Karen Pipe, Graduate Intern Therapist

You may be someone who has spent much of your life holding it all together for others and are now ready for a space that is just for you.

I offer a calm, grounded, and compassionate space where clients can slow down, feel understood, and begin to make sense of what they’re carrying. With over 25 years of experience in public health, I have supported individuals, couples, and families through complex life circumstances, which has shaped my understanding of how relationships, stress, illness, and life transitions affect emotional well-being.

My approach is relational, collaborative, and client-centred. I believe that clients are the experts in their own lives, and I work alongside them with curiosity and care to build insight, strengthen emotional awareness, and support meaningful, sustainable change. I am committed to creating a space that feels both supportive and gently structured, where growth can happen at a pace that feels right for each person.

I am particularly drawn to working with individuals navigating family estrangement, adjustment to illness, grief and loss, and major life transitions. I also support emerging adults experiencing anxiety, depression, and challenges related to self-esteem and identity. In my work with couples and families, I help clients better understand patterns in their relationships, improve communication, and move toward more secure and connected ways of relating.

I take a relational and strengths-based approach, integrating attachment-based and emotion-focused work alongside cognitive and mindfulness-based strategies. My work is collaborative, practical, and tailored to each client’s goals and experiences.

My clinical focus includes family estrangement, grief, loss and bereavement, adjustment to illness, and life transitions. I work with individuals, couples, and families, including emerging adults navigating anxiety, depression, self-worth, identity development, and relational stress.

• Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, Yorkville University -  In progress
• Master of Social Work, Clinical, University of Calgary                   - May 2002
• Certificate in Couple & Family Therapy (Post-Master’s), University of Calgary – Faculty of Social Work
• Motivational Interviewing – Core Skills Workshop, York University, Faculty of Health Sciences -  March 2022
• Gottman Method Couples Therapy – Level 1 & 2, The Gottman Institute, Darren Wilk - November 2023
• Internal Family Systems – Level 1 training, IFS Institute -  2024
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) - Fundamental Clinical Skills Training, McMaster University, Department of Psychiatry - April. 2024
• Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) – Core Training, International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy - 2025
• Discernment Counselling Training, Doherty Relationship Institute -  In progress