Allison Bells
Registered Clinical Counsellor/Registered Massage Therapist
I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors. I have a Bachelor's degree in Health Sciences from Thompson River University, and a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University. In addition, I am a Registered Massage Therapist, and have achieved my 3000-hour diploma from the Okanagan Valley College of Massage Therapy. Furthermore, I have over 24 years of experience as a Personal Trainer, Hockey Trainer, and a Yoga Instructor which gives me a different perspective regarding the mind-body connection.
I can appreciate that today’s world is full of challenges, hardships, adversities, and numerous stressors. For some people who aspire to high performance, pressure can be a valuable source of positive motivation; for others, pressure and stress can be a source of significant frustration, causing negative consequences. My goal is to clinically explore individuals from a biopsychosocial perspective looking at the interconnections of biology, psychology, and social aspects. Humans do not function in isolation but are a part of a larger system. I specialize in helping clients with PTSD, anxiety, depression, trauma, and survivors of physical and sexual abuse. I use a variety of treatment modalities, including EMDR, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Narrative Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy and Creative Strategies. My objective as a counsellor is to assist you to effectively navigate obstacles and overcome discomfort by developing innovative strategies and acquiring mental strength to not just exist, but to thrive. I am honoured to be on this wellness journey with you so let’s get started.
Areas of Concern
Depression
Depression, also known as clinical or major depression, is a mood disorder that will affect one in eight Canadians at some point in their lives. It changes the way people feel, leaving them with mental and physical symptoms for long periods of time.
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Anxiety Disorders
We all feel nervous or worried at times. This anxiety can be a helpful feeling when it motivates us or warns us of danger. An anxiety disorder, on the other hand, causes unexpected or unhelpful anxiety that seriously impacts our lives, including how we think, feel, and act.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is a mental illness. It involves exposure to trauma involving death or the threat of death, serious injury, abuse, or sexual violence.
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Grief
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Grief is the emotional pain we feel when someone or something is taken away from you. This could be the death of a partner or pet, loss of a job, relationship, friendship, miscarriage, or financial stability. The more momentous the loss, the more intense the grief experienced. Each person’s experience is different with grief and this depends on your personality, coping style, life experiences, and faith.
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Substance Abuse
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Substance Abuse is defined as when a person continues to use drugs or drink alcohol regardless of social or interpersonal issues, they continue to use drugs and alcohol despite it interfering with their ability to function at work, school, or within the home, or they begin to incur legal problems.
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Divorce
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Whether a relationship was good or bad, coping with a divorce or breakup hurts. It is an emotional rollercoaster of intense feelings ranging from sadness to anger to confusion, and you may feel anxious about your future. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help if you need it for a comfortable place to open up about what you are going through.
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Types of Therapy
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EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma and many other mental health problems.
Narrative Therapy
Narrative therapy is a form of psychotherapy that seeks to help patients identify their values and the skills associated with them. It provides the patient with knowledge of their ability to live these values so they can effectively confront current and future problems.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
CBT is a psycho-social intervention that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression and anxiety disorders. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is one of the most effective means of treatment for substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders.
Humanistic Therapy
Humanistic Therapy is an approach that looks at how your worldview affects the choices you make, especially choices that cause distress. It is based on the belief that you are the best person to understand your experiences and needs. Humanistic therapists work to help you better understand what you are experiencing, offering guidance and support without interpreting your feelings for you.
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Solution Focussed Brief Therapy
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Unlike traditional forms of therapy that take time to analyze problems, pathology, and past life events, SFBT concentrates on finding solutions in the present and exploring one’s hope for the future in order to find a quick and pragmatic resolution of one’s problems. This method takes the approach that you know what you need to do to improve your own life and, with the appropriate coaching and questioning, are capable of finding the best solutions.
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Animal Assisted Therapy
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Animal-assisted therapy is a therapeutic intervention that incorporates animals, such as horses, dogs, cats, and birds, into the treatment plan.
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Contact Me
4416 27th St #120 Vernon, BC
604-302-4587
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