• I grew up parentified in a family with mental illness, addiction, and physical disability.  I’m in recovery for mental illness, behavioural addiction, developmental trauma + relational trauma, and grief. I also have a chronic illness, which is a whole story of its own. I didn’t always require mobility aids. Up until 2023, I was extremely active and fit. As a therapist, I can see all the intricacies and interconnectedness of it all.

    • Much of the work I do is meaning-making for me. I have a drive to understand what, why, and how we - as humans - do the things we do, and what we can do to rewire, heal, and recover.

    • Quite frankly, human beings and family systems fascinate me, and I’m deeply passionate about the work I do.

    • I’ve been told I’m casual, humorous, empathetic, compassionate, and diplomatic, yet direct when needed.

  • I am a registered social worker (RSW) with the:

    • British Columbia College of Social Workers (#15526)

    • Alberta College of Social Workers (#17617)

    • Saskatchewan Association of Social Workers (#3246)

    I am, therefore, registered to provide therapy, counselling, and assessment services to BC, AB, + SK residents.

    • Training in love addiction and love avoidance - ‘Your Love Keeps Me Alive: Treating Love Addiction and the Trauma that Sets it Up,’ by Havi Kang with the International Institute for Trauma & Addiction Professionals.

    • Associate Multiple Addiction Therapist (AMAT) with the International Institute for Trauma & Addiction Professionals with a specialization in sex/porn addiction and substance use disorders.

    • Training in the ‘Best Practices in Treating Adults Enmeshed with a Parent’ facilitated by Dr. Kenneth Adams with Overcoming Enmeshment, and I’m listed as an Enmeshment-Informed Therapist. Presented through the International Institute for Trauma & Addiction Professionals.

    • EMDR-Trained Clinician with an EMDRIA-approved Basic EMDR Therapy program.

    • Associate Sex Addiction Therapist (ASAT) with the International Institute for Trauma & Addiction Professionals.

    • I will be completed my Master of Social Work (MSW) degree with the University of Regina by summer 2026. My thesis is a qualitative study exploring the lifelong experiences of Canadian 2SLGBTQ+, disabled, culturally diverse, and chronically ill adults with two phenomena, enmeshment and emotional (covert) incest. Methodologically, my study is grounded in transcendental phenomenology. I employed methodological pluralism to explore the pre-reflective, embodied, and neurobiological dimensions of experience, in which I adopted micro-phenomenology to "bridge" lived experience to neurobiological interpretations, revealed through neurophenomenology. My interpretive frameworks were social constructivism and queer phenomenology.

    • Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from the University of Regina with practicums in youth detox and stabilization and adult mental health counselling.

    • Extensive addictions treatment training:

      • Professionals in Residence program with Hazelden Betty Ford in Rancho Mirage, California.

      • Professional Residency program with Cedars at Cobble Hill in Cobble Hill, BC.

    • Graduate level studies in counselling psychology with Yorkville University.

    • 3 years of undergraduate studies in psychology at the University of Saskatchewan.

    • Certified in various addictions and trauma assessments.

      • Click here to learn more.

    • Certificates in:

      • Healing Trauma & Addiction’ with Dr. Gabor Maté.

      • Motivational Interviewing

      • Advanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

      • Mindfulness Counselling/Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

      • Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)

    • Previously licensed to provide a high conflict divorce program called New Ways for Families®.

    • Medical Social Worker, in a crisis intervention/crisis counselling role, in various areas of the hospital, including: Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Department, Medicine wards, Vascular/Thoracic/General Surgery wards, Acute Care Pediatrics, Pediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Palliative Care, Pediatric Cardiology, and outpatient Geriatric Assessment. 

    • Addictions Counsellor in detox and youth stabilization.

    • Psychotherapist in private practice since 2016.

    • Case Aide in Resources and Recruitment, as well as a Youth Care Worker in Long-Term Child Care with social services. 

    • My employment in the healthcare/human services field began at the age of 11, where I worked as a Respite Worker and self-administered Home Care Aide.  In my late teen years, I worked seasonally in long-term care as a Recreation Facilitator. 

    • It really depends who I’m working with, but typically I use an eclectic approach.  As human beings, I do not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach, so practicing eclectically for me is an incorporation of cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectic behaviour therapy, family systems theory, attachment theory, narrative therapy, motivational interviewing, the 30-Task Model, transactional analysis, and neuroscience under an integrative, trauma-responsive, and culturally-attuned lens.

    • Up until July of 2023, I was very active.  I enjoyed the gym and getting outdoors for walks, hikes, runs and paddle boarding, but then I non-consensually joined the chronic illness club. I have a chronic neurological disorder and still on a path to diagnosis. I’m currently learning what my new personal interests are. What I can say is, I feel most at home near a body of water.  I’m a vegetarian. I love plants. I love to learn and I’m committed to ongoing education and professional development. And, anyone who knows me knows I love dogs.  One method of emotional regulation I use personally is meditation, and I’ve completed a 10-day and 3-day silent meditation retreat at Alberta Vipassana Meditation Centre.

Michael Kluba

book an appointment
have a question? contact me.
home