Katharine Heimbigner-Tenor
Registered Provisional Psychologist
You deserve to feel heard. I’m here to listen.
My Background
I bring five years of experience working in the mental health field and currently hold the designation of registered provisional psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists and counselling therapist with the Association of Counselling Therapy Alberta. I offer both individual and couples therapy to adults experiencing various issues, specializing in complex relational trauma, grief, couples issues, depression and anxiety, and individuals who identify as neurodiverse (e.g. ADHD, autism spectrum (ASD), and/or gifted).
Thank you for taking the time to consider working with me.
Katharine's Areas of Strength
- Are you struggling with ongoing challenges from complex trauma that make everyday life feel overwhelming and unmanageable?
- Are you dealing with deep, unspoken grief that you haven’t really talked about or faced?
- Is your current relationship struggling?
- Do you think you might be neurodiverse, like having ADHD, autism, or being exceptionally gifted, and feel like you’re struggling to cope or understand yourself?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you are like many of Katharine’s clients. She offers therapy for adults and couples, as well as formal adult psychoeducational, neurodiversity and trauma assessments.
Here are some areas of specialty for Katharine:
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More About Katharine
Through professional, volunteer, and personal experience, Katharine became aware of the lack of mental health support available to Albertans, as well as the stigma many people experience related to mental health. She is passionate about breaking down barriers to receiving quality mental health support that addresses the complexity of being human. Whether it be through difficult childhood experiences, physical health challenges, intergenerational trauma, grief and loss, societal stressors, etc., we are all vulnerable to experiencing mental health challenges, and many of us have experienced multiple painful or even traumatic events.
With multiple challenges faced, an integrated, flexible approach that is person-centred, trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming, collaborative and strengths-based is important. Katharine combines an understanding of the science behind grief, trauma and healing with an openness and desire to view you holistically (sometimes referred to as your bio-psycho-social-spiritual self).
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Katharine’s most common therapeutic approaches include parts work (e.g. internal family systems informed), narrative therapy, mindfulness and meditation, Safe & Sound Protocol therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), and Gottman’s Couples Therapy. Additionally, with training in spirituality, and a background in spiritual health care, she understands the supportive or traumatic role it may play in your healing, and if requested, can incorporate this into your therapy.
Couples Katharine works with bring their individual challenges, plus communication challenges, and often infidelity into the counselling space. She has completed Level 2 training in The Gottman Method and when working with couples primarily uses this approach.
With 30 years of marriage, adult children and aging parents, Katharine understands the challenges and rewards that family can present. Finally, she understands that marriage can, and likely will, be hard; and that it can be healed.
Please reach out today for a free consultation to see if Katharine may be a good fit.
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Our Values
Ethics
Ethics are about safety – for you and for your counsellor. Therapy can feel vulnerable for many people, however vulnerability plays a key role in healing. Creating a deep sense of safety guided by ethics, supports safe self-exploration and healing.
Compassion
Compassion means “to suffer with;” it is a deep awareness of the suffering of others, coupled with a desire to alleviate it. Accessing compassion for oneself and others is woven throughout therapy.
Connection
Fostering a secure connection or attachment with a therapist creates a secure base from which you can begin to explore your attachments with your inner and outer world.
Self - awareness
Self-awareness supports us in gaining distance from, and in objectively observing, our thoughts, emotions and body sensations. Learning to observe our inner experiences encourages the ability to evaluate and determine whether our actions align with our values and standards.
Acceptance
Acceptance plays multiple roles in therapy. Your therapist’s role is to offer acceptance of what you bring to therapy without judgement and to hold a validating space for you to explore your inner world. Acceptance of oneself, one’s thoughts and emotions is a healing attitude that is modelled and encouraged throughout therapy.
Respect
Respectful interactions in therapy will support the development of trust in the therapeutic relationship. Your therapist will bring curiosity, non-judgement, honesty, and genuineness. You will be listened to, with an effort to understand, as well as encouraged to self-determine.
Land Acknowledgment: Recognizing and Honoring Treaty 7 and Metis Nation in Southern Alberta
Sentience Counselling Services, located in the heart of Southern Alberta, both acknowledges and pays tribute to the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, which include the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprised of the Siksika, the Piikani, and the Kainai First Nations), the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations). The City of Calgary is also home to the Metis Nation of Alberta (Districts 5 and 6).
What Does Therapy Look Like at Sentience Counselling?
Sentience Counselling Services offers a transformative journey towards healing and personal growth. With a commitment to individualized support, the counselling process is designed to address your unique needs. Begin your path to emotional well-being by scheduling a free 20-minute consultation and discover the tailored guidance that Sentience Counselling provides on your journey to self-discovery and healing.
Contact us by email or phone to schedule your free 20 minute consultation.
Book your initial appointment for consent and intake assessment
Book your initial therapy session
Therapy Sessions with regular milestone checkins
Sentience Counselling: Illuminate Your Path to Healing and Personal Growth
Embark on your path to personal growth and healing with Sentience Counselling in Alberta, where our therapists provide dedicated support. Discover transformative counselling services tailored to your needs. Take the first step towards emotional well-being – schedule a free 20-minute consultation with Sentience Counselling today.