Katarina Guillen-Spencer, MA, RP
Registered Psychotherapist
A Bit About Me
Hi, I'm Katarina!
I am a Registered Psychotherapist with a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology. My goal is to foster understanding and self-exploration, improve communication, and to help clients strengthen their relationship with themselves and others. I support my clients in connecting with their body's emotional responses, and to further identify their emotions, needs, and values.
My approach to therapy is collaborative and holistic. I believe that you are the expert in your own life, and I value co-creating therapeutic goals based on your existing strengths. I also value emphasizing the mind-body connection and using the knowledge we gain to inform our work together. I also work to recognize the impact that others, as well as the systems my clients are a part of, have on their well-being and therapeutic journey.
Overall, I strive to help my clients find workable solutions for their difficulties, and to develop new ways of relating to themselves and others. Our lived experiences shape us into who we are today and impact the way we interact with ourselves and within our relationships. I believe understanding our past, as well as how it is influencing our present, can support desired change and growth.
I am influenced by a variety of therapeutic modalities in my work such as Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Dialectic Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Family Systems Theory, and Solution Focused Therapy (SFT). I value open, authentic, and honest communication in my own life and within sessions, and I am deeply committed to creating a supportive and compassionate environment in which my clients can experiment with new ways of relating.
Outside of sessions, I enjoy various fibre arts such as knitting and sewing, cooking and trying new foods, travelling, playing board games, exercising, and spending time with family and friends.
Credentials & Professional Registration
Master of Arts om Counselling Psychology - Westerm University
Bachelors of Arts (Hons., Dist.) in Psychology, minor in Cognitive Science - University of Waterloo
Intensive Sex Therapy Training Program - University of Guelph
Registered Psychotherapist - College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO)
Ongoing Professional Development
Emotionally Focused Therapy Externship Training, International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Motivational Interviewing Foundational course, (MI) Psychwire
Motivational Interviewing for Addiction course, (MI) Psychwire
Emotionally Focused Family Therapy Core Skills Training, (EFFT) Mental Health Foundations
Emotionally Focused Family Advanced Skills Training, (EFFT) Mental Health Foundations
Advanced Acceptance and Commitment Therapy training by Lou Lasprugato, MFT, (ACT) Praxis
Trauma Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy course, Psychwire
InterACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) with couples training by Lou Lasprugato, MFT, (ACT) Praxis
An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory course, Foxylearning
Compassion Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy course, Psychwire
Compassion Focused Therapy Chairwork training, The Compassionate Mind Foundation
Compassion Focused Therapy Groups for Teens and Caregivers, Facilitator Training
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with Mindfulness training, (CBTm) University of Manitoba
Indigenous Canada Course, University of Alberta
The Canadian Association for Couple and Family Therapy (CACFT) conference 2025 “Evolving Systems: Empowering Relationships in a diverse world”
Association for Contextual Behavioural Science Virtual World Conference, ACBS
2-Day Intensive Couples Therapy Level 1 Training Webinar: An Accelerated Approach to Repair, Stabilize, and Strengthen Couples in Crisis by Elizabeth Earnshaw, LMFT, CGT, Pesi
Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) for Attachment Trauma Transforming Psychological Wounds for Adult Clients Traumatized as Children Webinar by Dr. Sue Johnson, EdD, Pesi
The Art of Relationship Repair: Mastering and Integrative Couples Therapy with an EFT and Gottman Approach Webinar by Marci Gray, RP , Pesi
Healing from Affairs: Moving Past the Trauma of Betrayal and Infidelity Webinar by Tammy Nelson, PhD, Pesi
Grief Summit: Grief Counselling and Treatment in a Pandemic of Loss Webinar, Pesi
