non-judgemental and encouraging for couples to help move past the wounds to a safe and comfortable place.