About Belinda

CREATE THE LIFE YOU WANT!

Counselling with Belinda Kissack M.A., C.C.C., R.C.C.

Canadian Certified Counsellor and Registered Clinical Counsellor

Thrive in Spite of Chronic Pain – Strengthen Relationships – Enjoy Parenting

About Belinda Kissack

Education

  • 2006 Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, City University, Victoria BC
  • 1993 Diploma of Technology in Chemical Sciences, BCIT, Burnaby BC
  • 1990 Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology, UBC, Vancouver BC

Other Training and Conferences Attended

  • 2009 Standard First Aid Training, Duncan BC
  • 2009 Canadian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists Workshop, Part Two Vancouver, BC 
  • 2008 Canadian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists Workshop, Part One Vancouver BC
  • 2007 Canadian Counselling Association Annual Conference, Vancouver BC
  • 2006 Autism Behavioural Interventionist Training, Vancouver BC
  • 2005 Chronic Disease Self-management Program Facilitator Training, Victoria BC
  • 2005 Patient Self-Management Conference, Victoria BC
  • 2004 Clinical Hypnotherapy Certification, Duncan BC

Associations I belong to

  • British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors
  • Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association
  • Anxiety Disorder Association of BC
  • Canadian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists
  • Triathlon BC
  • CeeVacs Running Club

Experience

Prior to my counselling career I worked for many years in a large organization, partly as a Skills Training Manager in Human Resources responsible for hiring and training new recruits, and as a Laboratory Technician responsible for the quality of test results and training of testers working in five on-site laboratories. When I started my family, I decided to scale back my work to part-time contracting. The role paid well, but I realized that I wanted to learn more about how to help people in their personal lives, not just by providing them employment skills or offering them a job, but to help them with their daily struggles.  After running my first marathon, which I had previously thought was impossible; I decided to tackle a lifelong dream which was to return to school to earn a Master of Arts degree.

I chose to work toward a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology. I could have chosen many different degrees, but chose this one as it was most interesting to me, and most applicable to that particular stage in my life. I had several options when it came to schools and delivery systems. City University provided quality education by instructors who were also counsellors and the program afforded me the flexibility to study while the children were at school or in bed at night. The last few years were the toughest, managing course work, a thesis and a practicum. During my years of study, several topics became very interesting to me which is why I choose to focus on them now.  They include,  chronic pain and illness, relationship counselling, parenting struggles, and workplace difficulties.

Chronic Pain and Illness

After my first year of counselling courses, my mother was diagnosed and quickly died from ovarian and lung cancer. On a whim, I decided to do something different that my mother would encourage. I chose to study Clinical Hypnotherapy while still taking my university counselling courses. I was amazed at how often Hypnotherapy was cited in studies for chronic illnesses as being more helpful and longer lasting than medication alone. Later that year, I decided to take advantage of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program Facilitators Training program offered through UVIC’s Centre for Aging to learn more about this area. Many of the messages were consistent and the program emphasized the importance of goal setting and action planning. I chose to write my thesis on cancer pain and learned a lot about all types of pain. Since then, I have been asked by several organizations to discuss pain management issues and had the pleasure of sharing my thesis research. I am now in the process of revising my work on chronic pain to discuss specifically, how many counselling techniques are useful in chronic pain and disease.

Relationship counselling

Couples work is very interesting to me and I really enjoy the work. I am amazed at how often couples are actually working toward the same goals but they have no idea that the strange behaviours they are noticing are what their partner is doing to work toward those very same, often unstated, goals.

Parenting Struggles

As a parent I am fascinated by the amount of stress involved in parenting and the amount of joy available. I find that the awareness and insight that I gained throughout my training allows me to step back as a parent and reflect on my emotions and experiences when I get frustrated or upset. I like this area of work because I want to see other parents see the best qualities in their children and have their children excel at what they are interested in, not necessarily what the parents are interested in. While finishing off my thesis, I received training and worked as a Behavioural Interventionist for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This learning increased my awareness of the issues parents face when their child has a diagnosis.

Workplace Difficulties

While studying and being a stay-at-home Mom, I noticed how much I missed work, yet knew that our family could not handle the extra load of my working away from home.  I consistently found myself having difficulty defining myself while not earning an income. I missed the socializing that work affords, I missed the “being good at something other than being a mom“ and of course I missed earning a pay check. I was also aware that my grandmothers and mother had been successful in their workplaces. I really struggled finding someone who could understand why not working was a problem for me. I learned a lot from the experience about how different people respond in the workplace and the importance of the work environment.

Other Interests

I am happily married and have two children. I thoroughly enjoy watching everyone in my family work towards their own goals. When I am not working at my private practice, attending courses or conferences, I enjoy participating in running and triathlon races.  My gardening and musical interests have temporarily taken a back seat for now, but I am certain I will get back to them in the near future.

Call 250-710-9972 or e-mail kissack@shaw.ca for more information or to book your appointment!

Belinda Kissack M.A., R.C.C., C.C.C.

Registered Clinical Counsellor and Canadian Certified Counsellor

331 St. Julian Street, Duncan BC V9L 3S5