Supporting You Through Life’s Unexpected Challenges
Helping you navigate life’s challenges with compassion, understanding, and a path toward healing and growth.
Hi, I’m Kirsten!
I’m a Registered Clinical Counsellor based in Coquitlam, BC, and I’m known for bringing warmth, compassion, and a sense of humour into my work. I believe counselling can hold space for the difficult things while still leaving room for laughter, connection, and moments of joy.
When I’m not counselling, you’ll often find me reading a good book, walking in nature, or finding other ways to slow down and recharge. Taking care of my own wellbeing is important to me, and I believe that the way we care for ourselves can shape the way we show up in our lives and relationships.
I’m genuinely interested in each person’s story. My priority is to create a calm, kind, and trusting space where you feel heard, seen, and understood. You don't have to arrive with everything figured out. We can start wherever you are.
My own experiences have also shaped the way I understand this work. Growing up, I saw how patterns passed down through generations can teach us to keep struggles hidden or simply carry on without talking about what we're experiencing. Over time, I came to understand how these patterns can affect the way we relate to ourselves, our emotions, our relationships, and our lives.
My experience with unexpected childlessness has also given me a deeply personal understanding of the grief and uncertainty that can come when fertility hopes don't unfold as expected. I know that this kind of loss can affect much more than the hope of having a child. It can touch identity, relationships, plans for the future, and our sense of where we belong in the world.
These experiences, together with my professional training and passion for this work, have shaped the counsellor I am today. I bring both professional knowledge and lived experience to my work, while recognizing that every person's story is different.
I believe that you can't always change what has happened, but you can change how you move forward. Counselling can offer a space to make sense of what you've been carrying, develop new ways of coping, and find a steadier, more connected way forward.
You can't always choose the path you're given, but you can find your own way forward.
How I Support You
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Areas of Practice
I provide compassionate, personalized 1:1 counselling for adults navigating difficult experiences, transitions, and emotions. I work with people in person in Coquitlam, as well as online or by phone.
Infertility & Unexpected Childlessness
A significant part of my practice is supporting individuals through the emotional complexities of infertility and reproductive loss, including fertility treatment, miscarriage, pregnancy loss, IVF, and unexpected childlessness.
For some, the hardest part comes after treatment ends, when grief, identity shifts, changes in relationships, or uncertainty about what comes next can emerge. Counselling offers a space to process these experiences without judgment and begin finding a way forward that feels more grounded and connected to who you are now.
Other Areas of Practice
I also support individuals experiencing:
• Anxiety and overwhelm
• Trauma and PTSD
• Stress and burnout
• Grief and loss
• Low self-worth
• Anger and difficult emotions
• Relationship challenges
• Personal growth and life transitions
• Other challenges affecting your wellbeingTogether, we may work on coping skills, nervous system regulation, mindfulness and grounding, self-confidence, understanding patterns and core beliefs, processing difficult experiences, and developing new ways of responding to life's challenges.
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Working Together
My personal experiences have shaped the way I approach counselling, but I also recognize that your experience is uniquely yours. I won't tell you how you should feel or what your journey should look like. Instead, we'll work collaboratively to understand what's happening for you and find approaches that feel helpful and manageable.
I take a client-centered, collaborative, trauma-informed, and strength-based approach, drawing from a range of therapeutic practices depending on your needs and what feels like the right fit for you.
My practice is informed by:
• Trauma-informed care
• Client-centered and collaborative approaches
• Strength-based therapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Mindfulness and grounding
• Solution-focused therapy
• Narrative therapy
• EMDR-informed and somatic approachesI have completed EMDR Basic Training and have training in Somatic Attachment Psychotherapy.
Counselling offers a space to slow down, make sense of what you're carrying, and explore new ways of relating to yourself and your experiences. Together, we can build understanding, develop practical skills, and find a steadier way forward.
If you're wondering whether counselling might be a good fit, you're welcome to book a free 15-minute consultation. There's no pressure or expectation to book ongoing counselling..
What Influences My Practice?
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Trauma Informed Approach
I consider how past experiences, stress, and trauma can shape the way we experience ourselves, relationships, and the world around us. I prioritize safety, choice, collaboration, and working at a pace that feels manageable.
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EMDR-Informed Approach
EMDR-informed approaches can help people process distressing experiences and reduce the emotional intensity connected to them. I draw on elements of EMDR alongside other approaches, depending on your needs and goals..
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Somatic Attachment Psychotherapy
This approach explores the connection between our bodies, emotions, relationships, and early experiences. It can help bring greater awareness to patterns and responses that may continue to show up in the present, while creating space for new ways of relating to yourself and others.
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Client Centered & Collaborative
You are the expert on your own experience. We work together to understand what you're going through and find approaches that feel supportive, relevant, and right for you.
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Strength Based
We make space for what's difficult while also recognizing your strengths, resources, resilience, and capacity for change. The goal isn't to ignore what's hard, but to build on what is already within you.
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Mindfulness
Mindfulness can help you become more aware of your thoughts, emotions, and physical experiences without immediately reacting to them. We may use simple mindfulness and grounding practices to help you feel more present and steady.
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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
CBT explores the connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. It can help you recognize patterns that may be contributing to distress and develop more helpful ways of responding.
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Solution Focused Therapy
Solution-focused therapy looks at what you want to be different and the small steps that can help you move toward it. We explore your existing strengths, resources, and moments when things have felt a little easier.
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Narrative Therapy
Narrative therapy explores the stories and beliefs we carry about ourselves and our lives. It can create space to look at those stories differently and consider perspectives that feel more supportive and true to you.
My Background
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Education and Training
🎓 Education:
• Master’s Degree in Counselling – City University of Seattle, Vancouver, BC
• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology – Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC🌿 Professional Credentials:
• Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC #14040) – BC Association for Clinical Counsellors
• Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC #13550) – Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association✨ Additional Training:
• Somatic Attachment Psychotherapy – Bringing the Body into Practice
Two-year training with Lisa Mortimore, Ph.D. and Stacy Adam Jensen, MEd• EMDR Basic Training – British Columbia School of Professional Psychology (BCSPP)
With Marshall Wilensky, Ph.D.• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Therapy for OCD – CBI Centre for Education
Four-day intensive training• Ongoing Clinical Supervision & Consultation to support ethical, reflective, and trauma-informed practice
I continue to expand my knowledge and skills through ongoing professional development in counselling, trauma, mental health, and related areas.
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Volunteer
I believe in giving back to my community and have been truly honored to witness countless moments where individuals have demonstrated immense strength and courage in the face of trauma.
I had the privilege of volunteering at Tri-City Transitions Society, a registered charity that provides emergency shelter and support to women and children fleeing family violence and abuse in the Tri-Cities area.
As a co-facilitator, I contributed to the Canadian Action Program and the Stopping the Violence programs, which included the following groups:
• Empowering Dads: Healthy parenting skills, communication and a focus on the impact of domestic violence on children.
• Healthy Boundaries: Creating healthy boundaries for women who are, or have, experienced abuse.
• Teen Moms: Healthy parenting and relationships for teen mothers.
• Healthy Attachment: Building healthy attachment for parents with their young children.
• Empowering Moms: Healthy parenting skills, communication and a focus on the impact of domestic violence on children.
Volunteering has been an important part of my journey as a counsellor, helping me grow as a professional while supporting others in meaningful ways.
My Practice
I co-founded Cove Counselling & Co. with Maria Fabiano, my colleague and friend who is also an RCC. Our vision and hope was to create a beautiful, warm, welcoming space for clients, and building a supportive, like-minded community for therapists who share a heartfelt, compassionate approach to this work. Each of our counsellors run their own independent practice but we have the opportunity to share our space together.
