Our Team

Heather Hassenbein

MCPAT, RCC, BCATR

(She/Her)

Hey, I’m Heather

I am the heart behind Constellations Counselling and the creator of the HSP Cozy Nook blog. My dedication to fostering safety, compassion, and growth for over twenty years is rooted in a rich tapestry of diverse experiences. Holding a Master’s in Counselling Psychology: Art Therapy, I’m a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors and a Registered Art Therapist with the British Columbia Art Therapy Association. I’m an approved provider with ICBC, First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), Arete, and Dialogue, ensuring diverse avenues to extend support. My passion for this field has led me to roles ranging from private sectors to women’s centers, and from guiding young students in schools to supporting older adults in assisted living. Outside of my time at Constellations Counselling, I work at an in-residence treatment centre as an Art Therapist, focusing on mental health and addiction. I volunteer on the British Columbia Art Therapy Association’s Executive Board as the Membership Chair which has been an enriching chapter of my professional journey. As your counsellor, whether we connect online or in-person, my intention remains the same: to offer you a safe, compassionate, sensitive, and empowering space to heal and grow. 

Questions & Answers

What extra or specialized training do you have?

• Psychotherapy and the Highly Sensitive Person
• San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training
• Anti-Indigenous Racism Response Training
• First Responder Health: Level I: Understanding Emergency Worker Trauma
• First Responder Health: Level II: Specialized Understanding of Emergency Worker Trauma
• BCMHSUS – The ADDRESS® Course for Working with Personality Disorder
• BCMHSUS Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (Essentials)
• BCMHSUS – Motivational Interviewing
• DBT Skills

Why did you become a counsellor?

Psychology has always been intriguing to me and I was consistently fascinated by people’s actions and wanted to understand why people responded in certain ways.  I was curious to know what they were thinking and why.  I especially wanted to know how to help people who felt lost, alone, sad, or overwhelmed.  This deep desire to connect with and help others has led me along this path to become a counsellor.

Why did you become an art therapist?

In order to facilitate my own healing I found engaging in creative pursuits to be profoundly supportive.  I would paint even though I was not a skilled painter.  I would collage even though I had no idea what I was doing.  And I would write often even though I did not consider myself a writer.  I would engage in expressive writing in the form of poetry or storytelling.  I found the healing I experienced through creativity to be so powerful that I kept that memory with me.  Many years later as an adult I found art therapy or it found me.  The marrying of psychology and the creative process set my heart on fire and led me to become an art therapist.

What have you learned from being a counsellor?

Through my experience, I have witnessed people’s numerous strengths.  They are kind, resilient, brave, and hopeful.  People have a desire for love and genuine connection.  Sometimes, though, people find themselves feeling lost, alone, unsupported and forget how strong they are.  It can be challenging to move forward when these emotions come up and seem to want to stay.  My role is to work alongside with you and help support you rediscover your inner resources in order to alleviate thoughts and emotions that are inhibiting feelings of connection, fulfillment, and joy.  It is a privilege to walk with someone along their path for a moment in time and I feel grateful for the invitation to do so. I could not imagine doing any other kind of work.

What types of clients do you work with?

I work with adults on an individual basis who come in with a wide variety of concerns they are dealing with. I am passionate about working with fellow highly sensitive people to help them learn to ground and balance their energy in a world that can seem overwhelming at times.  Since I am a highly sensitive person, I know how challenging it can be to navigate in a world as a person who feels so much.  After much of my own personal work, I have learned to overcome the challenges and embrace the advantages that come from being a highly sensitive person.

What is your cultural background?

I come from a very beautifully mixed background.  The ethnicities included in my background are: Black, Japanese, Indigenous, German, and Chinese.  I believe in supporting the BIPOC community and promoting mental health for communities that are underserved.

What are your beliefs around religion/spirituality?

Although I was baptized in a Catholic church and went to Catholic school, I do not identify with any religion.  I do consider myself to be a spiritual person and believe in something greater than myself and I use terms like universe or energy to describe that unknown.  I respect others’ beliefs around religion and spirituality and ask for that same respect in return.

What is your approach to counselling?

I work from a person-centered, strengths based, trauma informed approach.  Establishing safety and trust is always a priority when working with clients; without safety and trust therapy will not be successful.  I also work from an intuitive and holistic perspective and believe in supporting the mind, body, soul connection and understand how one can impact the whole.  I have a collaborative approach to counselling.  Clients and I set goals/intentions for therapy together.  I want clients to feel empowered to speak up because what they have to say does matter.  Sessions are led by clients and my role is to help guide and support the client.  When clients come into session, I respect where they are and help them get to where they would like to go.  I recognize and value each client as a unique individual and all my offered treatment suggestions are dependent on the client.

Do you take notes during session?

Yes.  Some clients don’t care but some clients find it distracting.  I always tell clients I’m taking notes on what they say and nothing else.  It’s part of my process to help my clients.  I wouldn’t be an effective counsellor if I did not.  I take my notes home; review them; and come up with treatment suggestions based on what a client has said.  At the end of the day there is no way I would remember what every single client has said to me.  I also take notes because many times a client will say something very profound but I don’t want to interrupt their own process so I’ll write it down so I can revisit it later in session.  Clients have so much more wisdom than they realize.  And what I have witnessed many times over is that they don’t hear what they are saying until I highlight it for them.  So yes, notes are one my therapeutic tools I use to help clients.

What are your expectations from clients?

Definitely mutual respect is always ideal.  I also want my clients to feel they can be honest with me.  If a treatment suggestion does not work, it’s okay to say so.  Often, we find what works by finding out what does not work so open communication is important.  I also expect a certain level of commitment.  Therapy is work and it’s not easy work.  It involves arriving on time, coming to sessions regularly, avoiding no-shows, and communicating when you cannot make it in.  We do a lot of work in our sessions together but if a client wants to actually see change they are responsible for doing the work outside of session as well.  And I always ask what expectations clients have of me because that is just as important.

What should a client know about counselling?

Therapy can bring up a lot of heavy stuff.  And sometimes clients have no idea what has been buried in their subconscious until they see a counsellor.  A client can come in for one thing and all of a sudden we find all this other stuff that has been affecting them but has manifested as this one thing.  So, really, things can get worse before they get better.  This is why a commitment to the process is important.  I don’t ever want a client to leave and not come back after we have opened up a wound without offering some kind of closure; that has the potential to be very traumatic.  It’s absolutely okay if a client is not ready for therapy at any point in the process but let the counsellor know so they can wrap things up for you in a safe way.

Is there anything else a prospective client should know about you?

First and foremost, I am human. I’m not immune to mistakes or saying the wrong thing. I’ve personally grappled with mental health challenges and know the depths of that enveloping darkness and the feelings of hopelessness it can bring. However, with support, I’ve journeyed through those moments, which is why I’m not afraid of the darkness. I’m here to sit with you, no matter how tough or seemingly insurmountable your struggles may seem, offering a safe space free from judgment. My commitment is to provide understanding and compassion, and together, in that dark space, we can perhaps discover a hint of light.