Claire Kimbley
Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)
Master of Arts, Counselling Psychology
(she/they)
“We’re all just trying to be comfortable, and well fed, and unafraid.”
- Becky Chambers, A Psalm for the Wild-Built"
Perhaps it is difficult to remember a time when you were not at war with yourself or struggling with some aspect of your life. You may have tried thinking positively, or practicing gratitude, but it just does not seem to ease your suffering. A sense of exhaustion might have begun to persist while trying to navigate your inner world on your own has becoming more and more difficult. I understand that it can be challenging to express your deepest sadness and fear to others and, if you are reading this, I can imagine you are tired of going through it alone.
I see my role as offering you the acceptance that everyone deserves when they are weathering a difficult time, with the hope that compassion becomes a more familiar way of relating to yourself.
Common concerns, focuses & clients I love supporting:
Depression & Anxiety
trauma
self worth
Body image
grief & loss
LGBTQ2IA+ clients
gender & sexual identity exploration
childhood/complex trauma such as abuse and neglect
Relationship challenges
Indigenous Identity
Indigenous intergenerational trauma
life transitions
How I can help
I regularly work with clients who care deeply about those around them yet find it challenging to feel kindness or acceptance towards themselves for any number of reasons. These reasons can include a difficult relationship with a parent, hurtful experiences with a past partner, or having to endure systems of oppression (e.g., racism, ableism, homophobia, fatphobia, etc.). Navigating your own comparisons, and others’ expectations for how you live and act can be draining, there can be a loss of your own sense of self. As a team, we can explore your inner world, practice new coping strategies, and develop new patterns of relating with yourself and others so there is space to wonder…
What do you want? What is important to YOU?
My Approach to counselling
Together, we can work towards finding peace and meaning even in the chaos. I strive to provide a warm and caring environment where you feel free to share your experiences and be fully present with your emotions. I work with humour, curiosity, and non-judgement to help you access your authentic self. At the core of our collaboration is to empower you to make choices that are more aligned with the life you truly want. Let’s foster a relationship with your emotions where they are no longer considered a battlefield but an inner landscape to explore and honour.
I take an anti-oppressive approach in my work with clients, acknowledging the deep-rooted effects of systems of privilege and inequality. I am a cisgender queer woman and I am Indigenous, with mixed Metis Cree and settler ancestry.
You and your intersecting identities, no matter how varied and dynamic, are not only accepted but welcomed here.
I received my Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology from the University of British Columbia and I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC).
Approach
My integrative and client-specific approach to counselling includes the following education and approaches:
Person-Centred Therapy
Attachment-Based and Trauma-Informed Therapies
Systemic Therapies
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Mindfulness
Self-Compassion