counselling
We Treat
Anxiety / Burnout
/ Stress
Trauma &
PTSD
Anxiety / Burnout
Trauma &
Life Changes /
services
How We Help
Individual Counselling
Discover support and guidance in a safe, non-judgmental space through our individual counselling services.
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Relationships / Couples
Nurture healthy connections through understanding, open communication, and empathy.
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Virtual Counselling
Experience the warmth of counselling from the comfort of your space with virtual appointments.
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Vicki Scott, RCC
B.Ed., Masters of Counselling Psychology, RCC, Meditation Facilitator Being human is hard sometimes. We all face challenges—relationships, grief and loss,...
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Sam Nielsen, RCC
Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) Sam believes that everyone can benefit from counselling. She sees...
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Steve Dolson, RCC
Masters of Arts in Counselling Psychology, MACP, RCC, Clinical Counsellor, Group Facilitator, Practicum Supervisor Life can present us with a...
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Shayla Piccini, RCC
Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, Registered Clinical Counsellor Shayla believes everyone deserves a safe space to better understand themselves,...
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latest courses
6 week Mindfulness Stress Reduction and Resiliency course
Next Course Coming Spring 2026
Receipts will be available if you want to use your benefits for this course.
We offer a 6-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course that helps individuals gain insight, skills and resilience to live a life that is more meaningful and fulfilling.
This course will help you:
- Improve resilience to stress
- Strengthen empathy, compassion, and communication
- Enhance concentration, decision making, and impulse control
- Enhance self compassion
- Understand your thoughts
- Identify and manage your emotions
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Our Thoughts and More
Holding Space for Every Kind of Grief
When we hear the word grief, we think about losing someone we love. But grief isn’t limited to death or bereavement. It’s a deeply human response to loss —any loss —and it can show up in many forms that aren’t always recognized or understood.
Grief can quietly shape our lives, influencing how we cope, connect, and move forward. Sometimes the pain we carry shows up through behaviours like overworking, gambling or other ways we try to fill an emptiness we don’t quite understand. The unsolved grief from the past often lingers and continues to affect how we experience the present.
Certain moments in life can stir up grief we thought we’d left behind — reminders or something, or someone, we’ve lost. You might grieve the end of a relationship, the loss of a career, or the shift in identity. You might grieve a sport that you can no longer play, a dream that didn’t come true, or even a version of yourself that once existed. Grief can also arise when leaving a job, even one you were ready to walk away from, because it marks the end of a chapter in your life.
These forms of grief can carry as much emotional weight as losing a person, yet they often go unseen. When society doesn’t acknowledge them, people can feel alone or wonder why they’re struggling to “move on.” Grief and change go hand in hand; even the most positive transitions, such as graduating, moving to a new city, or becoming a parent, can bring a sense of loss alongside new beginnings. Every ending holds space for both grief and growth.
Signs You Might Be Grieving
Grief doesn’t always look like sadness. It can show up in many different ways, sometimes quietly, sometimes unexpectedly. You might notice:
- Irritability or anger
- Difficulty concentrating
- Fatigue or restlessness
- Numbness or detachment
- A sense of longing or emptiness
These feelings are normal responses to loss. They don’t mean you’re broken, they mean you’re human.
Healing Takes Time
There’s no timeline for grief, and there’s no “right” way to feel. What matters most is allowing yourself the space to acknowledge your losses, in whatever form they take. Speaking with a counsellor can offer guidance as you make sense of your emotions and begin to find meaning in what comes next. Grief isn’t something to get over; it’s something to move through. With compassion, support, and time, healing is possible.
We’re here for you through it all. To connect with one of our caring counsellors, reach out to us at [email protected].
"You can’t stop the waves but
you can learn how to surf."
Jon Kabat-Zinn
For anyone in Kamloops seeking professional guidance and support, finding the right counselling service is a crucial step toward emotional wellness. While many therapeutic approaches exist, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) stands out as a powerful and evidence-based modality, particularly for those looking to improve their relationships and deepen their emotional connections. In Kamloops, a practice like Branches Counselling and Consulting Group offers a compassionate and skilled team dedicated to helping individuals, couples, and families navigate their personal journeys.
Understanding Emotionally Focused Therapy
At its core, Emotionally Focused Therapy is a humanistic, short-term therapeutic approach that centers on the power of emotions to create lasting change. Developed by Dr. Sue Johnson and Les Greenberg, it’s a modality rooted in attachment theory, which posits that humans are hardwired for close emotional bonds. When these bonds are threatened, we often fall into negative patterns of interaction – what EFT calls the “dance” of the relationship. This could be a cycle of one partner pursuing and the other withdrawing, or a dynamic of mutual criticism and defensiveness. These patterns are not the problem themselves, but rather, they are a protest against the underlying fear of disconnection and loss of a secure bond.
EFT works by helping clients identify these emotional “dances” and the deeper, often unexpressed emotions that fuel them, such as fear, shame, or loneliness. The therapist acts as a guide, creating a safe space for clients to slow down, explore these emotions, and express their true needs and vulnerabilities. The goal is to restructure the negative interaction patterns and create new, positive cycles of connection and responsiveness. This is not about blame or finding a “right” and “wrong” party; it’s a collaborative process of making sense of emotional responses and learning to turn towards one another for comfort and security.
Branches Counselling and Consulting Group: A Place for Healing
In Kamloops, Branches Counselling and Consulting Group embodies the principles of this powerful therapeutic model. With a team of compassionate and skilled practitioners, Branches offers a supportive environment where clients can feel heard, understood, and safe. They recognize that seeking help is an act of courage, and their approach is collaborative, trauma-informed, and respectful of each individual’s unique journey.
Branches understands that true healing and growth happen when a person feels a sense of autonomy and is empowered to make choices about their own path forward. Their practitioners are not just there to offer advice, but to partner with clients in understanding their experiences and accessing the wisdom they already possess. They offer a range of services, including individual and couples counselling, and their commitment to ongoing professional development ensures they are equipped with the most effective, evidence-based tools available, including a strong foundation in Emotionally Focused Therapy. For those in Kamloops looking to repair relationships or cultivate a deeper sense of self, Branches Counselling and Consulting Group provides a beacon of hope and a pathway to lasting change.
