Kiera Hoekstra (Mental Health and Addictions Counsellor) provides therapy to individuals, couples and families through the Community Counselling Program in Yellowknife. Kiera’s favorite ways of working as a therapist are strengths-based, emotion-focused, family systems and narrative therapy. 

Kiera believes social work’s greatest contribution to the therapy field is the systemic lens it uses to view individual challenges in the context of people’s experiences, families and the social, political contexts of the time. This lens helps the therapist maintain unconditional positive regard for the service-user and can empower service-users to experience a reduction of shame around their specific and individual mental health challenges and emotions.

Kiera’s favourite coping skill is 4-7-8 breathing: inhale for 4 counts, hold breath for 7 counts, release breath for 8 counts (numbers can be reduced to suit the individual, lung capacity, etc).