About Dr. Samuel

I’m Samuel Ezzatilord, PhD, RCC, CCC, LMCC. I’ve spent most of my working life sitting with people in the worst weeks of their lives — and one of the things I’ve learned is that what actually helps is rarely complicated.

How I got here

I started out as a public health officer in southern Iran in 1999. My first project was setting up the first harm-reduction program in a deeply conservative region, and then a confidential sexual health service for women and adolescents living with the consequences of honor-based violence. I learned early that the most important clinical work often happens outside the clinic.

For nine years after that I worked in Veterans’ care in Tehran, with men who had survived chemical warfare. Most carried disabling injuries to their lungs, their skin, and their minds. What I learned in those rooms is that you cannot treat a wounded person in isolation from their family. The trauma reaches everyone they love, and unless you treat the household, the veteran’s recovery doesn’t last. That insight has shaped every clinic I’ve worked in since.

Then came twelve years with the Red Crescent in refugee camps across Kurdistan and Golestan. The people I sat with had lost homes, countries, languages, and sometimes whole families. They taught me that healing has to fit the person — not the other way around. I began weaving Sufi devotional practice, traditional music, and family ceremony into the standard psychiatric care, because the standard care alone wasn’t reaching them.

In 2022 I came to Vancouver and joined TWC Addiction Rehabilitation, working with people whose addiction had cost them almost everything. I introduced SMART Recovery as an alternative for clients who couldn’t find a home in 12-step programming, and I learned from Indigenous colleagues to integrate smudging, drumming, and ceremony into the work. The Mi’kmaq concept of Two-Eyed Seeing — looking with one eye through traditional knowledge and one through evidence-based practice — has shaped how I work ever since.

Since 2024 I’ve been a Mental Health & Substance Use Clinician at BC Health Authority in Burnaby. Most weeks I’m in conversation with eight psychiatrists about cases that are difficult, complex, and don’t have one right answer. I also have a private practice — that’s what you’ve found here.

What that means for you

I won’t be shocked by what you bring me. I’ve sat with chemical warfare veterans, refugee families, people in active addiction, people whose suffering had no language even they could give it. Whatever you’re carrying, I’ve probably been close to it before.

I understand what it costs to seek help, especially if you come from a community where therapy isn’t a word people say out loud. As an Iranian-Canadian clinician working in both English and Farsi, I’ve sat with that hesitation many, many times.

I take family seriously. If your pain involves the people you love, we will talk about them too.

I think trauma lives in the body, not just the story. That’s why I offer neurofeedback alongside therapy — sometimes the nervous system needs its own kind of help.

I work with what’s evidence-based, but I don’t pretend the evidence covers everything. There are practices from older traditions — Indigenous, Sufi, family-systemic — that I bring in when they serve the person in front of me.

Credentials

Doctorate in Health Sciences, verified in Canada and the USA (LMCC & FSMB)

Post-doctoral Master’s in Counselling Psychology

Currently working at BC Health Authority as a senior Mental Health & Substance Use Clinician, and as a doctor at the International Federation of Red Cross / Red Crescent Societies

Languages

English · فارسی · Kurdish

What I work with

Trauma and PTSD, anxiety, depression, substance use and recovery, cultural identity and immigration, family and intergenerational trauma, couples and family dynamics, neurofeedback for focus, sleep, and emotional regulation.

Looking for a Farsi-speaking therapist in Vancouver? Dr. Samuel offers bilingual English and Farsi counselling, couples therapy, and neurofeedback.

If you are part of the Iranian community in Vancouver, see our dedicated page on counselling for Iranian-Canadians in Vancouver.

Services include EMDR therapy, ADHD therapy, and trauma counselling in Vancouver, available in English and Farsi.

Credentials & Professional Qualifications

Dr. Samuel Ezzatilord, PhD, RCC, CCC, LMCC holds a Doctorate in Health Sciences (DHSc), a designation reflecting advanced academic training in health systems, clinical practice, and research methodology. He is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) and a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) — Canada’s two highest professional designations for counsellors.

Designations

• DHSc — Doctorate in Health Sciences
• RCC — Registered Clinical Counsellor, BCACC (BC Association of Clinical Counsellors)
• CCC — Canadian Certified Counsellor, CCPA (Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association)

Clinical Training & Specializations

Dr. Samuel is trained in neurofeedback (qEEG-guided brainwave regulation), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for trauma and PTSD, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples, and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) skills. He integrates SMART Recovery alongside traditional models of addiction treatment.

Languages

Dr. Samuel offers therapy in both English and Farsi (Persian). Fluency in both languages allows him to work with Iranian-Canadian clients in whichever language they find most natural — particularly valuable for clients who process trauma, grief, or family conflict more authentically in their first language.

Professional Affiliations

• BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC)
• Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA)
• Mental Health & Substance Use Clinician — BC Health Authority, Burnaby

Areas of Clinical Focus

Dr. Samuel’s private practice in Vancouver specializes in:

• Trauma and PTSD — including complex trauma, war-related trauma, and intergenerational trauma in Iranian-Canadian families
• Neurofeedback therapy — for anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, sleep disorders, and peak performance
• ADHD in adults — diagnosis support, cognitive coaching, and neurofeedback protocols
• EMDR therapy — for single-incident trauma and complex PTSD
• Iranian and immigrant community mental health — culturally attuned counselling that respects family honour (âbroo), faith, and bicultural identity
• Couples and family therapy — Emotionally Focused Therapy, conflict resolution, and communication
• Addiction and substance use — SMART Recovery, harm reduction, relapse prevention

And no — your problem doesn’t need to be a crisis to belong here. Most of the people Samuel sees are simply tired, stuck, or quietly carrying something heavy.

Fees and expenses are covered by ICBC, CVAP, FNHA, IFHP, RCMP, VAC, and most other insurers, and direct billing is available.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dr. Samuel

Is Dr. Samuel a licensed therapist in BC?

Yes. Dr. Samuel Ezzatilord, PhD, RCC, CCC, LMCC is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) registered with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC), which is the recognized professional body for clinical counsellors in British Columbia. His registration can be verified directly through BCACC.

Does Dr. Samuel speak Farsi?

Yes. Dr. Samuel is a native Farsi speaker and offers therapy in Farsi and English. He has lived and worked in Iran and Canada, giving him cultural fluency as well as language fluency — an important distinction for Iranian-Canadian clients navigating bicultural identity, family dynamics, and stigma around mental health.

What does DHSc mean?

DHSc stands for Doctorate in Health Sciences — a professional doctorate focused on applied clinical research and health systems, distinct from a PhD. It represents doctoral-level academic training beyond a master’s degree in counselling or psychology.

What is the difference between RCC and CCC?

RCC (Registered Clinical Counsellor) is the provincial designation awarded by the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors and is the standard for practising clinical counsellors in British Columbia. CCC (Canadian Certified Counsellor) is the national designation from the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. Holding both designations confirms that Dr. Samuel meets the highest professional standards at both the provincial and national level.