Darcie Brown, MA, RCC, CCC

I believe people are designed for connection with others and that we feel pain and confusion when we experience disconnection. My wish as a therapist who works with people of all ages is to create a relationship that invites curiosity, exploration, and understanding that leads to personal growth and healing.

I have an MA in Counselling Psychology from Trinity Western University. In addition, I am certified in Lifespan Integration (LI), and have pursued training in Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), understanding abuse in relationships, and self-compassion. My trauma-informed approach is grounded in evidenced-based psychotherapeutic practices that integrate mind, heart, and body with somatic, neurobiological, and attachment modalities.

I work with families with children who have complex needs, in particular twice-exceptional children – children who have contrasting areas of both giftedness and disability. Through my research, funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), I listened to the stories of self-compassionate parents of twice-exceptional children. Additionally, as a mother of three children, I know what it is like to feel overwhelmed, discouraged, and stuck as I have navigated the many systems and daily challenges of raising children with childhood apraxia of speech, autism, learning disabilities, giftedness, and anxiety diagnoses. I desire to help parents experience deep, personal growth and flourish amid the chaos and challenges of their lives.

I also specialize in trauma counselling, in particular childhood abuse and neglect, sexual assault, relational abuse, and traumatic incidents. Early trauma affects the brain’s development and manifests throughout life as negative interpretations of present events, such as poor self-image, negative self-talk, and chronic anxiety and/or depression, even if people are successful in their lives and have done talk therapy.

To help clients heal from trauma, I use Lifespan Integration, a gentle, body-based therapeutic method that uses repetitions of a timeline of memories to facilitate neural integration for individuals, couples, and families. By having a panoramic view of their lives, clients’ own body-minds begin to heal themselves with insights and understanding of lifelong patterns from past trauma and neglect in a supportive, caring therapeutic relationship. After Lifespan Integration therapy, people often find they feel more regulated and less emotionally reactive to stressors, and that they are more self-accepting and better able to enjoy their intimate relationships.

I am a creative, lifelong learner and enjoy reading, playing piano, and dabbling in art in my spare time. I also enjoy being physically active by going for hikes and spending time outdoors.