Cristina Dann Arvidson

My approach puts an authentic and connected relationship at the centre of everything. I will meet you wherever you are in your journey and co-create space to make it safe for you to share without fear of judgement. We'll collaborate so you can access your inner strengths and resources to enhance your life, find new growth, and form strong connection with others. I have worked as a counsellor for over 15 years in public health, employee assistance, addictions treatment, school and private practice settings. Since the mid-90s, my work has held the common thread of collaborating with families, individuals, and organizational teams to help people thrive. As a parent and school counsellor for over 12 years, I have a unique window into the challenges families, youth, school communities are facing during these challenging times. My areas of interest and experience include integrated care for school-aged children with unique learning profiles (e.g. giftedness, ADHD, learning disabilities, mood disorders, trauma history), supporting gender-diverse children and their parents, navigating separation and divorce, mindfulness-based practices to address low-mood and anxious feelings, adult processing of adverse childhood experiences, managing burnout, adult ADHD, concussion recovery, mediation and transformative justice. My preferred methodologies include AEDP™ for my work with adults and play therapy (drawing mainly from Neuroscience and Satir in the Santray and Synergetic Play Therapy™) for my work with children. Together we can determine together what approach best meet your needs. ​ I have completed San'yas Indigenous Cultural Safety training to better serve clients with indigenous backgrounds. I recognize that living and working on the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples – sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) nations - brings with it a responsibility to acknowledge the harmful effects of colonization and learn ways of being that can help respond meaningfully to this harm.