Family Therapy in Nanaimo, BC

Catherine Allen is an experienced practitioner drawing on 20 years of experience working in remote Arctic communities as a nurse, 16 years as a Structural Integration/Rolfer (form of body work to realign) and Somatic Experiencing and Counselling for the last 8 years. She has studied multiple courses in early childhood trauma, amongst other trainings, and has a keen interest in attachment therapy. Catherine uses her creativity, humour, movement, sensitivity and body awareness to explore trauma, behaviour patterns and how to move through them.

I work with humans around issues such as anxiety, relational trauma, self-criticism, low self-worth, and struggles navigating connection and conflict, as well as the tension between self-protection and growth. Common concerns that bring people to me include social and other forms of anxiety, low mood, eating and body image concerns, parenting challenges, and communication/relationship issues. I see teens, adults, and couples in my practice.

ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS. If you are feeling like life’s challenges are stressing you out, and getting in the way of you being the person you want to be, then you have come to the right place. I can support you to a place of calm and help enact lasting change so you can know yourself as peaceful, complete, and safe. Problems can appear insurmountable, and our ability to find a way through alone daunting. I can help you to tap into yourself and find a renewed sense that change is achievable.

Like many people, I grew up in an environment where we didn't talk about our struggles and emotions. From an early age, I learned to keep the difficult things inside and deal with my emotions on my own. In 1999, I became a crisis phone counsellor and realized that I wasn't the only one who had had this kind of experience. I realized that a lot of people felt the way I did and kept their emotions inside. For the first time, I learned how healing it could be to share struggles with supportive people.

I am passionate about helping you access your natural ability to heal from the root of your symptoms and reconnect with your true self. I create a safe environment for your inner work with my compassionate, intuitive, grounding and easygoing presence. I practice powerful and efficient healing modalities that enable deep and lasting transformation to occur. We go beyond the level of talking to studying your direct experience in the moment with curiosity and compassion. I aim to help you build self-compassion, awareness, acceptance, healthy communication and coping skills so you can step into a more authentic life.

With over fifteen years of experience and a commitment to ongoing education/training I can help you. Whether you need a safe, non-judgemental person to talk to, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to help with anger, anxiety or depression, a scientific non-twelve step approach to addictions/compulsive behaviour or hypnotherapy to help with all the above as well as letting go of the past or removal of PTSD/PTSD-like symptoms in a non-retraumatizing manner, I can provide you with the effective services that you need.

I specialize in the area of trauma including acute, chronic, or complex as well as the resulting grief, anxiety, depression, and addictions that may have developed. I am passionate about helping women understand that the coping mechanisms that evolved were functional and helped them survive in times of difficulty. These may now show up as patterns that hold you back and cause you to think, feel, and behave in ways that no longer serve you. I believe everyone has the capacity to heal and the ability to learn new skills to become free of overwhelming fear, anxiety, depression, trauma, and addiction.

I am grateful for your trust to enter the vicarious learning journey of healing, insight and balance, and self-discovery in areas that may be challenging. As a Registered Clinicall Counsellor (RCC in British Columbia) I am interested in offering support to children above 7 years, young adults, adults, and couples and families. This beginning may bring nerves and hesitancies, though be assured that you are not alone and I will meet you where you are in a safe, respectful space that honours authenticity and you at the center of re-balancing.

I work with people who are feeling stuck on something in life and would like to move through it. Whether it's anxiety, low mood, challenging circumstances or anything else life has thrown at you, together we can work on it. Along with offering support and a safe space to speak, we can come up with a plan that uses your individual strengths to create and sustain positive change.

As a counsellor I show up just as I am and offer a genuine, heartfelt, relaxed environment with very little clinical feel. I intend to do this so that you will feel as comfortable walking into my office as you would walking into a friend’s living room. The relationship we will create together will be one of value, tailored to your individual needs and reasons for seeking therapy. I typically work with individuals ages 13 and over with various mental health concerns from struggling with day to day life from home, work, school, to relationships, high level athletes, to addiction and recovery. This is about you and your needs.

I have a long history of social and community engagement, which are the foundations in my clinical practice. My involvement with social work has highlighted the gaps in mental health support and interventions for individuals, children, youth, young adults and families.

Thinking of going for counselling can be a frightening thought. If you are at this stage you probably feel like your life could be better, your quality of interactions with other people could improve; you want more out of the life you have or are at your wits end in regards to some aspect of your life. Whatever the circumstance my goal is to meet you where you are at and to work together to work towards healing or a better quality of life.

Do you struggle with Compulsive Sexual Behaviors or Betrayal Trauma associated with your partners Sex, Porn and/or Love Addiction? If you can relate to any of these struggles that have created anxiety and stress in your life, let me help. Allow me to come along side you and support, guide, heal and offer accountability.

Feeling stuck and disconnected from ourselves and our loved ones is a common human experience in this day in age. Yet, all of us have a deep longing to feel empowered and engaged, to love and be loved, and to experience a deep and meaningful life. Relationships are the core of our fulfillment, and they all start with our relationship to ourselves. However struggles are manifesting, uncovering the layers of our defenses and opening to our inner world and true selves is a courageous journey worth travelling.

I have dedicated the past i5 years of my life to working with First Responders. Before opening up my own practice I served as the Director of Trauma and Spiritual Care at a Treatment Centre located on Vancouver Island. I have met many people who have been my teachers. They have been struggling with PTSD, emotional dysregulation, depression, anxiety, loss of instinct of purpose. Some have been struggling with loss and grief not knowing how to grieve in a healthy manner. Others have been struggling with intense fear and self doubt knowing that change needs to happen in their lives and not knowing how to move forward.

Relationship and safety are two core concepts that guide my approach to practice. A grounded understanding in the neurobiology of development and trauma, the role of attachment experiences, as well as contextual factors and a belief in the body’s inherent capacity for healing help inform my assessment and interventions. We heal through knowing ourselves and in connection to the world and the relationships around us.

When life is difficult the resulting symptoms usually include depression, anxiety, fear, anger and/or withdrawal. Rather than avoiding these states I have helped hundreds of clients turn them into resources, significantly improving their lives --usually after only a few sessions. I have 25+ years experience working with couples, individuals, families and groups, and have supervised 20+ new therapists. I specialize with couples, helping them to move beyond arguing, tension, anger, resentment and distancing into happy couples. My clients turn their problems into workable solutions. Free tips: www.shorecounselling.ca.

I am a Registered Social Worker specializing in online counselling for individual men, women, couples and families. I am dedicated to providing high-quality therapeutic care to my clients utilizing a variety of therapeutic modalities including talk therapy, Narrative Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy and other evidence-based approaches. I am passionate about helping people and have dedicated my career to improve client mental health and overall well-being.

Everyone has a unique approach to discovering wellness in their life. I believe we need balance between physical, mental, emotional, behavioral and spiritual health, and each of these areas requires care and attention to thrive. By reaching out to talk about stress, feelings, emotions, thoughts and other factors influencing our health, we give ourselves the ability to make necessary change, and to empower autonomous decision-making, creating happiness for ourselves. If you feel stuck, stressed, unfulfilled, or experience relationship difficulties or require support in finding happiness and health, begin your journey to health today.