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Hello and welcome! My name is Paula, and I’m truly excited to be here as a counselling intern at Achieve Balance Counselling. I have a strong passion for helping people navigate life’s challenges, which has inspired me to pursue a career in Couples and Family Therapy, building on my background in Social Work.

My approach is grounded in Emotion-Focused Therapy, a framework that emphasizes empathy, compassion, and a deep commitment to care as we navigate the complexities of life together. I recognize firsthand, both as a counselling intern and as someone on my own healing journey, that exploring our emotions can often feel overwhelming, and that’s entirely natural.

In moments of profound solitude and despair, when the weight of the world feels unbearably heavy, it may suggest that hope is a lie. Yet, imagine this for a moment: what if every tear you shed nurtures the ground for hope to awaken and take root once more? It is often from the deepest wounds that the most radiant beauty emerges, finding its way to blossom in the most unexpected places.

If you find the path ahead uncertain right now, remember that I’m here to support you. I believe that stepping into the unknown of our feelings, while daunting, can also lead to profound growth and transformation.

I take great honour in working with people of all ages, especially families and couples. I have a special interest in helping children express their feelings, which strengthens family bonds and equips them with essential skills to face current challenges and navigate the complexities of life ahead.

In addition to my studies, I have participated in various workshops and training sessions to enhance my skills and deepen my understanding, including:

• Workshop on Playful Therapy: Matchmaking Play and Emotion – June 2025

• Introduction to Sand Tray Therapy – 2025

• Workshop on Grief Facilitation - 2025

• Neufeld Institute Intensive 1: Making Sense of Kids - 2024

• Indigenous Canada Online Course - 2024

• Prepare/Enrich Premarital and Marriage Assessment Tool Training - 2024

Incorporating ongoing learning is an essential aspect of ensuring that you feel cared for and supported throughout our time together.

Outside my studies and internship, I find immense joy in the moments shared with my husband and our daughter. I also enjoy exploring my creativity through drawing and journaling my thoughts, feelings, and experiences, a practice I’ve cherished for over ten years.

Professional Affiliations

• The Canadian Association for Marriage and Family Therapy - Student Membership Education

• Master of Couples and Family Therapy, Trinity Western University (Anticipated Completion Date: Fall of 2026)

• Master of Programs and Community Projects in Social Work, Emanuel University of Oradea – 2019

Hello and welcome! My name is Paula, and I’m truly excited to be here as a counselling intern at ... Read More

Welcome, I’m so glad you’re here.

Whether you’re seeking support for yourself, your relationship, or your family, you’ve taken a courageous first step simply by exploring this space. Therapy is a place where healing, growth, and connection can begin, and it would be an honour to walk alongside you in that journey.

I am currently pursuing a Master’s in Couples and Family Therapy at Trinity Western University, driven by a deep passion for helping people find healing through connection — with themselves and others. I aim to create a safe, non-judgmental space where individuals, couples, children, teens, and families can work through pain, trauma, loss, fear, and relational challenges.

My approach is rooted in attachment theory — the idea that our emotional well-being is closely tied to how safe and secure we feel in our closest relationships. Whether I’m working with individuals or relationships, I help clients strengthen these connections as a path to healing. I also prioritize emotional attunement, supporting clients in becoming more aware of and connected to their inner emotional world in a way that empowers transformation.

A key part of my work is embodiment. I believe healing happens not just in our thoughts, but in our bodies. I guide clients in tuning into the messages their bodies send and learning how to respond and self-regulate in the present moment. I also practice from a trauma-informed perspective, offering a space that emphasizes safety, choice, and predictability.

While my foundation is attachment-based, emotionally attuned, embodied, and trauma-informed, therapy is never one-size-fits-all. I offer talk therapy, sand tray therapy, and play therapy, and together we’ll find what works best for you or your family. Outside of my work and studies, I find joy in the simple things like baking sourdough bread, spending time outdoors with my dog, and enjoying life with my husband, friends, and family. I also love music, a good laugh, and any moment that brings connection and warmth. These life-giving rhythms remind me of what really matters, and that’s the spirit I carry into the therapy room.

Life holds both beauty and pain. Therapy is a space where you don’t have to navigate it alone.

Professional Affiliations

The Canadian Association for Couples and Family Therapy – Student Member

Education

Master of Couples and Family Therapy, Trinity Western University (Anticipated Completion Date: Fall of 2026

Additional Training

Introduction to Sand Tray Therapy – 2025 Workshop on Grief Facilitation – 2025

Welcome, I’m so glad you’re here. Whether you’re seeking support for yourself, your relationship... Read More

If you and/or your child are struggling with big feelings, life transitions, anxiety, or traumas that you don’t know how to work through, please know that you are not alone. We have all gone through times when it feels like things are too big to handle by ourselves. If this is where you are right now, I’d love to come alongside you and work together to make changes that will help bring balance back into your life.

I’ve been working with children and youth who have developmental delays and/or neurodiversity and their parents since 2000 in my roles as Infant Development Consultant, Child Development Consultant, Key Worker, Home Coach, and Clinical Counsellor. I have a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology and am a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (RCC # 15975) and a BC Registered Play Therapist (BCRPT # T-2403).

The trainings that have been most influential to me have been, Synergetic Play Therapy (SPT) with Lisa Dion, Neuroscience and Satir in the Sand Tray (NSST) with Dr. Madeleine De Little, AutPlay Therapy with Dr. Robert Jason Grant, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Gottman Methods Couples Therapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy. I love to learn, and I weave this learning into my work with clients. When working with me, you have a choice in the interventions that you’d like to use such as play, sand, art, traditional talk therapy, and movement to help you work through whatever is going on for you and/or your child.

I am a Certified Synergetic Play Therapist, Certified Neuroscience and Satir in the Sand Tray Therapist and a Certified AutPlay Therapy Provider and am currently taking a two-year Somatic Attachment training.

I also offer clinical supervision for counselling interns and other counsellors and am a RCC - ACS Candidate.

If you and/or your child are struggling with big feelings, life transitions, anxiety, or traumas ... Read More

Hello, and welcome. My name is Brittney, and I’m a Canadian Certified Counsellor with a passion for supporting children and young people through life’s challenges. I have worked with children and youth for 30 years and have been a teacher for the past 20 years. My work is centred on understanding a child’s world and providing a safe, supportive space for them to express their thoughts and feelings.

I specialize in working with children, adolescents, and adults who may be experiencing anxiety, low mood, behavioural difficulties, trauma, grief, family changes, or social and emotional struggles. My goal is to create a safe, compassionate space where children feel seen, heard, and empowered to express themselves.

I believe connection and trust are the foundation of effective counselling. I work at each child’s pace to build a relationship based on safety and respect. Using a combination of therapeutic approaches—including play therapy, sand tray therapy, and age-appropriate talk therapy—I tailor every session to meet the unique needs of each child.

I also work closely with parents and caregivers, offering guidance and practical strategies to support children beyond the therapy room. Whether your child is facing a specific difficulty or simply needs a space to talk, I’m here to help.

Alongside my counselling work, I’m a middle school teacher in the Langley School District. When I’m not working, I love to travel and deeply value the opportunity to explore different cultures and ways of life. There’s immense wisdom to be gained from history and from the diverse ways people live around the world. I have a passion for live music, sports, and the arts—anything that brings people together through shared experience and creativity. I’m also a committed ally to both the LGBTQIA+ and Indigenous communities. I live in Langley with my husband and our feisty orange cat, Jasper.

I am honoured to live and work on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Máthxwi, q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓, q̓ic̓əy̓, and SEMYOME First Nations and work in Abbotsford on the traditional and unceded territory of the Semá:th First Nation and Mathxwí First Nation.

Hello, and welcome. My name is Brittney, and I’m a Canadian Certified Counsellor with a passion f... Read More