Meet the team at Cinnamon Counselling
Small, intentional, and genuinely invested in your growth. Our team brings clinical expertise, lived experience, and (we're told) a refreshing lack of BS.
Cinnamon Counselling was built on a simple belief: people deserve a therapist who is both clinically skilled and real with them. Not someone who nods along while you talk in circles for 50 minutes. Someone who can hold space for your story and also help you see it more clearly.
Our team is small by design. Every client works with someone who is invested, present, and continuously developing their skills — especially in areas many clinics still avoid.
Aleesa Sutton, RCC (she/they)
Registered Clinical Counsellor | Couples Therapist | Sex Therapist | Discernment Counsellor
Aleesa holds a Master's degree in counselling psychology from Simon Fraser University and is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors.
Her approach draws on evidence-based frameworks — Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), the Gottman Method, and strength-based practice — but she's not a protocol-follower by nature. Sessions are tailored, honest, and tend to get to the point faster than most therapy you've tried before.
Clients often describe Aleesa as warm and collaborative, but also someone who will "call out the BS" in a supportive way. If you've ever left therapy feeling like nothing actually happened, that's not the experience here.
Aleesa specializes in:
- ✓ Couples counselling and relationship therapy
- ✓ Sex therapy (desire differences, intimacy, shame, kink-affirming care)
- ✓ Neurodivergent relationships (ADHD, autism, giftedness)
- ✓ Discernment counselling (should I stay or go?)
- ✓ Collaborative divorce coaching
- ✓ 2SLGBTQIA+ affirming therapy
- ✓ Non-monogamy, polyamory, and ethically non-monogamous relationships
- ✓ Individual work: assertiveness, self-worth, life transitions, anxiety
- ✓ Religious identity and deconstruction
A note on Aleesa's thesis:
Her graduate research focused on sexual challenges experienced by women raised in religious environments — work that shapes her particular skill in helping clients untangle shame, reconnect with their bodies, and move toward a more authentic relationship with their sexuality.
Oliver the Therapy Dog
Therapy Dog | Emotional Support Specialist | Chief Comfort Officer
Oliver is a certified therapy dog who joins Aleesa in sessions. His presence isn't a gimmick — research consistently shows that therapy animals reduce anxiety, lower cortisol, and help clients feel safer opening up.
He's particularly good at sitting next to someone who needs it, and at making people smile when the session gets heavy.
Oliver does not offer direct therapeutic advice, but his support is felt.
Our Values
1Genuinely inclusive
"Welcoming" is easy to say. We back it up: advanced training in 2SLGBTQIA+ affirming care, non-monogamy, kink, neurodivergence, and ongoing professional development to stay current on evolving terminology and practice.
2Evidence-based, not prescriptive
We use what works. EFT, Gottman, strength-based approaches — all shaped around you, not handed to you like a worksheet.
3Honest partnership
Therapy should feel like a real conversation. We'll challenge you when something isn't serving you. We'll also check in consistently to make sure sessions are working.
4Fit matters
If you try Cinnamon and it's not the right match, we'll help you find someone who is. Your positive experience with therapy matters more to us than the booking.
Ready to meet us?
Book a free 15-minute consultation to see if Cinnamon is the right fit.
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