Brian Dean Williams - Registered Clinical Counsellor

08/22/2025

Hi all,

Hope you've had a great summer as I have. As autumn starts to set in, I'm starting to plan out my training and speaking schedule.

Want to let you know that I'm available for workshops for your team, to increase their skill, performance, and wellbeing. I'm also stepping more and more into public speaking, and have delivered a number of keynotes this past year that have been well-received.

Topics can be customized for your event or organization, past themes have included:
- healthy masculinities and supporting men's mental health for stronger communities (see a podcast on this topic here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIssb8H8FCM&ab_channel=Dr.ChrisHoff )
- narrative therapy and changing the story we are living through
- collective care and mindfulness as a pathway to workplace wellness

Here are some upcoming events I'm collaborating with CMHA on, to give you a sense of what I'm up to:

Recovery: a personal account from the frontlines
https://bc.cmha.ca/events/2025-07-23/

Brief Narrative Interventions in Outreach and Crisis Settings
( you can still register for this one ☝️for free by the way!)
https://bc.cmha.ca/events/brief-narrative-interventions-in-outreach-and-crisis-settings/

If I can help your team or event, please let me know!

cheers,
Brian

07/31/2025

07/21/2025

Heart of Gold

Came across this beauty during golden hour in the rainforest that is our home.

Thanks Joanna Macy for your wisdom and taking a stand for the natural world - may you rest in peace and power. Time for us to carry the torch.

07/18/2025

Hi there frontline community social service workers!

Happy to announce that I'm collaborating with CMHA BC Division to deliver an online talk next Wed July 23rd at noon PST on the topic:

Recovery: a Personal Account From the Front Lines

Free registration here:
https://peopleworkingwellbc.ca/event/community-social-services/recovery-a-personal-accountfrom-the-front-lines/

In this session, I'll offer a heartfelt and honest account of the challenges I've faced in 28 years of frontline service work, how this work has intersected with my personal struggles, and the path I've taken toward healing. This story is hopefully one of resilience, insight, and hope—for myself and for other frontline workers navigating similar experiences.

In the second half of the session, I will share practical strategies that have supported not only my own recovery but also the well-being of dozens of frontline workers who I've guided through therapy, clinical supervision, workshops, and retreats. I’ll introduce a compassionate framework to understand the full spectrum of substance use, and offer tools to respond skillfully—whether supporting ourselves or others.

Hope to see you there!
Brian

06/19/2025

Golden Roots

A program I developed with my friend/colleague and Tsimshian matriarch and traditional healer, Marie Oldfield. This is a workshop where each participant uses art supplies to create an ancestral tree, to identify and separate from the negative things that they are carrying, from who they want to be now. Freeing oneself from unhelpful / inherited patterns, and transforming these into Golden Roots. We source and trace ancestral strengths, and which gifts from our ancestors we want to carry forward in our lives and community. The program ends with a closing ceremony on the final day, an important part of integrating the learnings and healing that the program provides. This was created when we were working in Klemtu, and Marie has gone on to offer it in other villages.

DM me for more details if your organization or community could benefit! Marie can offer this solo or with me as co-facilitator.

Thanks!
Brian

03/09/2025

Incredible weekend at the Strength Within men's wellness gathering on Haida Gwaii. Got to facilitate a session about the Power of Story: Changing the Narrative of Masculinity. Great food, fellowship, music, and ceremony. I came out of the ocean feeling 10lbs lighter. Thanks to Percy and the Gaagagaay men's group for hosting.
Love and solidarity for all these guys doing their best to heal. ✊👊🙏💓✌️

03/03/2025

Loved connecting with Chris Hoff last week, for a podcast episode for The Radical Therapist, on the topic of Men, Masculinities, and Narrative Therapy.

I appreciate being able to take on a tricky and nuanced topic with my gracious colleague.

If you work in therapy with men, or are just curious about what's going on for men, check out this conversation.

https://chrishoffmft.podbean.com/e/the-radical-therapist-134-%e2%80%93-men-masculinities-and-narrative-therapy-w-brian-dean-williams/

or shall we say

In episode #134, host Chris Hoff sits down with therapist Brian Dean Williams to explore the complexities of masculinity, mental health, and contemporary dilemmas facing men. Drawing from multiple perspectives on patriarchy, Chris and Brian discuss:🔹 The emotional and relational costs of traditio...

12/10/2024

Separating the Person from the Problem: a Non-Blaming Approach to Complexity in Healthcare

https://youtu.be/z4Gi43HDWzs?feature=shared

In this recent talk, I apply ideas from narrative therapy to assist healthcare managers with intentionally separating people from problems using tools like externalization.

11/29/2024

Fortunate to present yesterday to a group of 70 managers with Vancouver Coastal Health, on the theme of Separating the Person from the Problem, A Non-Blaming Approach to Complexity in Healthcare.

After introducing the concept of separating people from problems, and the practice of externalization to activate this ethic, people broke off into small groups to apply it to a case. This seemed to be a great fit for working with the challenges of leadership in healthcare.

Grateful for all the mentors who shared their knowledge with me over the years, especially those living on the margins who taught me what does, and what does not work, for engagement.

Despite my nerves beforehand, turns out, I love public speaking! If you're looking for some training with impact, please reach out.

11/24/2024

That's a wrap Klemtu! See you in a few weeks. ✌️❤️👊