Serena Slatten

Serena Slatten: Down-to-Earth Counselling for Relationships and Recovery

Serena Slatten is a Registered Clinical Counsellor at Thrive Downtown who brings warmth, humour and a strengths-based lens to relationship struggles, addiction and recovery, trauma and the ups and downs of everyday life. With a Master of Counselling Psychology from Adler University and EMDR training, Serena works with individuals, couples and families. This guide explores Serena’s approach and how to get started.

What Serena Slatten Helps With

Serena’s page welcomes whatever has brought you here, from the weariness of depression to the heaviness of anxiety. Serena Slatten’s listed specialties include:

• Addiction and recovery, including harm reduction
• Codependency and people pleasing that leaves you depleted
• Relationship issues such as toxic dynamics, breakups and communication conflicts
• Family counselling for patterns that affect everyone at home
• Stress and anxiety that make daily life feel heavy
• Men’s issues and women’s issues
• Life transitions, whether chosen or unexpected
• Trauma and PTSD, including the “little traumas” of everyday life that can quietly add up

Serena also offers general supportive counselling for times when you simply need someone who will listen without judgement.

Adlerian Therapy: Belonging, Courage and Encouragement

Serena trained at Adler University and lists Adlerian therapy among the approaches used. Developed by Alfred Adler, an early contemporary of Freud who went on to found his own school of thought, Adlerian or “individual psychology” sees people as whole, social and goal-directed.

Core Adlerian ideas

• Belonging: a deep human need to feel connected and significant within our families and communities.
• Social interest: our sense of care for others and contribution to the wider community, often seen as a marker of wellbeing.
• Lifestyle: the unique set of beliefs and strategies we develop in childhood to find our place in the world.
• Family constellation: how birth order, family roles and early relationships shape the way we see ourselves.
• Encouragement: building courage and confidence, rather than focusing only on what is wrong.

The four phases of Adlerian counselling

1. Relationship: building a warm, equal and respectful partnership.
2. Assessment: exploring your lifestyle, family background and sometimes early memories.
3. Insight: understanding the private logic behind patterns that no longer serve you.
4. Reorientation: trying new ways of thinking and acting, with encouragement along the way.

Early recollections

Adlerian counsellors sometimes ask about your earliest memories. The point is not historical accuracy. The memories we carry often reflect beliefs about ourselves, others and the world, such as “I have to be good to be loved” or “people leave”. Seeing these beliefs clearly can make it easier to choose new ones.

This philosophy fits naturally with Serena’s empowering approach to rebuilding self-love, self-worth and self-respect.

Understanding Codependency

Codependency is not a formal diagnosis, but it is a widely used term for a pattern of focusing so much on another person’s needs, moods or problems that your own sense of self gets lost. It often develops in families or relationships affected by addiction, illness or unpredictability.

Common signs of codependency

• Feeling responsible for other people’s feelings or choices
• Difficulty saying no, even when you are exhausted
• Staying in relationships that hurt you out of fear of being alone
• Measuring your worth by how useful you are to others
• Trying to control or fix a loved one’s behaviour
• Losing touch with your own needs, interests and opinions

Boundary phrases to practise

• “I cannot take that on right now.”
• “I care about you, and I am not able to fix this for you.”
• “Let me think about it and get back to you.”
• “I need some time to myself this evening.”
• “That does not work for me, but here is what I can do.”

How counselling can help

Working on codependency is not about caring less. It is about caring for yourself too. Sessions may focus on setting boundaries, understanding attachment patterns from earlier in life, tolerating the guilt that can come with saying no, and rediscovering what you want. Many people find their relationships become more honest and balanced as a result.

Addiction, Recovery and Harm Reduction

Serena Slatten specializes in addiction and recovery, including harm reduction. Harm reduction is an evidence-informed approach that meets people where they are, aiming to reduce the negative effects of substance use without requiring abstinence as a condition of support.

What this can look like

• Exploring your relationship with a substance or behaviour honestly, without shame
• Setting goals that make sense to you, whether that is cutting back, using more safely or stopping
• Understanding the pain or stress that the substance may be helping you manage
• Building other ways to cope, connect and rest
• Rebuilding relationships and trust that addiction may have strained

Safety first

Withdrawal from some substances, including alcohol, can be dangerous without medical support, so please involve your doctor if you plan to stop or cut back significantly. Peer support such as SMART Recovery can work alongside counselling. Learn more about Thrive’s addiction counselling.

Trauma, PTSD and the Little Traumas

Serena’s page mentions “the little traumas of our everyday lives that can grow to be so overwhelming”. Many counsellors distinguish between single overwhelming events, such as an accident or assault, and smaller, repeated experiences, such as ongoing criticism, neglect or instability. Both can leave a lasting mark.

Common signs of post-traumatic stress

• Re-experiencing: intrusive memories, nightmares or flashbacks
• Avoidance: steering clear of reminders, places or conversations
• Changes in mood and thinking: guilt, shame, numbness or a sense of a shortened future
• Changes in arousal: irritability, trouble sleeping, being easily startled

Not everyone who goes through something difficult develops these signs, and having them does not mean something is wrong with you. They are signs of a nervous system that has been working hard to protect you. EMDR, trauma-informed and attachment-based approaches can help that system settle.

Life Transitions and Everyday Stress

Change can be unsettling even when it is welcome. Serena supports people through transitions such as:

• Breakups, separation or divorce
• Starting or leaving a job, or retiring
• Becoming a parent or caring for ageing parents
• Moving, including relocating to Vancouver
• Entering recovery and rebuilding daily life

During these times, stress and anxiety often spike. Counselling can offer steady ground, practical coping tools from CBT and mindfulness, and space to grieve what is ending while imagining what could come next.

Couples and Family Counselling with Serena Slatten

Serena Slatten offers individual, couples and family counselling. Relationship struggles rarely belong to just one person, so bringing partners or family members into the room can shift patterns faster than working alone.

Couples counselling

Couples often come in when communication has broken down, trust has been damaged, or the same argument keeps repeating. Serena helps partners slow down, listen, and understand the needs beneath the conflict. Thrive’s couples counselling page has more detail.

Family counselling

Family counselling looks at how each person’s behaviour affects the whole system. It can help with conflict between parents and adult children, the ripple effects of addiction, blended family adjustments, or grief that everyone is carrying differently.

Who counts as family?

Family can mean whoever you consider family: parents, adult children, siblings, partners or chosen family. Depending on your goals, family counselling may involve everyone at once, or a few members at a time, so each voice has room to be heard.

Communication tools many people find helpful

• Using “I” statements to share feelings without blame
• Taking a short, agreed break when a conversation gets too heated
• Reflecting back what you heard before responding
• Naming one appreciation for every complaint
• Repairing quickly after a rupture, even with a simple “I am sorry, can we try again?”

Men’s and Women’s Issues

Serena lists both men’s issues and women’s issues as specialties, recognizing that gender expectations can shape how we struggle and how we ask for help.

Men’s issues might include

• Pressure to appear strong, stoic or always in control
• Anger that masks sadness, fear or shame
• Difficulty naming emotions or reaching out
• Stress around work, providing and identity

Women’s issues might include

• The invisible load of caregiving and household management
• People pleasing and difficulty prioritizing yourself
• Body image and self-worth
• Balancing career, relationships and personal needs

These lists are starting points, not boxes. Your experience is your own, whatever your gender.

The Approaches Serena Slatten Uses

Alongside Adlerian therapy, Serena draws on a range of well-established approaches:

• EMDR: helps reprocess distressing memories using bilateral stimulation, often used for trauma and PTSD. Serena is an EMDR trained practitioner; see Thrive’s EMDR therapy page.
• Person-centred therapy: empathy, acceptance and genuineness create a safe space to explore.
• Trauma-informed therapy: safety, choice and pacing come first.
• Attachment-based therapy: explores how early bonds shape adult relationships.
• Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy: helps you access and work with the emotions underneath reactions.
• Strengths-based therapy: highlights the skills and resilience you already have.
• Cognitive behavioural therapy: examines links between thoughts, feelings and actions, with practical tools for change.
• Mindfulness: builds present-moment awareness and a kinder relationship with difficult experiences.

Noticing your strengths

A strengths-based approach invites you to look at what has helped you survive and cope so far. You might ask yourself:

• What has gotten me through hard times before?
• What do people who love me appreciate about me?
• Which skills from one area of my life could help in another?

If You Are Having Thoughts of Suicide

Serena’s page names suicidal ideation among the concerns clients bring. If you are having these thoughts, you deserve support, and talking about them openly does not make things worse. Counselling can be a place to explore the pain behind them without judgement.

If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency. In BC you can also call 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433), or 310-6789 for emotional support. More information is available at 988.ca.

Starting Counselling with Serena at Thrive

Serena’s page describes a lighter atmosphere, warmth and “likely a laugh or two”. Getting started is just as approachable.

1. Free 15 minute consult: book through the new client appointment page and ask any questions.
2. Choose Serena or get matched: request Serena directly or use the contact form to be matched. You can also meet the whole Thrive team.
3. First session: share what brings you in, whether you are coming alone, as a couple or as a family.
4. A collaborative plan: goals and approaches are chosen together and adjusted over time.
5. In person or online: meet at 470 Granville St. in downtown Vancouver or by secure video.

Your first few sessions

• Getting to know each other and building trust
• Talking through your history, relationships and what feels most pressing
• Identifying strengths and supports you already have
• Agreeing on a few goals, big or small
• Trying a first practical tool you can use between sessions

The Thrive Formula

Regulate helps you steady your nervous system with mindfulness and grounding. Reveal uses EMDR, attachment and Adlerian insight to understand your patterns. Reclaim focuses on encouragement, boundaries and a life you love.

Fees and coverage

Current rates are shown when booking or on the contact page. Many extended health plans reimburse counselling with a Registered Clinical Counsellor, so check your plan. Serena is registered with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors.

Frequently Asked Questions About Serena Slatten

What are Serena’s qualifications?

Serena Slatten holds a Master of Counselling Psychology from Adler University and a BA in Psychology and English, and is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC #17628 of BCACC).

Who is Chester?

Serena’s page introduces Chester as a “fluffy sidekick” who appears in the photo. Ask during your consult if you would like to know more.

Do I have to want to quit to get help with addiction?

No. Serena’s work includes harm reduction, so you can start wherever you are and set goals that make sense to you.

Can my family come to sessions?

Yes. Serena offers individual, couples and family counselling.

Is therapy with Serena very serious?

Serena describes a down-to-earth, approachable style rather than the stoic therapist from the movies. Hard topics are taken seriously, with room for warmth and humour.

How can I tell if a relationship is unhealthy?

Warning signs can include feeling afraid to disagree, being cut off from friends or family, constant criticism, controlling behaviour around money or time, or walking on eggshells to keep the peace. If any of this feels familiar, a counsellor can help you sort through what is happening and consider your options safely.

Can I see Serena online?

Thrive offers in-person sessions downtown and online sessions by secure video, and many clients use both. Ask about current options during your consult.

What if I am not sure counselling will help?

Many people feel unsure at first. The free consult lets you ask questions and get a sense of the fit before committing to anything.

Your One Wild and Precious Life

The Mary Oliver line on Serena’s page asks what you plan to do with your one wild and precious life. You make sense, you are not broken, and you do not have to figure it out alone. Book a free 15 minute consult through the Thrive contact page or call 604-227-0297 to connect with Serena Slatten.