Brenda Yaari Dyer, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist
Dr. Brenda (Yaari) Dyer is a registered psychologist with decades of experience supporting individuals and couples through transitions, challenges and meaningful growth. Originally trained as a high school teacher and college instructor, she taught in England, Portugal, Japan and India before completing her Ph.D. in counselling psychology at the University of British Columbia. She recently retired from teaching in the University of British Columbia’s graduate counselling psychology program, where she enjoyed contributing to the development of new clinicians.
Dr. Dyer brings a warm, steady and deeply empathic presence to her work. She supports clients facing a wide range of emotional, behavioural and relational concerns, including anxiety, panic, OCD‑related symptoms, depression, stress and burnout, trauma, grief and loss, loneliness, attachment challenges, anger, self‑criticism, perfectionism, procrastination, social anxiety, assertiveness and communication difficulties, family‑of‑origin issues and the impacts of abuse or neglect. She also works with clients seeking personal growth, improved self‑esteem and healthier patterns in relationships and daily life.
Her international background helps her connect with clients from diverse cultural and professional contexts, and she works with adults across the lifespan who are navigating identity exploration, career transitions, midlife changes and reflections on aging, meaning and purpose. She has a particular interest in early‑ and mid‑career challenges such as imposter syndrome, perfectionism and work–life balance.
Clients often describe Dr. Dyer as calm, attuned and deeply supportive. She excels in individual therapy, creating a safe, grounded space where clients can explore difficult emotions, understand long‑standing patterns and build new ways of coping and relating. She is committed to helping individuals reduce stress, deepen self‑understanding and create more fulfilling ways of living.
Dr. Dyer is also experienced in helping couples struggling with communication, trust or emotional connection. Dr. Dyer has extensive training in emotionally focused therapy (EFT), an evidence‑based approach known for its robust outcomes, through the Vancouver Couple & Family Institute. She values helping partners understand each other more deeply and strengthen their emotional bond.
Dr. Dyer has completed advanced training in emotionally focused therapies, mindfulness‑based approaches and cognitive behavioural therapy. She is also a certified facilitator of the Mindfulness‑Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program.
At CRUX, Dr. Dyer provides individual therapy and couples therapy online through easy-to-use technologies like Zoom. She works with adults (19 years of age or older). Dr. Dyer is a licensed psychologist registered with the College of Health and Care Professionals of British Columbia. Psychologists who are fully licensed in other Canadian jurisdictions (such as British Columbia) can provide online services to residents of some other provinces. Dr. Dyer works with clients from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. For a copy of Dr. Dyer’s CV, click here.