Nazma Kassam
B.A,. B.S.W, M.S.W.
“You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestation of your own blessings.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert
“Wherever you go, there you are.” This was something my dad used to say to us often. It never meant much to me until later years when it struck me how true this statement actually is. We can run away, travel to far away places, we can try to escape and numb ourselves in all sorts of ways, but in the end we are still and always stuck with ourselves. What I know today is that learning to love and accept our imperfect selves is an important and lifelong task. Once we learn this we can stay or go, we can sit alone or with others and it doesn’t matter because that elusive peace we were constantly chasing is actually within each of us.
I come to you with 20 years of working in this field. I have both formal education and practical experience. I believe it is this along with a weaving of my personal story that make me so passionate about this work. I have taken numerous courses and workshops through the years and I remain committed to ongoing professional development. I am registered with the BC College of Social Workers, as well as a longstanding and committed employee at the Ministry for Children and Family Development.
After I graduated high school I attended the University of British Columbia and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. I was young, romantic, and life felt like a poem. I loved escaping into a story, I loved learning of different eras and the timeless human conditions of love and pain.
After graduating from my BA I fell into a job working with vulnerable youth, and this changed my course entirely. I loved this work, and the youth I met that summer touched my heart in a way I hadn’t anticipated. I was appalled by the systemic injustice I suddenly realized existed everywhere. This catapulted into to a Bachelor of Social Work degree and here began a lifelong commitment to working with individuals and families struggling with cultural and deep rooted issues of addiction, abuse, poverty, oppression. In 1998 I completed my Masters in Social Work at the University of Toronto. I worked for the Office of Child and Youth Advocate in Ontario, and then returned to Vancouver to spend the next years working with children, teens and families in a variety of capacities.
After I completed my MSW and returned home I was hit with my own struggles. I tried to mask it but the work I was doing was raw and real, and unhealed issues from my own childhood started coming up. I felt lost and stuck, and I slipped into a dark place. I sought professional help. I worked hard at accepting and then healing my own pain and trauma. It was an excruciating few years but once I came out I had a joy and gratitude for life much richer than before. I found that by understanding myself and accepting my own history I was able to move forward in my life in a more honest and thoughtful way. I found new meaning in my work, realizing that I could have a deeper sense of other people’s pains having gone through my own. I learned that if we wanted to live a full life of love and connection we need to be open to the range of emotions and heartache this will bring.
- 20 Years of Experience
- Registered with BC College of Social Workers
Today I live in Vancouver with my husband and our 2 children. I continue to work in both the public and the private sector with children, youth and families. I believe in a holistic approach to wellness, for myself and for my clients. I work regularly to maintain my own physical, spiritual and emotional health because I believe that in order to help others I need to be healthy too.
In my practice today I use a combination of narrative therapy, Emotionally Focussed Therapy (EFT) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). I believe in a systems framework and attachment theory, and I counsel from these perspectives. I know that life is not devoid of stress or hardship and that there is no magic pill to happiness. But if we learn how to sit in the uncertainty and the vulnerability then we get to experience all that life brings. I bring this learning and my own story into my practice today.
Ever since I can remember I have loved stories. I was never a science fiction or fantasy reader, I loved the stories of real people in their real lives. I suppose that is the seed inside of me that never wavered, and to this day, I want to listen to your story. I believe that we narrate our stories in the way we remember them, and as your story unfolds there can be healing, reframing, releasing. We cannot change our past but we can change how we wish to move forward.
Most important to me is for you to feel safe to share what is happening for you. You are the brave individual who has found the courage to ask for help. I offer you my time and my commitment to listen, to be with you as you tell me your story, and allow your emotions to move through you as needed. Together we will work to get you to a place of self awareness and find you some peace. I believe we walk through this world at times so heavy and lost. I would like to unpack the burden with you so you can walk with more ease and grace. I was afforded this gift many years ago, and it is my greatest privilege to help you to also to unlock this gift that I believe exists in every one of us.
Testimonials
What our clients are saying
“I did not think my husband would ever stop drinking, and our life felt like a nightmare at the beginning of COVID I honestly felt so done. I called Nazma when I was at the end of my rope, and she asked if she could meet with both of us. Something about her gave us both hope and my husband agreed to start talking to her weekly. He now is 7 months sober and it is like I have a new partner. She was able to make him understand that the alcohol was ruining his life in a way that he could finally hear it. He is happier now and so am I!”
604-338-2404
I would love to hear from you
Connect with Nazma
Available by appointment only, Nazma has 2 locations, Burnaby and Vancouver and can book appointments to fit your schedule. Reach out to book your session or if you have any further questions.
Contact Details
- Burnaby & Vancouver Offices
- 604-338-2404
- nazma.kassam@gmail.com
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