My passion for the work that I do as a psychologist began many years ago through my own journey of seeking counselling support. It was such a gift to have someone sit with me and hold space for the emotional pain I was in, no rushing, no quick fixes, just a compassionate presence to guide me toward healing. This is what I aspire to offer you! No one should walk the challenges of life alone—let’s connect through meaningful reflection and journey together toward your own story of healing.

In my personal time, I enjoy restful days at home with my husband and two little girls. We love going for walks, visiting farmer’s markets, reading books, dreaming of travelling the world, and hosting gatherings at our home around good food, laughter, and meaningful conversation. You can often find me with a strong coffee or calm tea in hand, depending on the time of day.

I look forward to meeting with you, hearing your story, and collaborating with you on your journey to health and wholeness. 

Hello, I’m courtney bell

credentials & expereince

I am a Registered Psychologist and I am the founder of Compassion Culture Counselling. I completed my Bachelor of Arts in Honours Psychology at the University of Manitoba, and obtained a Master of Arts in Counselling at Providence Theological Seminary, in Calgary, Alberta. I’ve worked for four years at a group psychology practice and completed a clinical internship and residency in the non- profit sector prior to that. I have experience offering individual, couple’s, family, and group therapy, as well as providing parent coaching and support for families in foster care.

  • Registered member and in good standing with College of Alberta Psychologist

  • Registered member with Psychologists’ Association of Alberta

  • Trained in trauma informed therapy: Basic training completed in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

  • Certificate in Christian Counsellor Training: Basic Biblical Counselling with Graham Bretherick, R. Psych., founder of Runfree Counselling Centre

  • Trained in Perinatal Mood Disorders - Components of Care & Advanced Perinatal Mental Health Psychotherapy through Postpartum Support International.

  • Verified by Psychology Today.

Approach

My main therapeutic approach is Emotion Focused Therapy. The goal of this evidenced based approach is to guide you into a more productive relationship with your emotions. Emotions are a normal and central part of the human experience, and are often related to emotional needs that are not always obvious. Using Emotion Focused Therapy involves increasing self-awareness through compassionate, collaborative and meaningful reflection, in order to label, understand, experience, and express emotions in a helpful way.

Interventions include: open ended questions, empathic listening and validation, a genuine and compassionate presence, gentle but direct feedback about unhelpful emotion cycles, “finding the root of the problem”, emotion regulation strategies, reframing emotional experiences, transforming emotions into something more meaningful, to name a few. 

With that said, I believe that every client is different and may need different approaches to meet their counselling goals, therefore, here is a list of additional evidence based approaches that inform my counselling practice: 

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy

  • Neuropsychology

  • Attachment Theory

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy 

  • Narrative Therapy 

  • Solution Focused Therapy 

  • Acceptance and Commitment therapy