Celeste now offers:

I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (#2830) with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors. I have been practicing as a therapist in Kamloops since 2000, in a number of different settings. I have a Master’s Degree in Counselling, a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology (Hons), a Diploma in Family Therapy, Certifications in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IP), Complex Trauma, and CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I).  Most recently, I have become certified as a Daring Way™ Facilitator (i.e. based on the research of Dr. Brené Brown).

In 2000, I launched my career as a therapist working in the non-profit sector, eventually moving into a position with Child and Youth Mental Health and then in 2007 into private practice. In these various roles, I have been responsible for outreach/community counselling, crisis intervention, intake, suicide risk assessments, one-to-one therapy, mental health assessment and treatment planning, coordinating and running groups/workshops, family/couples therapy, divorce coaching, child interviews, and collaborative case management.

While I do have a generalist practice and work with many ages and presenting concerns, I have a real passion for joining people in their battles against anxiety (social, panic, generalized, OCD, PTSD), depression, shame, disordered eating, perfectionism, guilt, insomnia, co-dependency, stress, conflict, and relationship problems. I have a special interest in working with adolescents and couples, but as mentioned, I see people of all ages.

As mentioned above, my interest in Dr. Brené Brown’s ground breaking research on vulnerability, shame and perfectionism has inspired me to create daring communities of people working, growing and learning together. These small group sessions are offered periodically as either workshops, experiential groups, intensive weekends or retreats.

I believe it takes great courage for people to come to counselling and to share their stories and vulnerabilities. Many of us, for various reasons, carry the painful belief that we are ‘not enough” (i.e. not good enough, smart enough, successful enough, pretty enough, thin enough, productive enough, free enough, etc.).  We try to hide this, cover it up or compensate for it. Sadly, this can lead to disconnection from our authentic selves and from those around us. This can present as all sorts of other problems in our lives from perfectionism to relationship challenges. Counselling is about unpacking these narratives, our reactions to them and recognizing that we have the power to chose our own endings.