Krista Huyer Psychotherapy

I am originally from Toronto, Ontario and moved out west a few years ago. I offer online sessions servicing all of Ontario and British Columbia. I'm a Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO) in Ontario and a Registered Clinical Counsellor (BCACC) in British Columbia. Walk and Talk sessions are offered in person in Vancouver, BC.

I sure am! I would love to meet you.

If we determine we are a good fit during our consultation call, then we will schedule our first session. Paperwork will be filled out prior to this session. The first session is really about getting to know each other. It is my job to make you feel comfortable and to lead the first session. You don't need to come prepared with anything :) I will ask lots of questions, I will share about myself and my style of work. We will make it as fun, comfy and cozy as we can.

I work primarily with women navigating the challenges of life, nervous system overwhelm, people-pleasing and self-abandonment, anxiety, disconnection from the body, self-worth, life transitions, and spiritual awakenings. Many of my clients have done years of inner work and are ready for something deeper.

Talk therapy works mostly through your mind, understanding a pattern, naming what happened, thinking it through out loud until it makes sense. That kind of insight is real and useful, but a lot of people get all the way to understanding why they do what they do and still feel just as stuck, because the insight never reached the part of them holding onto it. Body-based therapy works from the other direction. Instead of only talking about the anxiety or the shutdown, we work with what's actually happening in your body while it's happening, the bracing, the held breath, the urge to disappear from the conversation. That's where approaches like Brainspotting and somatic work come in. It's slower in some ways, and it doesn't rely on you having the right words ready, which is often a relief if you've already spent years being very good at explaining yourself without much changing underneath it.

This is my favourite question- I love this stuff! Brainspotting is based on the idea that where you're looking can affect what you're able to access emotionally, since certain eye positions seem to connect to where the brain holds onto unprocessed experiences. In a session, I help you find a "brainspot," basically a fixed point of gaze, while you stay with whatever comes up in your body and emotions. It works with the deeper, non-verbal parts of the brain, so it's often useful for things that feel stuck even after a lot of talking about them.Hypnosis, despite what movies show, isn't about losing control or being unconscious. It's a state of focused, relaxed attention, similar to the feeling of getting absorbed in a book, that makes it easier to access thoughts, memories, or patterns that are harder to reach in an ordinary conversation. You stay aware and in control the entire time, it's a tool for opening a richer part of ourself.Somatic work is based on the idea that the body holds onto stress and experience, not just the mind. Instead of only talking through something, we also pay attention to physical sensation, tension, breath, what's happening in your body as we talk. The goal is to help your nervous system actually complete and release responses that got stuck, rather than just understanding them intellectually.

50-minute sessions are best for ongoing relational therapy with somatic integration as it arises. 90-minute sessions are reserved for body-based, deeper somatic work where your nervous system needs time to fully arrive and the work needs space to integrate before we close. Intensives are also offered for 2-4 hour sessions to really make changes quickly.

This depends. Some clients work with me for a few months around a specific issue. Others stay in longer-term therapy going through the transitions of life. There's no fixed expectation. We move at your pace. There can be quick shifts and changes though with the deeper work we do- I have seen stuck patterns change in 1 or 2 sessions before- its so neat!

The work I offer is best suited for women who have done some prior inner work, want body-based rather than purely talk-based therapy, and are ready to slow down. If you're newer to therapy, in active crisis, or specifically looking for short-term solution-focused work, I'd be happy to point you toward someone who's a better fit.

An intensive is a longer, focused session designed to go deeper than a standard appointment allows. Typically 3 to 4 hours in length, intensives create the time and space for substantial Somatic, Brainspotting, or parts work to fully unfold.Most therapy sessions end just as something starts to shift. An intensive holds the work long enough for the body to actually do what it's been waiting to do. We slow down. We listen. We work with whatever surfaces. And we leave real time for integration before closing.Intensives can be used as a standalone session for a specific issue you want to focus on, as a kickstart to deeper work in an ongoing therapy relationship, or periodically as part of a longer healing journey.Best suited for clients who have done some prior inner work, who want a concentrated experience, or who can't come weekly but want each session to really count.Please read my blog post to learn even more

50 minute sessions are $170 90 minute sessions are $305 Intensives are typically anywhere from 2-4 hours starting at $750 Sliding Scale is offered. If cost is a barrier, please reach out and we will figure out what works.

Finances are challenging these days, but discussing it is so important. I offer a sliding scale to those that are eligible, and we will find something that works for both of us. I know the cost of therapy is a real barrier, and I don't want that to be the reason you don't get support somewhere. If my fee isn't workable right now, I'm glad to point you toward lower-cost options in your area, just reach out and ask.

Often, yes. I'm a Registered Psychotherapist with CRPO in Ontario and a Registered Clinical Counsellor with BCACC in BC, and most extended health plans that cover psychotherapy or counselling list one or both of those titles. Coverage still depends entirely on your specific plan though, not every provider includes RP or RCC services, so it's worth a quick call to your insurer to check before we start. I'll give you a receipt with my registration number on it for any claim you submit.