About Me.
Stephanie Thiessen
MA, LMHC
I’m a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a trauma-informed, emotionally focused, and compassion-centred approach to therapy. My work is rooted in Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT), which means I help clients understand the emotional patterns that shape their relationships—with others and with themselves. Alongside EFIT, I integrate shame resilience and self-compassion frameworks that allow us to explore what’s beneath the surface without getting stuck in cycles of self-blame. These tools help create space for healing, curiosity, and self-trust to grow. I’ve spent years deepening my understanding of how shame shows up in our lives—particularly for those who’ve been told they’re “too much,” “too sensitive,” or not enough. I believe therapy should be a space where we can unlearn those messages and build something new.
Over time, I’ve also specialized in applying these approaches to support clients navigating religious trauma, perfectionism, and neurodivergent identity. I’ve done focused study and training—including Megan Anna Neff’s “The Lost Generation” program—on supporting autistic adults who may have gone undiagnosed for years, and I work from a neurodiversity-affirming lens that honors difference rather than pathologizing it. Whether you’re processing high-control religious experiences or starting to explore what a neurodivergent identity means for you, I bring a nonjudgmental, grounded presence to help you reconnect with your inner knowing.
Clients often come to me feeling out of step with the world—like they’ve had to mask, perform, or hustle for belonging. In our work together, there’s no need to explain away your emotions or pretend to be okay. I hold space for the messy, tender parts—without rushing toward solutions or quick fixes. Instead, I focus on helping clients integrate sustainable systems, new patterns, and compassionate growth that actually support their life. My goal isn’t to change who you are, but to help you get closer to your values, your voice, and your self-compassion. Therapy with me is collaborative and deeply relational. I don’t sit back with a clipboard; I show up with warmth, clarity, and the belief that healing happens in relationship. If you’ve ever felt like you had to choose between being accepted and being authentic, my hope is that this can be a place where you don’t have to choose.
“ I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.”
— Brené Brown
Education.
Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Burman University
Master of Art in Counseling Psychology from Trinity Western University
License and Registration.
Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Washington State
Canadian Certified Counsellor with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association
Certifications.
Emotion Focused Individual Therapy Level I
by Dr. Sue Johnson and Dr. Leanne Campbell
Emotion Focused Family Therapy Level I
by Mental Health Foundations
Observed and Experiential Integration Levels I & II
by Dr. Richard Bradshaw and Lindsay Faas
Specialized Training.
Lost Generation of Autistic Adults
Anna Megan Neff, PhD
The Grief Summit: Grief Counseling and Treatment in a Pandemic of Loss by PESI
Anxiety in the Wake of Loss: Strategies for Working with The Missing Stage of Grief with Speaker CLAIRE BIDWELL SMITH, LCPC
Shattered Assumptions: Treat Grieving Clients Whose Work Has Been Turned Upside Down with Speaker JOY R. SAMUELS, D.MIN., LPC-MHSP, NCC
Anticipatory Grief: Helping Clients Face Impending Loss and Uncertain Futures with Speaker ERICA H SIRRINE, PH.D., LCSW, FT
Kids and Loss: How to Work with the Uniqueness of a Child's Grief with Speaker ERICA H SIRRINE, PH.D., LCSW, FT
Grief Work in Virtual Settings: New Tools to Create Support and Connection with Speaker ALISSA DRESCHER, LPC, FT, GC-C, MA
Unattended Grief: Interventions to Facilitate Healthy Grieving with Speaker DAVID KESSLER
Compassion Fatigue: Prevention for Professionals Who Work with Grief and Trauma with Speaker ERIC GENTRY PHD, LMHC, DAAETS, FAAETS
Traumatic Grief: Cognitive, Behavioral and Somatic Approaches with Speaker ERIC GENTRY PHD, LMHC, DAAETS, FAAETS
Reach Across Divides: Cultural & Difference Focused Practices in Grief Work with Speaker ALESIA ALEXANDER, LCSW, CT
Growing Through Discomfort: A mental health professional’s guide during Covid-19
Sessions with Esther Perel
Mindfulness Counseling Strategies - Activating Compassion and Regulation
Crisis and Trauma Resource Institute
Anxiety Practical Intervention Strategies
Crisis and Trauma Resource Institute
Fostering Emotion Regulation: From Fears to Tears
by Institute of Child Psychology
Mindfulness & Performance: The intention is to Win. The point is to Transform.
Webinar by Derek Covington and Mindwell.
Rice/Sand Tray Workshop
by Bart Begalka and Trinity Western University
Four Day Intensive Workshop in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
by Dr. David Burns
Languages.
English and American Sign Language
Stephanie uses two languages in her day to day life; English and American Sign Language (ASL). She primarily lives and practices Counselling in English but has a deep understanding of Deaf culture and is able to provide counselling to Deaf individuals with an interpreter.
Her ASL experience comes from social connections with the Deaf community and having completed 3 semesters at the Douglas College Sign Language Interpreting program.
Research.
George, D. M., Hall, S., Wisdom, A., Greenfield, M., Linrud, A., & Bermudez, K. (under review, Submitted June 2017). The influence of Self-Enhancement, Partner-Enhancement, Perceptual Accuracy and Personal Identity on Relational success among Married Couples, Dating Couples, and Same-Sex Roommates Dyads. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology.
Hall, S. E. (2017). Aiming to fully understand how we heal: Treatment and assessment protocol development for clinical research on performance-specific Social Anxiety Disorder (Unpublished masters thesis). Trinity Western University, Langley, B.C.
Publications.
Hall, S. E. (2015). Learning neurobiology doesn’t need to leave you traumatized! Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association Student Newsletter, 8, 14-15.
Presentations.
Hall, S. E. (2015, October). Confidence to be heard: An Efficacy Pilot Study Using Observed and Experiential Integration (OEI) for the treatment of public speaking Anxiety. Research and Clinical Colloquium. Symposium conducted at the meeting of Trinity Western University, Langley, B.C.
Hall, S. E. (2015, December). Confidence to be heard: An Efficacy Pilot Study Using Observed and Experiential Integration (OEI) for the treatment of public speaking Anxiety. Three Minute Thesis conducted at the meeting of Trinity Western University, Langley, B.C.
Hall, S. E. (2017, March). Aiming to fully understand how we heal: Treatment and assessment protocol development for clinical research on performance-specific Social Anxiety Disorder. Three Minute Thesis conducted at the meeting of Trinity Western University, Langley, B.C.
Hall, S. E. (2019, June). Lean into openness; Find home in discovery, innovation, and hope. Burman University Homecoming Conference conducted at Burman University, Lacombe, A.B.