Kimberheart Counselling — walking beside you on your healing journey. EMDR certified, trauma-informed care, grounded in IFS and parts work. Photograph of Kimberly Ann Darbyson.
Currently accepting new clients

Kimberly Ann Darbyson

Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) · Certified EMDR Therapist
Red Deer, Alberta

Trauma-informed psychotherapy for adults, in person in Red Deer and online. Evening and weekend appointments available. Free 15-minute consultation.

Welcome to my practice


After 25 years of experience in human services, education, and health care, I earned my Master of Counselling degree from Athabasca University.

I provide psychotherapy to individuals navigating trauma, addictions, anxiety, grief, and situational stress. I walk alongside my clients, bringing a person-centred and trauma-informed approach to their therapeutic process. Clients often describe me as down to earth, gentle, and relatable. My work integrates evidence-based approaches such as EMDR and IFS/parts work, while honouring each client's unique nervous system, lived experience, and strengths.

I believe healing happens in relationship — when people feel seen, heard, and supported at their own pace. I am continually learning and refining my skills because I care deeply about offering thoughtful, ethical, and effective therapy.

I thrive on creating a space where people feel comfortable enough to process difficult experiences, engage in self-discovery, and make deeper connections to their values and strengths. Feel free to reach out and see if I might be a good fit for your therapy needs.

Areas of focus

Who I work with


I work with individuals 18 and over who are navigating challenges in the following areas.

  • Addiction
  • Body image
  • Career indecision
  • Codependency
  • Coping skills
  • Depression
  • Divorce
  • Dual diagnosis
  • Eating disorders
  • Emotional disturbance
  • Grief
  • Life transitions
  • Peer relationships
  • Relationship issues
  • School issues
  • Self-esteem
  • Self-harming
  • Sexual abuse
  • Spirituality
  • Stress
  • Substance use
  • Trauma and PTSD
  • Women's issues

A particular focus

Support for helping professionals


Because of my background in human services, education, and health care, I am particularly passionate about supporting individuals who work in these areas. I understand the common challenges that come with this work.

What this work can carry

  • Secondary traumatic stress
  • Burnout
  • Compassion fatigue
  • Moral distress / moral injury
  • Emotional exhaustion
  • Chronic stress
  • Hyper-responsibility
  • Perfectionism
  • Overfunctioning
  • Difficulty setting boundaries
  • Reduced empathy
  • Irritability
  • Presenteeism
  • Difficulty taking time off
  • Work–life imbalance

Related concerns I treat

  • Anxiety disorders
  • Depression
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Panic disorder and panic attacks
  • Obsessive-compulsive symptoms
  • Adjustment disorder
  • Trauma-related dissociation
  • Insomnia and sleep disorders
  • Substance-use disorders
  • Disordered eating
  • Grief and prolonged grief

When it fits

EMDR therapy


EMDR — Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing — is a structured, evidence-based therapy for trauma and distressing life experiences. Rather than asking you to talk through every detail of what happened, EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, usually guided eye movements, to help the brain reprocess memories that have stayed stuck. Over time those memories lose their charge and sit differently in the present.

In practice I rarely use any one approach on its own — EMDR sits alongside IFS and parts work, Applied Polyvagal Theory, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and mindfulness-based work. My first focus is always getting to know you, so the approach fits your nervous system and your goals rather than the other way around.

EMDR can help with

  • Single-incident trauma
  • Childhood and developmental trauma
  • PTSD and complex PTSD
  • Intrusive or distressing memories
  • Anxiety and panic
  • Phobias
  • Grief
  • Negative beliefs rooted in past experience

Practice details

How it works


Availability

Fridays and select weeknights.
Current openings are shown when you book.

Sessions

Individual therapy, in person and online.
$195 per session.
Free 15-minute consultation.

Payment

Visa and Mastercard. Receipts issued for insurance claims — please confirm your plan covers a Canadian Certified Counsellor.

Location

Kimberheart Counselling
4909 50 Street
Red Deer, AB

Finding the right fit matters


A free 15-minute consultation is a chance to ask questions, share what's bringing you to therapy, and get a sense of what it feels like to work together.