Katherine Ouano, Counsellor for Teens, Adults and Couples in Surrey, BC and Online

Katherine Ouano, MEd, RCC

Registered Clinical Counsellor in Surrey, BC

Katherine Ouano is a Registered Clinical Counsellor at Sojourn Counselling and Neurofeedback in Cloverdale, Surrey, BC. Her work with people began in 1998 as a Child and Youth Care Counsellor, and after completing her Master of Education in Counselling she has practised as a Registered Clinical Counsellor and Mental Health Clinician since 2023. That combination of nearly three decades of hands-on experience and current clinical training shapes a counselling style that is grounded, relational, and practical.

Katherine strives to provide a safe, caring space where clients can share openly, feel genuinely understood, and reconnect with their own inner strengths and resilience. Her approach is warm, grounded, relational, and deeply compassionate. She believes people can uncover within themselves new ways of coping, healing, and relating to life’s challenges while developing a stronger sense of self and authenticity.

Her goal is to help alleviate emotional pain where possible, encourage growth, and walk alongside clients as they navigate difficult seasons of life. Katherine works collaboratively with clients to create a therapeutic approach tailored to their unique needs, personality, and experiences.

Counselling for Older Teens, Young Adults, and Adults

Much of Katherine’s current practice is with older teens (16 and up), young adults, and adults navigating anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma, emotional dysregulation, self-esteem struggles, burnout, and life transitions such as leaving school, starting work, changing relationships, or becoming a parent.

Her counselling style combines emotional warmth with practical therapeutic tools. Sessions often move between making sense of what is happening emotionally and building concrete skills for managing distress, communicating clearly, and feeling more settled in daily life. Many clients find this blend helpful when they want both to be understood and to leave with something they can use.

She understands that emotional pain often develops within relational and environmental contexts, and she works from a trauma-informed lens that prioritizes safety, empathy, collaboration, and respect for each client’s unique story.

Couples Counselling

Katherine enjoys working with couples and draws on her training in emotionally focused approaches to help partners understand the negative cycle they get caught in, reach the softer emotions and attachment needs underneath it, and rebuild emotional safety and connection. Couples come to her for communication breakdowns, recurring conflict, distance and disconnection, trust and repair after a rupture, parenting differences, and major life transitions.

Learn more about couples counselling at Sojourn, or read about how Emotionally Focused Therapy compares with the Gottman Method.

Counselling for Children, Youth, and Parents

Katherine continues to work with children and youth aged 8 to 14, particularly around anxiety, worry, and emotional regulation, and she supports parents who want practical help coping with a child’s big feelings, school stress, or behavioural challenges. She has particular experience with children, youth, and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and developmental disabilities, helping them build confidence, emotional awareness, life skills, and stronger relationships.

Families often appreciate that Katherine has spent decades inside schools and community programs and understands how home, school, and peer life fit together for a young person. See child and youth counselling for more on how sessions work.

Nearly Three Decades in Surrey Schools and Community Services

Katherine began her career in 1998 after completing her Diploma in Child and Youth Care Counselling at Douglas College, a program that included supervised counselling practice and extensive practicum work. From 1998 to 2023 she worked full time with the Surrey School District, supporting students with moderate to intensive behavioural, emotional, and social complexities and walking alongside their families. She also worked with Peace Arch Community Services (now PCRS), the Elizabeth Fry Society, Sources Community Resources, and Delta School District Continuing Education, supporting youth in group homes, outreach programs, and classrooms.

She currently continues serving the community as a Mental Health Clinician, providing intake, assessment, treatment, and crisis intervention. Her experience across educational, community, and clinical settings allows her to support clients with empathy, adaptability, and practical understanding.

Katherine’s Counselling Approach

Katherine operates from a relational, person-centred, strengths-based, and trauma-informed perspective. She believes healing happens through empathy, compassion, and safe therapeutic relationships where clients feel heard, seen, and understood.

In practice, Katherine blends Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with emotion-focused approaches, and draws on DBT-informed skills such as distress tolerance and mindfulness when they fit a client’s goals. She integrates several evidence-based approaches depending on each client’s needs and preferences, including:

• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• DBT-informed skills (distress tolerance, mindfulness, emotion regulation)
• Solution-Focused Therapy
• Mindfulness-Based Approaches
• Humanistic Therapy
• Trauma-Informed Therapy
• Strengths-Based Therapy

Katherine has completed formal training in:

• Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (Levels 1 and 2)
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (Levels 1 and 2)
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (Levels 1, 2, and 3)

She adapts her therapeutic approach collaboratively with each client, recognizing that no single method works for everyone and that counselling should feel personalized and responsive to the individual.

NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback Therapy

In addition to counselling, Katherine is also trained to provide NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback. Neurofeedback is a non-invasive brain training system designed to support nervous system flexibility, resilience, emotional regulation, stress management, focus, and sleep.

Many clients choose to combine counselling and neurofeedback to support both emotional processing and nervous system regulation.

Areas Katherine Commonly Supports

• Anxiety and stress
• Depression
• Couples and relationship counselling
• Grief and loss
• Trauma and PTSD
• Emotional regulation
• Self-esteem and confidence
• Communication skills
• Life transitions and young adulthood
• Child and youth counselling (ages 8 to 14)
• Parenting and family stress
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Developmental disabilities
• Behavioural and emotional challenges

A Compassionate and Grounded Counselling Experience

Katherine feels deeply honoured to listen to the unique experiences that shape each client’s life. She brings calmness, authenticity, patience, and compassion into the counselling relationship and works hard to ensure clients feel emotionally safe and genuinely supported.

Whether you are an adult navigating stress, grief, trauma, or life changes, a couple hoping to reconnect, a young adult finding your footing, or a parent seeking support for your child, Katherine offers a caring and collaborative therapeutic experience grounded in empathy and connection.

“I look forward to building a genuine connection with you, to help you thrive on your life journey. You are worth it.”
~ Katherine Ouano

Book Counselling with Katherine Ouano in Surrey, BC

Katherine provides in-person counselling in Surrey, BC and online counselling across British Columbia through Sojourn Counselling and Neurofeedback, with evening and weekend appointments available. If you found Katherine through Psychology Today or another directory, you can book with her directly below.