Hi, I’m Elise,

I grew up in Belgium with a mother who was one of the most extraordinary people I have ever known. A thalidomide survivor, she spent her life fighting fiercely for justice for herself and for others. She taught me, simply by being who she was, that strength lives in uniqueness and that the most radical thing a person can do is refuse to make themselves smaller. She passed away last summer, and I lost my hero. But everything I am building here carries her in it.

I came to this work through my own journey too. Through anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and body dysmorphia, and through the slow, non-linear process of finding my way back to myself. I learned that talking is only part of the story, and that the body holds what words sometimes cannot reach. Before retraining as a counsellor, I worked as a creative director and photographer for an inclusive lingerie brand, accompanying women of every age, size, and background as they encountered themselves, sometimes for the very first time. Watching someone reclaim their self-image and their right to take up space was transformative. A burnout later, it became my calling.

I immigrated to Vancouver from Belgium in 2018, and I am currently completing my practicum toward registration with the ACCT, with additional training in somatic work and breathwork. I speak French and English and work with individuals and couples across British Columbia.

I built Amae because I believe that being truly received — without condition, without having to translate yourself — is what makes healing possible. I built the space I once needed. And I would be honoured to share it with you.