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Tara is a Registered Professional Counsellor (RPC) and Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and prior to joining Living Bridges in 2020, she worked as a grief and relationship coach for 12 years.

In addition to working with hundreds of individuals and couples in her career, Tara is an Educator for the Gottman Institute, and trained in Organizational and Systems Relationship Coaching. She calls upon specialized training in Observed & Experiential Integration (OEI), an approach that is very useful to not only reduce the impact of traumatic experiences but also to build bridges to harmony in our personal relationships. Tara also has certification in the Safe and Sound protocol, an audio therapy program that helps to reset the nervous system to help it become more regulated and resilient. She utilizes Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy in a Strengths-Based and Person-Centred approach with clients, often creatively blending many philosophies and modalities in her sessions.

Tara’s philosophy is to witness and hold her clients’ transformation with deep reverence, openness, and respect, acknowledging that growth and healing are not always easy or comfortable, and are rarely pretty. She says she feels like a wise, old Auntie when working with some of her couples, as she meets them where they are, and creates communication and understanding custom-fit to their relationship. Her dream clients are men and women seeking relief from grief, trauma, burnout and anxiety, and couples seeking support with their relationships and life transitions. Her most recent training is with the Institute for Relational Intimacy, where she was certified at Assessing and Treating Sex Issues with Psychotherapy. With this work, Tara is able to capably address desire discrepancies and blocks to intimacy with couples and individuals.

Tara is a Registered Professional Counsellor (RPC) and Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and pri... Read More

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My lifelong love of horses and interest in psychology and counselling brought me to a convergence point. Horses were my support and sanctuary when life was hard and they were my inspiration and dreams when the possibilities of life were endless. They nourished my heart and spirit with non-judgmental acceptance and positive regard. Horses taught me the intricacies of relationships and how delicate the balance is between respect, trust, communication, and boundaries.

For more information on Equine Facilitated Wellness please visit: https://www.equinefacilitatedwellness.org/

My lifelong love of horses and interest in psychology and counselling brought me to a convergence... Read More

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Cristela has a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and is a Canadian Certified Counsellor with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, and an Associate Member of the Canadian Association of Couples and Family Therapy. She has experience working with couples, individuals and adolescents who have struggled with relationship issues, separation or divorce, depression, anxiety, grief, trauma, addictions, self-harm, sexual assault survivors, and other mental health struggles. She also has experience with pre-marital counselling and sports psychology.

Cristela uses a collaborative approach to counselling which includes Gottman Method Couples Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy.

Cristela also teaches online undergrad psychology courses at Athabasca University where she loves working with post-secondary students. Cristela also coaches competitive cheerleading at Freeze Athletics and has been involved in this sport for over 20 years. In her younger years she was also a competitive swimmer. Cristela understands the intense pressure of competitive sports and the struggles that can stand in the way of optimal performance. She also has worked with athletes of different ages to overcome performance anxiety, mental blocks, and work towards a growth mindset that has been proven to have a positive impact on sports and academic performance.

When she is not working Cristela enjoys spending time outside mountain biking, hiking, skiing, and stand-up paddle boarding. She moved to Kamloops with her husband in the summer of 2019 to be able to enjoy more of the great outdoors that they both love so much.

Cristela is a first generation Canadian; her family is originally from Argentina. Her parents immigrated as refugees to Canada after becoming political prisoners and suffering extensive trauma at the hands of a dictatorship that was in power at the time. Her parent’s struggles and how it impacted the rest of the family provided her with a greater understanding of trauma and multigenerational trauma.

Cristela is bilingual in both Spanish and English. She was born and raised in Edmonton but also spent part of her childhood living in Argentina. Her multicultural background has provided her with a greater appreciation for the importance of culture and enjoys working with people of different backgrounds.

Cristela owns an adorable Pomeranian dog named Shadow. If you would like Shadow to be a part of your therapy session please let Cristela know in advance so she can bring her along.

If you would like to book an appointment with Cristela please contact the office at 250-554-4747 or you can email Cristela at cristela@livingbridges.ca.

Cristela has a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and is a Canadian Certified Counsel... Read More

Tatyana is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (#21489) with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors and holds a Master of Arts degree in Counselling Psychology. Tatyana utilizes a holistic, culture-sensitive approach and incorporates theories like Emotion-Focused Therapy, Person-Centered Counselling, Internal Family Systems, Mindfulness-based approach, and Polyvagal theory. She is a certified facilitator of a Safe and Sound Protocol, a sound treatment modality which helps reset and regulate the nervous system to improve resilience and a feeling of safety. She is also trained in Observed and Experienced Integration (OEI) trauma modality that helps address the impact of traumatic experiences.

Tatyana is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (#21489) with the BC Association of Clinical Counsell... Read More

Clinical Therapist, RCC, CCC

BSc., BA, MHS, Master’s in Counselling Psychology

Clinical Therapist, RCC, CCC BSc., BA, MHS, Master’s in Counselling Psychology Read More

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Tennille Phipps (RPC, MPCC) is one of the owners of Living Bridges Therapy Collective. She is passionate about supporting clients and the community in building bridges to a strong and hopeful future. Her desire is to inspire others to fall in love with life, even in the messy and hard moments, and to walk in their truth and purpose.

Tennille has been working in the field of mental health & addictions for the past 15 years. She has an educational background in counselling & psychology, leadership, and is currently working on her MA in Counselling Psychology. In addition to her extensive experience in therapeutic work, her portfolio includes case management, development and facilitation of programs and workshops, as well as team leadership. Specifically, she was a program coordinator for a recovery centre for women in Kamloops before relocating to Calgary. There, she spent three years with the Mustard Seed supervising a Housing First program for individuals with high needs in the downtown core. In her counselling practice now she focuses on trauma, grief and loss, burn out, addictions, support for first responders, attachment disruptions, and identity development.

Tennille is certified in trauma-informed practice and Observed Experiential Integration (OEI), which is a specific technique used in the treatment of trauma (read more about this form of therapy on our blog entitled OEI). More recently she has begun to apply this technique to assist athletes in overcoming obstacles and enhancing their performance. Her work with athletes also includes teaching leadership and team building skills.

Tennille uses an integrative approach to counselling, respecting the individuality and autonomy of each client, and believing that there is no “one size fits all” method. Accordingly, she collaborates with her clients as she supports them in their healing journey, believing that creativity and curiosity are our most important tools in therapy. This collaboration strengthens the therapeutic relationship, and sometimes even includes her dog, Kaiah, whose presence in the therapy room helps to provide grounding and comfort. Kaiah comes in at the request of the clients.

Born and raised in Kamloops, Tennille enjoys exploring the many trails around the area with her partner and Kaiah. She finds joy and peace in music and art, creating, loves to cook, play games, and is learning to garden. Traveling has always been a passion for her as she loves adventure and experiencing different countries and cultures. Even though she has moved away a few times, her love for the community of Kamloops keeps calling her home. She feels honoured to be serving in the Interior and has a passion to make a difference in the health and wellness of the members of her community.

Tennille Phipps (RPC, MPCC) is one of the owners of Living Bridges Therapy Collective. She is pas... Read More

Sarah joined Living Bridges Therapy Collective in September of 2016 after graduating from Thompson Rivers University with her BSW degree and has since gone on to complete her MSW in 2021 through Dalhousie University.

This marks the beginning of her third career all of which have brought her into caregiving roles. During the twenty years since high school graduation, she has been a hairdresser/esthetician. For 7 of those years, she successfully ran her own business providing specialized hair care and foot care to seniors, both in facilities and in their own homes. At Living Bridges, Sarah started out by taking over the management of the business and is now a managing partner, along with Tennille Phipps and her mom, Mary Widmer. As she has developed her social work career, she has taken further training in Satir Family Therapy, Synergetic Play Therapy, Satir Family Therapy, Synergetic Play Therapy, Satir Sand Tray Therapy and Observed Experiential Integration.

Sarah deeply values the opportunity to walk with those experiencing grief and trauma and has a special affinity for cross-cultural work since she spent the early years of her life in Thailand and attended boarding school in Malaysia.

In her spare time, she enjoys Starbucks with friends, music, and spending time with her dog, Norrie.

Sarah joined Living Bridges Therapy Collective in September of 2016 after graduating from Thompso... Read More