Space to Heal. Support to Move Forward

Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, working through difficult experiences, or adjusting to changes in your life, counselling offers a place to pause, feel heard, and find a way forward.

Meet Michelle

I’m Michelle Gagnon, a Canadian Certified Counsellor, EMDR Trained Counsellor, Clinical Hypnotherapist, and Certified Breathwork Facilitator. I bring more than 10 years of counselling and mental health experience and offer a warm, practical approach that respects your needs, experiences, and goals.

I’m based in Prince George, BC, and hold a Master of Education in Counselling from the University of Northern British Columbia. My experience spans hospital, university, community, and private practice settings.

My background includes six years in mental health and addictions counselling with Northern Health, counselling students at UNBC, and operating my private practice since 2017. I have also worked with Positive Living North, the College of New Caledonia, and the Prince George Elizabeth Fry Society.

Throughout my work, I’ve supported people navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, chronic pain, substance use, relationship concerns, and significant life changes. I also have experience supporting recovery following workplace injuries and collaborating with physicians, occupational therapists, and other care providers.

What It’s Like to Work With Me

I want counselling to feel like a space where you can be yourself and speak openly, even when you’re unsure where to begin. I take time to understand what matters to you, and we decide together what to focus on.

My approach is compassionate, collaborative, and trauma-informed. My primary therapeutic approaches include EMDR, CBT, clinical hypnotherapy, and breathwork. I tailor our work to your needs while respecting your comfort, readiness, and pace.

My education also includes a Bachelor of Arts in First Nations Studies and San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training. I am committed to listening with openness and respecting each person’s culture, identity, and lived experience.

Together, we can work toward understanding what you’re experiencing, building coping skills, and helping you feel more confident in managing everyday life.

What Are Some of the Ways Counselling Can Help Someone?

Counselling offers a supportive space to explore what you’re experiencing, recognize your strengths, and find ways to move forward. It can help you:

  • Understand your mental and emotional health and identify areas you would like to work on

  • Develop healthy coping strategies for stress, anxiety, and difficult emotions

  • Work through grief, loss, and significant life changes

  • Gain new perspectives and recognize patterns that may be keeping you stuck

  • Learn practical skills and build habits that support your wellbeing

  • Discover your strengths and build confidence and self-worth

  • Process difficult experiences and trauma at a pace that feels manageable

  • Set healthy boundaries and communicate your needs more confidently

  • Navigate relationship challenges and develop more meaningful connections

  • Explore the connection between your thoughts, emotions, and physical responses

  • Manage the emotional impact of chronic pain, illness, or injury

  • Clarify your goals and take manageable steps toward meaningful change

Counselling Support

I provide counselling for adults. Areas of support include:

  • Anxiety and stress: Managing worry, feeling overwhelmed, and difficulties coping with everyday demands.

  • Depression: Exploring low mood, reduced motivation, and feelings of disconnection.

  • Trauma: Working through the effects of distressing experiences with attention to safety and readiness.

  • Grief and loss: Making space for grief and adjusting to life after a loss.

  • Chronic pain and health-related stress: Supporting the emotional challenges of living with pain, injury, or changes in health.

  • Workplace injury and recovery: Addressing emotional difficulties following an injury and supporting a return to daily activities and work.

  • Relationships and boundaries: Navigating communication, conflict, people-pleasing, and healthy limits.

  • Life transitions: Finding support through changes in relationships, education, employment, or personal circumstances.

Therapeutic Approaches

CBT

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

CBT explores the connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Together, we can identify patterns that contribute to distress and develop practical strategies to help you respond differently to everyday challenges.

EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

Difficult experiences can continue to affect how you feel and respond, even long after they’ve happened. EMDR helps you work through distressing memories so they feel less overwhelming and have less impact on your daily life. As an EMDR-trained counsellor, I guide this process at a pace that respects your comfort and readiness.

Clinical Counselling Hypnotherapist - Trauma Specialist

Clinical hypnotherapy uses guided relaxation, focused attention, and imagery to support your therapeutic goals. As a Clinical Hypnotherapist with training as a Trauma Specialist, I incorporate this approach according to your needs and preferences.

Breathwork

As a Clinical Breathwork Facilitator, I guide breathing practices to support grounding, relaxation, and emotional regulation. We explore practices at a pace that feels comfortable, with attention to how you respond.

Other Modalities

I also draw on Sound Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Solution-Focused Therapy, Person-Centred and Strengths-Based Approaches.

We’ll discuss the options together and choose approaches that fit your goals.

Clinical Supervision - Available soon.

I am currently working toward becoming a clinical supervisor, building on my experience as a counsellor and my commitment to ongoing learning. I look forward to supporting fellow counsellors as they develop their skills, build confidence, and navigate the complexities of clinical practice in a supportive, collaborative environment.

Virtual Appointments and Fees

I offer virtual counselling so you can attend from a comfortable, private space without travelling to an office. This can make appointments easier to access when distance, schedules, or northern weather create barriers.

Fee: $150 per session

To ask a question or book an appointment please use information below or click on contact at the top of the page:

Michelle Gagnon, MEd, CCC, CHyp
MG Wellness and Counselling Services Inc.

Email: info@mgwellnessservices.com
Phone: 778-675-1300

Direct billing is available for the following:

  • First Nations Health Authority

  • Greenshield

  • Insurance Corporation of British Columbia

  • Medavie Blue Cross

  • Pacific Blue Cross

  • Sun Life - Lumino Health

Direct billing through TELUS e-claims:

  • AGA Financial Group Inc

  • Alberta Blue Cross

  • Beneva Inc.

  • SSQ Insurance

  • Manulife

  • Canada Life

  • Canada Life -PSHCP

  • Canadian Construction Workers Union

  • ClaimSecure

  • Coughlin & Associates Ltd.

  • Desjardins Insurance

  • First Canadian

  • GPM Group Benefits

  • GroupHEALTH

  • GroupSource

  • Johnston Group Inc.

  • Manion

  • Maximum Benefit

  • MDM Insurance Services Inc.

  • PBAS/Drawbridge

  • RWAM Insurance Administrators

  • Simply Benefits

(Check with your benefits plan regarding coverage)