Meet Gillian
Speaker · Social Worker · Relational Educator
Gillian Gish, MSW, RSW, is a registered social worker, speaker, and relational educator with over 15 years of experience supporting people through life transitions. She is registered in British Columbia and Ontario.
Through her private practice, Elevation Counselling Services, she supports people navigating trauma, loss, relationship challenges, and major life changes, with a particular focus on military members, veterans, and their families.
Starting a therapy practice through connections made in a knitting store and a yoga studio shaped her belief in the power of relationships, and inspired Reconnection Academy. Gillian brings warmth, humour, and real opportunities to practise to every talk.
Keynotes
Story-driven keynotes for conferences, community events, and podcasts, full of warmth, humour, and hard-won lessons.
How I Started My Therapy Practice in a Knitting Store and a Yoga Studio
A military posting, a spouse’s deployment, and a walk down Main Street. Gillian’s story of building a practice and a sense of belonging, and what it taught her about reaching out and accepting support.
Who You Build With Matters: Love That Makes Room for You
The partner you choose shapes more than your love life. Explore how mutual support, everyday trust, and shared responsibility create a life you don’t have to carry alone.
The Pilot, the Accountant, and the Cable Guy: Life and Love the Long Way There
Part storytelling, part stand-up. Gillian shares the funny, honest lessons she learned finding life and love the long way around, and what they reveal about trust, choice, and knowing your worth.
Interactive Workshops
Hands-on, interactive workshops where your group practises the skills together. Every workshop can be tailored to your audience, online or in person.
Trust Is a Pattern, Not a Feeling
Trust develops through what we do consistently. Explore the everyday behaviours that build or erode trust, and how to recognize reliability, accountability, and follow-through at home and at work.
Boundaries Aren’t Distance. They’re Direction.
Clear boundaries help people understand our needs and limits. Practical ways to communicate boundaries, navigate the discomfort of holding them, and stay connected without overextending.
The Relationships That Drain Us, and Those That Renew Us
A guided reflection to notice which interactions leave us supported and which leave us depleted, and to choose one small change toward more nourishing connection at home, at work, or with friends.