Services
Counselling, Mental Health Consultation, and Interdisciplinary Care Provision
At Headwinds Clinical Counselling, we provide various evidence-based therapies to support you in managing your mental health challenges. Our services include counselling, cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma treatment (including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR), and trauma-informed mindfulness-based interventions. We offer a confidential and supportive environment to encourage curiosity, clarify values, and work towards meaningful goals.
Furthermore, we offer mental health case consultation to other counsellors and rehabilitation professionals regarding the psychosocial aspects of acute injury, acquired brain injury/concussion, and chronic pain.
Areas of Expertise
Counselling Services
Serena Graf provides secure telehealth and phone-based counselling services as a Registered Clinical Counsellor and Certified Canadian Counsellor. Counselling services are tailor-made to help individuals work through a range of mental health concerns and life challenges.
Concussion & Injury Rehabilitation
With over 5 years of direct experience working in concussion rehabilitation, Serena provides counselling support for the mental and emotional challenges of coping with and recovering from injury. Her expertise in the field also allows her to offer evidence-based structured support for return to work, school or sport and provide community recommendations for additional specialties as part of an individualized recovery plan (e.g. vestibular physiotherapy, kinesiology, etc.)
Athlete Support
Serena was a national calibre Canadian athlete, competed as an NCAA Division I track and field athlete, and has worked as a track and field coach, official, and BC Athletics employee. She is also involved in community sports programming and volunteerism, so she brings a wealth of experience and relevant clinical training to her work, supporting athletes through all stages of development and competition. Serena is a networked/approved provider with Canada's Game Plan Mental Health Network and board member with PacificSport Interior. She has experience supporting elite performance, Return to Sport post-concussion/post-injury, and interdisciplinary care work with physiotherapists, kinesiologists and exercise physiologists.
First Responders
Serena is trained and experienced in working with police, firefighters, corrections, paramedics, and healthcare personnel. She has also completed the Level 1 Occupational Awareness Training via First Responder Health, a program designed and run by seasoned first responders and subject matter experts. She is also trained in EMDR, acceptance and commitment therapy, and trauma-informed mindfulness interventions to specifically support those with psychological stress injuries, trauma, anxiety and depression.
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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Completing her Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) training via an EMDRIA approved virtual training in 2023, Serena utilizes this neurologically-based trauma treatment in collaboration with clients to treat anxiety, psychological stress injuries, post-traumatic stress, sleep disturbance, and both acute and chronic pain. Modifications are made in service delivery to accommodate the specific considerations of the client (e.g. using bilateral tapping instead of eye movements for clients with visual dysfunction or history of vertigo) in line with evidence-based practice recommendations. For more information on EMDR, explore resources at emdria.org.
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Clinical Supervision
Serena offers supervisory support for clinicians in private practice who are looking for independent external supervision. Serena's scope of training and practice is predominantly with injury rehabilitation, chronic illness and pain, athletes, first responder and paramilitary populations, and those who are navigating third-party funded claims (i.e. ICBC, WorkSafe, and short- or long-term disability in BC). Note: If you are working in a government or non-profit organization, please disclose this, and note that the support offered may not be in line with or informed by organizational and employer policies.
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​Serena is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (#16517) and Canadian Certified Counsellor (#10002891) with a BA in Clinical Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MA in Counselling Psychology from Trinity Western University. She qualified for her RCC/CCC designations in 2018 and has practiced in private rehabilitation clinics, group practices, and in her own private practice across her 6 years as a Clinical Counsellor. She has completed post-graduate training in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), motivational interview, and brief solutions focused interventions. Participating in continuing education at least once per quarter is an integral part of the operations and Headwinds Clinical Counselling, including training for cultural competency, decolonization of therapeutic practice, expanding trauma competency in counselling work, and interdisciplinary reviews of rehabilitation best practices for concussion rehabilitation. Serena has completed Levels 1 & 2 of Clinical Supervision Training via the Justice Institute of BC in 2024. ​