Meet Our Team

Jason Bains, MACP, RCC, RP (Qualifying) - Founder & Clinical Director

Not accepting new clients

Jason works with individuals, couples, and families in Nanaimo, BC, who are navigating turbulent periods in their lives. His clients often seek support with anxiety, addiction, trauma, relationship struggles, and cultural or family-related concerns. The feedback Jason hears most often is that he is experienced and knowledgeable, and balances compassion and curiosity with a direct approach that helps create meaningful change. Whether something needs to change now or you are ready to explore parts of your life more deeply, you are in the right place.

Jason has worked across residential, community, and private-practice settings. Throughout his career, he has been drawn to approaches that help people understand the roots of their pain, process the wounds they carry, and develop new experiences that can transform how they relate to themselves and others.

For Jason, this work is both professional and personal. His own life has included turbulent periods, and his healing journey helped shape The HUB’s professional values: authenticity, integrity, and honesty. He understands what it is like to feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure of what comes next. He also knows how vulnerable it can be to ask for help—and he does not take that trust lightly.

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Emily Carrick - Clinical Counsellor and CCC Candidate

Emily works with teens and adults navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, major life changes, and overwhelming emotions. She has particular experience supporting people living with PTSD and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). She understands that reaching out for support can be difficult, especially when you are already feeling vulnerable.

Emily brings a collaborative, trauma-informed approach to therapy. Her goal is to meet you where you are, without judgement, and create a space where difficult emotions, experiences, and memories can be explored safely. She draws from approaches including Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and mindfulness.

Having navigated her own healing journey, Emily understands that asking for help can sometimes be one of the hardest parts. She believes you do not have to have everything figured out before coming to therapy. Sometimes you simply need somewhere safe to begin.

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Jaime Baruta, MA, RCC - Registered Clinical Counsellor

Jaime works with adults navigating substance use, process addictions, concurrent disorders, anxiety, depression, grief and loss, relationship concerns, major life transitions, stress, shame, and challenges with self-worth. She also supports clients with anger, codependency, communication, intimacy, parenting, panic, sleep difficulties, and concerns related to gender identity and sexuality.

With more than 15 years of counselling experience, Jaime brings a holistic, client-centred approach to therapy. She understands that substance use, mental health, relationships, and life experiences are often deeply connected. Her goal is to understand the whole person and create a space where clients feel safe, respected, and genuinely understood.

Jaime works collaboratively with each client to identify what may be keeping them stuck, strengthen the tools they already carry, and develop new ways of responding to life’s challenges. At the heart of her work is a belief that meaningful change is possible and that people can emerge from difficult periods with a stronger understanding of themselves and a clearer path forward.

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Mary Stasiuk, MSW, RSW - Therapeutic Social Worker

Starting September 14, 2026

Mary works with individuals, couples, families, and parents navigating anxiety, depression, overwhelm, relationship and family challenges, and periods when life simply feels stuck. She also supports the loved ones of family members struggling with substance use, and the codependency concerns that build up alongside it. She has worked extensively with university students with visible and invisible disabilities and with parents supporting children experiencing mental health challenges, and she is an accredited provider of the Triple P Positive Parenting Program from the University of Queensland.

Mary brings warmth, curiosity, and a practical approach to therapy. She believes meaningful change begins with feeling genuinely heard and understood, while also being willing to look honestly at the patterns and parts of ourselves that may no longer be serving us. Her clients have often shared that they feel listened to and validated in their work with her.

With training in Internal Family Systems (IFS), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Gottman Method approaches, and Mindful Self-Compassion, plus accreditation in the Triple P Positive Parenting Program from the University of Queensland, Mary draws from different approaches based on the person, couple, or family sitting across from her. At the heart of her work is something much simpler: helping people better understand themselves, recognize their strengths, and find a way forward.

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Kuldeep Basi, MA, MACP Candidate - Clinical Counselling Practicum Student

Available early 2027

Kuldeep Basi, MA, MACP Candidate, brings a strong background in education to her developing work as a clinical counsellor in Nanaimo, BC. She holds an undergraduate degree in education and a master’s degree in special education. In her work as a teacher and inclusion support teacher, she has supported children and teenagers with a wide range of learning, emotional, behavioural, and developmental needs.

Kuldeep is currently completing her second master’s degree in counselling psychology and is currently completing her practicum at an alternate site. She plans to start seeing clients through The Counselling HUB in early 2027, offering counselling to youth, teens, and adults.

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