About

We all seek meaning and human connection in our lives. I approach counselling from the perspective of hope and resilience. My practice is informed by my graduate training in culturally responsive and social justice counselling and I understand the complexity of challenges that negatively impact mental health. I adopt a blend of creative and existential therapeutic approaches, and draw on a variety of other therapeutic techniques including mindfulness, self-compassion, and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy.

As an art therapist I have experienced the benefit of using creative expression and inquiry to guide clients through some of life’s complex and difficult challenges such as:

  • identity exploration

  • stress and anxiety

  • life transitions

  • palliative and elder care

  • loss and grief

  • chronic pain and illness

  • climate distress

- Krista Stovel (she/her)

ABOUT CEDAR AND BIRCH

Cedar and birch trees represent my strong connection to my community and family, and symbolize the focus for my counselling practice. It is the symbiotic relationship of these trees that embody resilience and hope. Both the cedar and the birch gave me a sense of belonging growing up. Our family home on Cedar Street was backed by a cedar forest while a stand of birch trees sheltered the hill where we played. Birch trees are one of the first trees to grow after a disaster such as a fire. Their nutrients support the plants and trees which follow, like the cedar. Cedars can exist for hundreds of years. Their Latin name, arbor vitae, means “tree of life.”

CREDENTIALS AND EDUCATION

Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) #19044
British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors
Professional Art Therapist
Canadian Art Therapy Association
Masters of Counselling Psychology Specialization Art Therapy
Athabasca University/Vancouver Art Therapy Institute

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS and
RECENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Climate Aware Therapist*
Climate Psychology Alliance
Climate Psychology in Therapeutic Practices Workshop
California Institute of Integrative Studies
Restoring Wholeness Through Collective Transformation
*As a member of the Climate Psychology Alliance I am committed to engaging in climate psychology training and literature, and integrating my passion for art therapy and my acknowledgement of the importance of being a Climate Aware Therapist. My climate interests are climate anxiety/eco-anxiety, climate grief, resilience building and adaptation.