Empowering women’s Wellness: Counselling for Women in Qualicum Beach
Empowering Women’s Wellness: Counselling for Women in Qualicum Beach
Welcome to Feminine Fortress Counselling. I’m Kirstin, a Registered Clinical Counsellor and a Registered Nurse in Qualicum Beach. I am dedicated to helping women to break cycles of emotional reactivity, navigate through difficult life transitions and changes, and overcoming underlying challenges that get in the way of maintaining a healthy lifestyle for weight management and wellness.
My passion is empowering women’s wellness and personal growth by integrating mind-body-spirit connection. I believe that we all have an inner spirit- our inner essence – that drives our natural growth tendency, seeks meaning, and connects us all. By re-connecting with our internal source of strength and growth, we can navigate through challenges, change our self-talk, and have more inner peace.
Transformative Counselling Approach
I help women create change in their lives with the use of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Polyvagal Therapy (although I also integrate bits of other therapies such as expressive arts and IFS). EFT provides a research-based framework that can help you to:
- Break free from your emotional patterns and unhealthy habits
- Create emotional balance and resilience
- Improve your relationships
- Strengthen the sense of who you are and what you are capable of
One of the first steps of EFT is helping people connect with their inner strengths and resources that can act as guides, supports, and encouragement as you take the journey of personal growth and transformation. This empowering process can help you to reclaim joy, compassion, confidence, acceptance, and peace. Emotionally Focused Therapy provides a roadmap and research-based processes to support you in your unique journey to growth and resilience. EFT deepens your access to your inner wisdom to cultivate personal growth, resilience and inner transformation.
What each of the counselling modalities I use have in common is they each 1) Reduce emotional reactivity, 2) Connect you with your inner wisdom and strength, 3) Reduce inner criticism and replace it with self-compassion, acceptance and worthiness and 4) Regulate a depressed or stressed nervous system.
Integrative Wellness Strategies
In our time together, we will reframe limiting thoughts and narratives. We will utilize evidence-based strategies to regulate and calm a stressed, depressed, or traumatized nervous system. I can also help you to create a personalized wellness plan to optimize your health. These are all wonderful aspects of counselling that I love helping women with. But we can also incorporate what is meaningful to you to create better mind-body-spirit connection. Whether it is with the help of your spiritual or metaphysical practices, symbols, positive memories, or meaningful images – these all can act as doorways that open us up to the expansion of our personal growth, wellness and healing.
Unique Expertise
I am trained as both a Registered Nurse and as a Family Nurse Practitioner. This training, combined with my education in counselling has provided me with a unique blend of knowledge and skills to help women deepen their mind-body-spirit wellbeing.
Take the First Step
If this approach to wellbeing resonates with you, please feel free to call or email me (see my contact page), or to book a free 15-minute inquiry call to take the first step towards your personal wellness.
Counsellor for Women in Qualicum Beach
Hi! I’m Kirstin McKinnon. I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and a Registered Nurse (RN) in Qualicum Beach. I have a master’s degree in nursing, and trained as a Family Nurse Practitioner. I have over 18 years of experience in working one on one with clients. I have seen the complexities of life and relationships, and I strive to help clients form a place of empathy and understanding. My combined education and practice experience gives me a unique understanding of, and approach to, the interconnection of mind, body, and emotions. My knowledge and training in counselling and advanced practice nursing enables me to provide evidence-based, holistic care to support clients in creating greater well-being in their lives. I aim to help women get unstuck from emotional, mental, and behavioural patterns that are impacting their wellbeing so that they can live a healthier, more fulfilling life. I wholeheartedly believe in peoples’ capacity to heal, grow, and change. This ability within you, combined with evidence-based therapies, can produce meaningful change in your wellbeing.
What has been getting in the way of your wellbeing?
- Are you trying to find you r way through separation or divorce?
- Are you feeling stuck in anxiety, guilt, or self-doubt?
- Does life feel too overwhelming?
- Do you know what you “should be doing” to live a healthier life but “just aren’t doing it”?
- Do you have areas where you self-sabotage?
- Do you struggle to stick to a healthy lifestyle or eating habits?
- Does emotional eating hinder your wellbeing, self-esteem, and body image?
These are all patterns that we can get stuck in that steal our joy and peace, and negatively impact our wellbeing. These patterns estrange us from who we really are, and the person we long to be. My approach to counselling is rooted in therapies that are designed to regulate the nervous system and difficult emotions, heal trauma, create new patterns, re-write old negative self-beliefs, promote greater self-acceptance, and to live with a greater sense of connection and meaning.
As we work together, you can take the steps towards identifying and challenging limiting beliefs and narratives, process and regulate difficult emotions, develop a more regulated nervous system, and rewrite a new chapter going forward in your life.
Tending to the heart, mind, body and soul.
Dissolve unhelpful behavioural and emotional patterns, develop a stronger sense of self, and engage in life in a more meaningful way.
