Kristin Austman
- Registered Psychotherapist
Psychotherapy
Kristin is a compassionate and dedicated psychotherapist who works with individuals, couples and families seeking greater clarity, emotional balance, and personal growth. With a client-centered and collaborative approach, Kristin provides a safe, non-judgmental space where clients can explore their thoughts, emotions, and life challenges.
Drawing from evidence-based therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and trauma-informed care, Kristin supports clients in developing practical tools to manage stress, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, and life transitions. Her work focuses on helping individuals, couples and families better understand themselves, strengthen resilience, and build healthier patterns in their lives.
Kristin believes that therapy is a partnership. By combining empathy, curiosity, and clinical insight, she helps clients uncover their strengths and move toward meaningful and lasting change.
Kristin holds a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology and is a Registered Psychotherapist. She has experience working with diverse populations and is committed to providing inclusive, culturally sensitive care.
Foundations of my Practice
From an early age, I have been deeply curious about people and the diverse ways we experience the world. Living in India during my childhood, along with being part of a multi-racial-cultural family (Caucasian, African, Indigenous), has shaped a broad and inclusive perspective on humanity. These experiences continue to inform my approach as a psychotherapist, fostering openness, cultural humility, and genuine curiosity about each person’s unique story. I am committed to ongoing self-reflection and professional development, recognizing these as essential to providing thoughtful, ethical, and responsive care.
Throughout my life, I have been encouraged toward this work by others who recognized my ability to listen, support, and connect. Guided by this, I have spent many years working alongside infants, children, youth, elders and families in meaningful and supportive roles.
In the Vancouver area, I worked across the education system from kindergarten through to post-secondary settings as a youth and family worker, special education assistant, and post-secondary/career advisor. My previous experience also includes roles such as Infant Development Consultant, Parent Educator & Resource Specialist, Community Connector -- allowing me to support individuals and families at many different stages of life.
My academic foundation includes a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Psychology and Exceptionality in Human Learning (University of Toronto), which provided in-depth knowledge of the many ways individuals experience the world across the lifespan. This included understanding sensory differences, such as hearing and vision, as well as physical, cognitive and developmental challenges from early childhood through older adulthood.
A particularly meaningful aspect of my training involved seminar courses where I had the opportunity to learn directly from individuals with lived experience. Hearing personal stories from people of various ages and backgrounds was both inspiring and formative, deepening my appreciation for resilience, diversity, and the uniqueness of each person’s journey.
