Dr. Samuel Ezzatilord is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and doctor offering bilingual Farsi and English therapy in Vancouver. He provides culturally informed counselling for Iranian, Persian, and Farsi-speaking individuals, couples, and families — with deep understanding of the unique stressors facing the Iranian-Canadian community.
Sessions are available in Farsi (Persian), English, and Kurdish, in person in downtown Vancouver and online across British Columbia.
Why Farsi-Speaking Therapy Matters
Finding a therapist who speaks your language — literally and culturally — makes a profound difference. Many Iranian Canadians carry the weight of immigration trauma, cultural stigma around mental health (آبرو), generational conflict between traditional values and Canadian life, and grief for family left behind. These experiences are rarely understood by therapists who lack cultural context.
Dr. Samuel works with:
- Immigration and settlement stress — adjusting to life in Canada, identity conflicts, loss of status and community
- Trauma and PTSD — including trauma related to political persecution, war, or forced migration
- Anxiety and depression — including culturally specific expressions and presentations
- Family and couples conflict — navigating different generational and cultural values within Iranian-Canadian families
- ADHD and neurofeedback — including culturally sensitive assessment and brain-based treatment
- Grief and loss — including long-distance grief for parents and family overseas
- Bicultural identity — navigating Iranian and Canadian identity, belonging, and shame
- Men’s mental health — providing a safe space for Iranian men who face cultural barriers to seeking help
About Dr. Samuel
Dr. Samuel Ezzatilord holds a Doctorate in Health Sciences and a post-doctoral Master’s in Counselling Psychology. 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). He also serves as a Senior Mental Health Counsellor with a BC health authority.
As an Iranian-Canadian himself, Dr. Samuel brings both professional expertise and lived cultural understanding to his practice. He understands the shame and stigma that often surround mental health in Iranian communities, and works to create a space where clients feel truly seen — without judgment, and without the fear that their struggles will define them in their community.
Therapy Approaches Used
Dr. Samuel integrates evidence-based approaches tailored to each client’s needs and cultural background:
- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) — for trauma and PTSD
- CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) — for anxiety, depression, and negative thought patterns
- Neurofeedback — a non-medication brain-based treatment for ADHD, trauma, anxiety, and sleep
- Somatic and body-based therapy — addressing how trauma lives in the body
- Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) — for couples work and attachment
- Culturally informed and narrative therapy — honoring your story, values, and identity
Serving the Iranian-Canadian Community in Vancouver
Vancouver is home to one of the largest Iranian diaspora communities in North America. Despite this, Farsi-speaking mental health professionals remain scarce — and those with doctoral-level training and neurofeedback specialization even rarer. Dr. Samuel’s practice bridges this gap, offering the full spectrum of mental health services in Farsi to the Iranian, Persian, Afghani, and Kurdish communities of Metro Vancouver.
Many clients find this page by searching for an Iranian therapist in Vancouver rather than a Farsi-speaking one — and the difference matters. Language is only part of it: what shapes the work is lived familiarity with migration grief, the generational gap between parents raised in Iran and children raised in Canada, and the weight of aabroo when asking for help. Sessions run in Farsi, English, or both — whichever language your story lives in.
Dr. Samuel is affiliated with:
- BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC)
- Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA)
- BC Health Authority
- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
- Shifa Therapy Network
- Sun Life Lumino Health
- FNHA (First Nations Health Authority) provider
- ICBC provider
Insurance and Coverage
Many extended health benefit plans cover Registered Clinical Counsellors. Dr. Samuel direct-bills Sun Life, ICBC, FNHA, and Shifa Therapy. Receipts are provided for all other insurers. Please contact us to confirm your coverage before your first session.
Book a Free Consultation
Dr. Samuel offers a free 20-minute phone consultation — in Farsi or English — to discuss your needs and whether his approach is the right fit. There is no obligation and no commitment. Call, text, or WhatsApp directly: 604-721-0604.
Located at Suite 1300, 1500 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC — with online sessions available across BC.
Request a free call back online →
Related Services
Dr. Samuel offers the following services in English and Farsi: individual therapy, couples and family therapy, neurofeedback therapy, EMDR therapy, ADHD therapy, and trauma therapy. For Iranian-Canadian specific resources: stigma and âbroo, bicultural identity, and therapy confidentiality for Iranian Canadians.