Nov 10 2025 Julie and Aubrey, a married, queer therapist-team who moved to Nanaimo recently. Ask your questions about therapy licensing, their journey to Vancouver Island, how they've felt here as an openly queer/trans couple, and more!
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Listen to the audio of this session:
aubrey-and-julie.mp3
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The summary below was generated by AI. It may contain errors. Listen to the audio version for the most accurate information.
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TL;DR:
Julie and Aubrey talked about what it was like to move from California to Nanaimo, how spousal sponsorship and counselling licensing worked, and what day-to-day life and work feel like now. They said the move has been overwhelmingly positive, especially in terms of safety, healthcare costs, and raising their child in a calmer environment.
🌍 Who they are and where they were before
- Julie and Aubrey are from the Sacramento area.
- Julie is Canadian by birth because her parents were briefly working in Canada when she was born.
- Aubrey is an LMFT in California and is now a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in BC.
- They planned to open a private practice together and raise their two-year-old, which they have done.
- Their families are still in California, so moving meant leaving long-term roots.
🗳️ Why they moved and how they feel now
- They wanted to leave before the U.S. 2024 election cycle.
- They were concerned about political instability and Project 2025.
- Their families did not fully understand at first but later said the move made sense.
- They have not regretted the move at any point.
- They described the emotional relief as noticeable day to day.
🛂 Immigration pathway and crossing the border
- Because Julie is a Canadian citizen, they used spousal sponsorship for permanent residency.