Danielle Lambrecht owner of Island of HOPE Counselling Services

05/07/2026

For all people who are clean from drugs know that you are more vulnerable to overdose. Your body for one is not use to processing drugs as it was (tolerance) but no one knows what you’re actually buying or using. Yes, you know your drug dealer really well but you don’t know your dealers dealer and that dealers dealer and the kingpin. So if you feel the urge to use make sure you have a friend with you that’s not high and narcan so if you overdose from accidental poisoning you have a higher chance to be saved by Narcan to reverse the symptoms.

Part of addiction is the relapse-the brain and body fighting the urge. If you don’t want to call your sponsor, parent, sibling because you don’t want anyone to try to talk you out of it-grab a friend who won’t use and always carry narcan. No one wants to die, usually, so it’s an accidental drug poisoning, because there’s co***ne, m**a, car fentanyl, barbiturates—-an overload of poison. You don’t know what’s in it!!

05/05/2026

People who struggle with Complex Post-Traumatic Trauma can heal their symptoms. Not only can they heal but they can find new meaning from their experiences in order to live in a different way prior to the trauma. Post-traumatic growth is a regenerative process whereby we can all learn new ways of living our lives despite the complex trauma. You will never forget but you can move on!! Groups focusing on PTG will be coming in the Fall of 2026. I will keep you updated.

04/26/2026

I work with people who live with complex PTSD. Many have spent years and even decades healing. As a therapist I would like us to imagine we can take it one beautiful step forward. To living a life with still some symptoms but most of our life day to day is free of rumination, anxiety, triggers, etc. How is that possible? Well I believe we can do this together by attending a group series which I’ll be facilitating at my home office. You’ve done so much of the work yourselves already, and to know there is a new place we can live from a place after the complex trauma. We can start by attending….

The first series, which is called: Cultivating a Deeper Appreciation for Life.

It is a 4 week consecutive program. You will receive a workbook which is your companion on a four week journey towards mindfulness, gratitude, connection, and intentional living.

04/21/2026

We have a Primary Care Network in the Comox Valley. This helps get people connected to GP's and Nurse Practitioners, but did you know we were missing something REALLY BIG. Primary Care Network also has Short-term Counselling Support Services in Coquitlam. I am advocating for our community to get FREE short-term counselling through PCN, which is funded through the BC Health Ministry. Why do we not have this service offered? I have a lot of clients struggling financially, we NEED to have this service added to our PCN. I am asking any counsellors, social workers, psychologist to join me to find out how we can get this service added to the PCN like Coquitlam. Please put your name down if your interested in creating this service/advocating for it. Any other community members please chime in, I am wanting equality of services for our community members too.

04/11/2026

Childhood neglect, abuse, abandonment and more can leave you feeling you are unworthy, unlovable and useless. You can feel your life is one big mistake and you wonder why you’re here. I can relate. That is why I am here to help you learn new ways to understand yourself better, to quit judging yourself or others, and to practice strategies that generates more tolerance of oneselves uniqueness. Child hood trauma doesn’t just disappear because you’re an adult, it actually stays frozen in time and stuck in your body. Did you know that, you might have. But then what do you do with the knowing? Attending my 4 week circle of learning group you will begin a journey of opportunities to tap into your authentic self, and the self that feels damaged by your childhood. Together we feel these different parts in a curious and mindful way, like a student attending a new class. We are all beginners, ready to learn more about our-selves.

Depending on the interest level this will be an in-person group. If there is interest beyond Vancouver island I may have a combination of virtual and in-person as I don’t want to close the door to anyone knocking.

DM if you have the time and commitment of 4 consecutive weeks starting in June. I don’t have the exact date at this time. Will let you know soon 😊

04/06/2026

The clients I am privileged to work with have complex trauma. After loosing my youngest daughter I have complex trauma. I also have a counsellor. I wouldn’t be a counsellor if I didn’t believe it was a valuable service. Some people may believe you can not heal from complex trauma. I do. The workshops I am developing are part of the healing-connecting with other people who struggle with the same issues. We support each other, we get to know what are triggers are, we bear witness to pain others have, and normalize with unconditional care, so each one of us can collectively heal, not alone, but with collective, responsible support. If you’re interested please respond below. The first group I’m developing we be starting in late June 2026.

11/06/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/tiwpQ9bcZe4ibCLt/?mibextid=WC7FNe

"They will call you “crazy” because you are, because you were born with the gift of seeing things differently and that scares them.
They're going to call you “intense” because you are,
because you were born with the value well placed to allow yourself to feel it all fully and that intimidates them.
They're going to call you “selfish” because that's right,
because you found out that you're the most important thing in your life and that doesn't suit them.
You're going to be called in many ways, with many judgments, for a long time, but stay firm on yourself and what you want, and I promise you one day they're going to call you to say, “thank you for existing.”
— Frida Kahlo

08/27/2024

Everyday try and set your intention to inspire just one person

06/14/2024

As a therapist, I help clients reparent their “frozen” inner child. Some inner children are waiting to finally be rescued but instead of a past parent it will be your adult core self. Reparenting can change an insecure to a secure attachment formed between the inner child and the adult you!!

06/13/2024

In my practice I have learned that developmental trauma can create resiliency but as one gets older and incurs more traumatic events their personal window of tolerance gets smaller and smaller~

05/09/2024

From my personal family experience~Not all people who relapse from addictions reach out for help. Why?
1. Fear of asking for help, possible rejection.
2. Use to helping others, and finds it very difficult to ask for themselves.
3. Worried that others who are not in addiction or are clean and sober may judge them for relapsing.
4. Trying to protect the ones they love from more trauma because of another relapse.
5. Not wanting to stop the relapse and not wanting anyone to intervene.
6. Feeling so shameful about the relapse the only solace from the shame is to hide it, and numb the pain.

These are but some of the reasons why people “don’t” reach out and get help when they do need it.

If you’ve lost a family member, friend, your own child, a sponsee, roommate, to drug poisoning the worse thing to do is post the answer to relapse as a simple problem that is fixed if only the addict reached out. They should have reached out!! It feels like blaming and shaming not only the addict but those left behind in grief. It may not be intentional by no means and I do agree that if you feel like your going to relapse call your family, sponsor, a friend but this is more of a message for those who loved the addict and believed the easy answer of reaching out is easy but it’s NOT. Maybe for some it is easy, but it is not for everyone.
Please don’t expect people will or can reach out even when they want or need to. If you know someone is showing signs of relapsing-withdrawing from family and friends, going to less and less meetings, not engaging in their regular routines, is dealing with new or old problems that have been re-triggered, know less likely to reach out (see above reason’s), crying/sad more days than not. Can you please take the time to reach out to them, even if they don’t answer the first phone call or text? Please keep trying and don’t give up on them, or think it’s best to leave them alone.

Remember some have a hard time reaching out, instead of expecting them, how about you remember these reasons and know that everyone isn’t the same and some may have a harder time. Some people may fall through societal expectations of others (just reach out) causing missed opportunities of letting those who are hurting and may be relapsing, that you are there for them no matter what. I’m not saying this changes any outcomes at all, I’m saying stop believing if a person needs me they will come to me, ITS not a fact at all.

Sharing my Lived experiences~