Erika Bardal

Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) #3662

deVries Counselling Group
Port Moody, BC

Education and Experience

Erika is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with over 16 years of experience working with children, teens and their families.

Erika also works with clients funded by the Crime Victims Assistance Program.

She has an undergraduate degree in psychology and a Masters degree in counselling.

In addition, Erika has also completed the following trainings:

• Advanced Training in Play and Sandplay therapy
• Working with Executive Functioning and Learning Styles in children and teens
• EMDR training, Level 1

Counselling Specialities

Erika’s passions are helping children, adolescents, parents and families feel better about themselves, and improve their relationships.

Erika’s specialties include:

• Anxiety and depression
• Behavior problems in children and teens
• Struggles due to separation and divorce
• ADHD and other learning challenges
• Extra sensitive children and adolescents
• A traumatic experience or ongoing trauma

Key Characteristics

Erika is a warm therapist with a great sense of humour that she freely uses in her counselling sessions. Her humour is appreciated by her clients as is her ability to build deep connections with children and their parents.

Erika is an out of the box thinker who has several tools that she can pull from to help her clients at any given time.

She finds it rewarding to witness children and families feel better about themselves and their relationships with one another.

Counselling Approach

Erika uses the following counselling methods:

• Client-centred approach that incorporates art, sand, and play therapy to help clients explore, express and resolve feelings
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients challenge negative thinking patterns and think more positively
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to help clients process and heal trauma and anxiety
• A multitude of sensory tools that help clients with sensory needs better adapt to their environments

Erika regularly collaborates with other professionals including teachers, psychologists, family doctors, and occupational therapists who are involved in her clients’ care.

Personal Background

Erika understands firsthand how challenging it is for parents and children who come to see her as she is the parent of two young boys, both very active with sensory challenges.

Erika also has personal experiences with ADHD, depression, and anxiety in her family. She knows how demanding these issues can be, and also how rewarding it is to find ways of managing or overcoming them.