Meet Joan vonNiessen:
Certified Clinical Counsellor (CCC) at Alive Counselling
this is me:
As a former registered nurse, Joan brings many years of experience and perspective to holistic mental health care. Joan is passionate about counselling and provides EMDR, neurofeedback, and biofeedback therapy in Kelowna and Vernon, as well as online.
Joan also works in anxiety, stress, depression, trauma, relationships, self-esteem, focus/adhd, & peak performance among a variety of “issues.”
She works from a variety of therapeutic approaches, but always tailors therapy uniquely to you and your needs. Some of these modalities include:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- EMDR
- Neurofeedback
- Brief Solution Focused Therapy
- Gottman Relationship Therapy
- Emotion Focused Therapy
- Positive Neuroplasticity
- Mindfulness
Book a complimentary consultation or appointments with Joan
Meet Joan
What makes me come alive
I am a prairie girl that grew up in Manitoba, met my Kelowna-bred husband tree-planting in Northern Ontario, got married, moved to BC and had three children. Living in Vancouver we knew we could never afford to buy a house, so we moved to the Okanagan 24 years ago and haven’t looked back. We love it here and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
In my spare time I love to paddleboard, hike, bike, and hang out with my family. I love listening to mystery podcasts. I love a fresh bouquet of summer flowers. I recently took up my childhood hobby of embroidery which my grandma taught me when I was a little girl.
I started my career as a Registered Nurse, have an undergraduate degree in Specialty Nursing and worked in many different areas of nursing including pediatrics, home care and public health. In 2009 I began to move in a new direction as I started a private Bio and Neurofeedback practice. This included biofeedback to help clients regulate their body such as breathing, heart rate and blood flow as well as neurofeedback which included a full brain assessment and brain training to train the brain into healthier patterns and in doing so, improve symptoms like anxiety, depression, focus and attention.
As I continued to work in this field, I knew I wanted to gain more skills and tools in the area of counselling and went on to complete my Masters in Counselling. I am a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) through the CCPA with specialized training in Biofeedback, Neurofeedback, and EMDR. Therapies I use include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Brief Solution Focused Therapy, Positive Neuroplasticity, Mindfulness, Emotional Focused Therapy and Gottman Therapy.
My areas of expertise are anxiety and trauma.
As well, I have experience working with depression, sleep disorders, ADHD, head injury, PTSD, relationship challenges, life transitions and peak performance.
My nursing background, in combination with my counselling training, gives me a unique, holistic view of health physical, mental and emotional challenges. I like to meet clients where they are at and begin to set goals that they are desiring to reach. I see myself as walking together with you on your journey of health and healing, exploring collaboratively, what barriers there might be to moving forward and finding solutions tailored to your individual personality and experiences. Beginning counselling can feel daunting but there can also be moments of laughter, learning and clarity. I encourage you to contact me today to see if working with me might be a good fit.
