CHERISSE KLASSEN, MA, CCC, RCC (SHE/HER)
Specialized in trauma healing (EMDR/EMDR 2.0, Flash)
Well-versed on how to work with dissociation and trauma
Non-judgmental, unconditional positive regard
Neurodivergent clinician & neuro-affirming approach
2SLGBTQ+-affirming
Solution-oriented and collaborative
Culturally-responsive
My Approach – Talk Therapy
My approach is down-to-earth, compassionate, and adaptable, with a strong trauma-informed emphasis on dissociation, safety, and nervous system regulation. I am deeply committed to creating a space where you feel heard, respected, and safe to be fully yourself. Healing is not linear. With the right support, enduring change is possible. I walk alongside you as you reconnect with your strengths, establish boundaries that honour your needs, and create new pathways forward. I work collaboratively and from the belief that you are the expert on your own inner experience. Our sessions are shaped by your goals, preferences, and capacity in each moment. While some clients find healing through open, reflective conversation, others benefit from more structured approaches. I tailor our work to you, integrating evidence-based therapies with warmth and practical strategies to support stability, clarity, and meaningful change.
Registered Clinical Counsellor & Trauma Psychotherapist specializing in EMDR/EMDR 2.0
My Approach - Trauma Processing using EMDR/EMDR 2.0
I am particularly interested in discovering patterns of how past core wounds are being triggered today, and how this is manifesting in terms of emotions and behaviours. A core focus of my practice is supporting individuals in reducing and resolving the distress and dysfunction that often arises when these wounds are triggered, even in the most subtle ways. I am deeply passionate about trauma healing, and am so inspired by those who enter counselling with the goal of breaking intergenerational cycles of pain. Supporting this bravery through EMDR and witnessing the release of long-held trauma is an honour. This work not only transforms inner experiences, but also strengthens relationships with partners, children, family members, and oneself. Knowing that this healing can extend to future generations makes it especially meaningful. My work with trauma is particularly grounded in nervous system–informed care. Stress, traumatic memories, and emotional and neurosomatic pain are held in the body and nervous system, not just in thoughts or memories. Moreover, many patterns that feel limiting today once helped you survive. Together, we gently explore these patterns, extending appreciation to the parts that helped you survive, and we support greater regulation, self-understanding, resilience, and self-trust. My role is not to fix you, but to support you as you reconnect with your innate capacity for healing, moving toward grounded empowerment, self-compassion, and a more integrated sense of well-being. With EMDR 2.0, in particular, resolving trauma requires much less talking about one's past, and results are often achieved more quickly than traditional talk therapy.
Who I Work With
I work with adults and youth (16+) who have experienced childhood trauma/distress (parental addiction, abuse, emotional/physical neglect, children of a narcissistic parent, being in the foster care system), cumulative trauma (e.g., first responders, nurses, physicians, 911 call takers/dispatchers), individuals who have experienced single incident traumas (car accident, sexual assault, traumatic death of a loved one), medical and birth trauma, and relational traumas (bullying, harassment, humiliation, rejection). I offer a non-judgmental, trauma-focused space that warmly affirms neurodiversity and welcomes 2SLGBTQ+ identities. My practice is grounded in respect, collaboration, and safety. I am committed to practicing in a culturally inclusive and respectful way, and welcome all cultures and backgrounds. As someone who understands chronic pain on a personal level, I also welcome sufferers of chronic pain and illness, which can often be tied to past trauma and stress. I aim to tailor your sessions to your needs so that you are as comfortable as possible.
Neurodiversity-Affirming Approach for ADHD and Autism
I am committed to neurodiversity-affirming therapy for attention-deficit hyperactivity and autism. I work from a position that ND individuals are not inherently disordered or "defective", but that they are often forced to navigate environments that were not designed for them. Therefore, I aim to provide strength-based support around self-understanding and acceptance, and adapting environments rather than simply "fixing" individuals. Moreover, neurodivergence and trauma often go hand-in-hand due to a more sensitized nervous system and increased relational stressors.
What I Work With
I work primarily with individuals who feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck in survival mode. Developmental trauma and present day PTSD can leave the nervous system struggling to settle. You may find that you are in an oscillating state of hyperarousal (irritability, anger, agitation) or hypoarousal (disconnect, dissociation, and numbness). In addition, neurodivergence often comes with continual relational micro traumas paired with a deeper ability to feel that can also narrow an individual's tolerance for stress and increase susceptibility to traumatization. Moreover, personality disorders, depression, anxiety, negative self beliefs (feeling different/not enough, lack of trust/safety, etc.), substance use, and chronic pain often stem from trauma, central sensitization, and stress. EMDR is effective for these issues because it addresses and processes the root causes of psychopathology (e.g., specific memories and the negative self-beliefs tied to them) vs only skills building and talking.
Qualifications & Training
I hold an undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences and Psychology, as well as a master’s degree in Counselling Psychology. I am a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) with the CCPA, the national registering body for counsellors, and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with the BCACC. I am trained in both EMDR and EMDR 2.0 (under strict EMDRIA standards) and have completed advanced clinical training in ERP for OCD, EMDR for Trauma, Chronic Pain and Illness; EMDR for Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) and dissociation; EMDR for First Responders; among many others. Alongside EMDR, my work integrates evidence-based approaches including Parts Work, Polyvagal Theory, DBT distress management skills, and CBT—always through a trauma-competent lens that honours relationships, lived experience, and the protective parts within us all. Another trauma modality I have been trained in is Predictive Processing Flash (commonly referred to as "Flash") which can help resolve distress and trauma quite quickly, and also involves very little verbalizing of one's trauma. It's a gentler approach and a great technique to use for complex PTSD to ease into EMDR.
A Bit about my Personal Journey
As a Métis woman growing up on the prairies of southern Manitoba, I was exposed early on to two distinct cultural worldviews: Euro-Canadian traditions rooted in individualism, and Indigenous ways of knowing grounded in collectivism and community. As I grew older and travelled more widely, I became deeply struck by the diverse ways cultures around the world understand healing. These experiences have profoundly shaped my counselling approach. I work through an integrative and culturally responsive lens that honours each person’s lived experience, the adaptive patterns developed for survival, and the ways these experiences continue to shape the nervous system. My aim is to support healing that is relational, embodied, and deeply respectful of each individual’s unique story. I also bring both professional expertise and lived experience with chronic pain and women's health issues to this work, and welcome women of all ages who need emotional support around these concerns.
Outside the therapy room, you’ll often find me spending time with my partner and our cats, taking in the beauty and serenity of the forest, enjoying a good sauna, weightlifting, listening to music, reading, travelling, or expressing myself through creative endeavours.
