Vidushi Soni

Meet Vidushi Soni: Parts Work, Body Wisdom and Self-Acceptance

Vidushi Soni is a Registered Clinical Counsellor at Thrive Downtown who helps you get curious about the different parts of yourself instead of fighting them. If the painful loops Vidushi describes above sound familiar, this guide explains the ideas behind the work, who Vidushi supports, and how you can take a first, low-pressure step.

The Carl Rogers Paradox at the Heart of Vidushi Soni’s Work

The quote at the top of this page comes from Carl Rogers, the psychologist who founded person-centred therapy. His “curious paradox” is that change tends to become possible when you stop attacking yourself for needing it. That idea runs through everything Vidushi offers, from gentle parts work to body-based regulation.

Three conditions Rogers believed help people grow

• Unconditional positive regard: being accepted as a whole person, including the parts you usually hide.
• Accurate empathy: a counsellor who works hard to understand your experience from the inside, not from a textbook.
• Genuineness: a real human in the room, not a blank screen or an expert handing down verdicts.

Person-centred counselling trusts that you are the expert on your own life. In practice, that means Vidushi is unlikely to push you toward a fixed idea of who you should be. As the bio above puts it, the goal is not becoming a completely different person, but feeling more connected to the person you already are.

What self-acceptance does not mean

Acceptance is sometimes mistaken for giving up or excusing harm. In person-centred work it means something closer to honesty: seeing clearly where you are, without contempt, so you can decide where to go. You can accept that a part of you drinks too much coffee to stay awake, snaps under stress or avoids hard conversations, and still want to change it. Acceptance simply takes away the extra layer of shame that tends to keep people frozen.

Internal Family Systems with Vidushi Soni

Internal Family Systems, or IFS, was developed by Richard Schwartz. It suggests that the mind is naturally made up of many parts, each with its own feelings, beliefs and job. Vidushi describes the approach on this page as IFS-informed, meaning IFS ideas and practices shape the work alongside other methods. The IFS Institute offers an accessible overview of the model.

Protectors and exiles

In IFS language, some parts act as protectors. Planner parts try to keep life under control through perfectionism, people pleasing or overthinking. Other protective parts jump in during emotional emergencies with numbing, shutting down or distraction. Both are usually trying to keep more vulnerable parts, sometimes called exiles, from feeling old hurt, fear or abandonment again.

The steady centre IFS calls Self

IFS also describes a core Self that is not damaged by what happened to you. Its qualities are often summarized as calm, curiosity, compassion, confidence, courage, clarity, creativity and connectedness. Many people find it a relief to learn that underneath the anxious or exhausted parts, this steadier presence is still there.

What a parts conversation might sound like

• “Which part of you is loudest right now?”
• “Where do you notice that part in your body?”
• “What is that part afraid would happen if it stopped working so hard?”
• “How do you feel toward that part as you notice it?”
• “What might that part need from you today?”

These questions are invitations, not tests. You can go at your own pace, skip anything that feels like too much, and simply describe what you notice. Parts work often feels surprisingly practical once you try it.

Body-Based, Polyvagal-Informed Counselling

Vidushi describes the work as body-based, and lists a polyvagal, trauma-informed approach. Polyvagal theory, developed by Stephen Porges, offers a way to understand how the nervous system shifts between feeling safe and connected, mobilizing for fight or flight, and shutting down. Researchers still debate some of the theory’s physiology, but many therapists and clients find its focus on safety and regulation practical and validating.

Signs your nervous system may be in protection mode

• Racing thoughts, a tight chest or feeling constantly on alert
• Snapping at people you love, then feeling guilty
• Going numb, foggy or flat when things get to be too much
• Struggling to rest even when you finally have time
• Feeling safe with some people and instantly guarded with others

Small practices that can support regulation

Body-based counselling often includes simple, repeatable practices. You might try slowly looking around the room to orient to the present, lengthening your exhale, feeling your feet on the floor, or noticing one thing that feels even slightly okay. None of these are magic fixes, but practised over time, many people find they make stormy moments easier to ride out.

Psychodynamic Therapy: How the Past Shows Up Today

Psychodynamic therapy explores how early relationships and experiences shape the patterns you repeat now, often outside of awareness. Vidushi’s bio talks about understanding not just what caused the hurt, but how it continues to live in your body, relationships, emotions and everyday life. That is the psychodynamic lens in plain language.

• Recurring relationship themes: choosing similar partners or friends, or ending up in the same arguments.
• Protective defences: ways of coping that made sense once but now keep you stuck.
• The therapy relationship itself: noticing, gently and openly, when old feelings come up with your counsellor.

Combined with IFS and body awareness, psychodynamic insight can help you see why a pattern formed and then actually do something different with it.

Who Vidushi Soni Supports

Vidushi Soni works with individuals and couples, and the specialties listed on this page point to several areas of focus.

Abandonment and attachment wounds

Fear of being left can show up as clinging, pulling away first, or constantly scanning for signs of rejection. IFS can help you meet the young parts that learned to expect abandonment and offer them the care they missed.

Abandonment fears often make sense once you see where they started, whether in early caregiving, a painful breakup, a loss or years of feeling emotionally alone. Counselling with Vidushi can help you notice the moment the fear takes over, soothe your body, and respond from a steadier place.

Anxiety, depression, fear, stress and burnout

Overthinking, shutting down and exhaustion are often protective strategies running on overdrive. Counselling can help you understand what they are guarding, while building tools and systems that work for your real life.

ADHD and neurodivergence

Vidushi writes about how hard self-esteem can be hit when life does not feel stable. ADHD-aware counselling focuses on realistic structures, self-compassion and the emotional side of living in a world not built for your brain. See Thrive’s ADHD counselling page, or explore practical tips at ADDitude.

Queer-affirming counselling and identity discovery

Queer-affirming counselling means your sexuality, gender and relationships are respected as they are, never treated as the problem. Identity discovery can also include culture, values and who you want to be next. Qmunity offers additional community resources in BC.

Trauma and PTSD

Trauma-informed work puts safety, choice and pacing first. You do not need to share every detail to begin healing. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.

Women’s issues

Many women carry pressure to hold everything together for everyone else. Counselling can be one place where your own needs, anger, grief and ambitions get full attention.

Women’s issues can include a wide range of experiences, and you decide which ones matter for you. Common themes people bring to counselling include:

• People pleasing and difficulty saying no without guilt
• Invisible mental load at home or at work
• Body image, self-worth and pressure to look or act a certain way
• Relationship patterns that echo family roles
• Cultural and family expectations that clash with your own values

Tools and Systems That Fit the Real You

One line in Vidushi’s bio stands out: the aim is to build tools and systems that actually work for you, not for some unrealistic version of who you think you should be. Insight matters, but so does getting through a Tuesday. Counselling with Vidushi Soni can hold both.

What realistic tools can look like

• Routines with room for bad days: a minimum version of your morning or evening that still counts when energy is low.
• External supports for an ADHD brain: visual reminders, timers, body doubling or simplified systems, chosen because they suit you rather than because someone said you should.
• Early warning signs: learning the first cues that a protective part is taking over, so you can respond sooner.
• Repair scripts: a few honest phrases you can use after snapping at someone or shutting down.
• Self-talk that is kind and specific: replacing harsh inner criticism with language a supportive friend might use.

Tools are tested, adjusted and sometimes dropped. If something does not fit, that is information rather than failure. Over time, many clients notice they reach for these supports more naturally, and that the old loops lose some of their grip.

Couples Counselling with Vidushi Soni

Vidushi Soni also offers couples counselling. Relationship struggles often involve protective parts on both sides. One partner’s pursuing part may trigger the other’s withdrawing part, and each sees the other’s protector instead of the hurt underneath it.

• Slowing arguments down enough to notice which parts are speaking
• Recognizing how each nervous system reacts to conflict, from fight to freeze
• Tracing how family history shapes what each person expects from love
• Practising ways to speak for a part rather than from it, such as “a part of me feels scared when…”

The goal is not to decide who is right. It is to help both people feel safe enough to show up more honestly. Read more about couples counselling at Thrive.

Starting Counselling with Vidushi Soni at Thrive

You do not need to have the right words or a clear goal to start. Here is how the process usually unfolds at Thrive Downtown Counselling Centre.

1. Free 15 minute consult: Book a consult and ask for Vidushi directly, or use the contact form and let Thrive match you.
2. A first session focused on safety: you share what brings you in and what you hope might change, at a pace that feels manageable.
3. Shared goals: together you shape a plan that may draw on IFS, body-based regulation, psychodynamic insight or person-centred support.
4. Regular sessions: Thrive offers counselling in person at 470 Granville St. in downtown Vancouver and online by secure video. Ask at your consult which formats Vidushi currently offers.

The Thrive Formula, through a parts lens

• Regulate: helping your nervous system feel safe enough that protective parts can relax a little.
• Reveal: getting to know those parts and the experiences that shaped them.
• Reclaim: living more from Self, with clearer needs, boundaries and choices.

Fees vary by service, and current rates are shown when you book or on the contact page. Vidushi is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, and many extended health plans reimburse RCC counselling, so check your plan. To compare counsellors, browse our team.

Vidushi Soni FAQ

What does IFS-informed counselling mean?

It means Vidushi draws on Internal Family Systems ideas, such as getting to know protective and vulnerable parts, while also using other approaches like psychodynamic and person-centred therapy.

Do I have to talk about trauma right away?

No. Trauma-informed counselling lets you set the pace. Many people spend early sessions building safety and understanding their protective parts before going deeper.

Does Vidushi Soni see couples?

Yes. This page lists both individual and couples counselling.

Is Vidushi’s counselling queer-affirming?

Yes. Queer-affirming counselling is one of the specialties listed on this page.

Is Vidushi Soni a registered counsellor?

Yes. Vidushi is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, #28401 with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors, and holds an MA in Counselling Psychology from Adler University.

What if I am not sure parts work is for me?

That is completely fine. Bring your doubts to the free consult. Parts language is a tool, not a requirement, and your preferences shape how the sessions work.

Can I mix in-person and online sessions?

Thrive clients can combine sessions at 470 Granville St. with online sessions by secure video. Confirm the options available with Vidushi during your consult.

How might I feel after a session?

It varies. Some sessions leave people feeling lighter, while others stir things up for a day or two as parts get noticed for the first time. Body-based practices can help you settle afterwards, and you can always tell Vidushi what you need more or less of next time.

How long will counselling take?

It varies from person to person. Some people come for a focused stretch of sessions, while others prefer longer-term work. You and Vidushi can revisit the pace and goals together at any point.

Take the First Step with Vidushi Soni

Every part of you is welcome here, including the part that is unsure about reaching out. You make sense, you are not broken, and connection heals. Book your free 15 minute consult to connect with Vidushi Soni, or call Thrive at 604-227-0297 to ask a question first.