Cristela D'Elia

(she/her)

Cristela D'Elia

Counsellor and Associate

BA, MSc, MFT, CAMFT

Cristela has a Master’s of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and is a Canadian Certified Counsellor with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. She has experience working with couples, individuals, and adolescents who have struggled with relationship issues, separation or divorce, depression, anxiety, grief, trauma, addictions, self-harm, sexual assault survivors, and other mental health struggles. She also has experience with pre-marital counselling and sports psychology.

Cristela uses a collaborative approach to counselling which includes Gottman Method Couples Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy.

Cristela also teaches online undergrad psychology courses at Athabasca University where she loves working with post-secondary students. Cristela also coaches competitive cheerleading at Freeze Athletics and has been involved in this sport for over 20 years. In her younger years she was also a competitive swimmer. Cristela understands the intense pressure of competitive sports and the struggles that can stand in the way of optimal performance. She also has worked with athletes of different ages to overcome performance anxiety, mental blocks, and work towards a growth mindset that has been proven to have a positive impact on both sports and academic performance.

When she is not working Cristela enjoys spending time outside mountain biking, hiking, skiing, and stand-up paddle boarding. She moved to Kamloops with her husband in the summer of 2019 to be able to enjoy more of the great outdoors that they both love so much.

Cristela is a first-generation Canadian; her family is originally from Argentina. Her parents immigrated as refugees to Canada after becoming political prisoners and suffering extensive trauma at the hands of a dictatorship that was in power at the time. Her parents’ struggles and how it impacted the rest of the family provided her with a greater understanding of trauma and multigenerational trauma.

Cristela is bilingual in both Spanish and English. She was born and raised in Edmonton but also spent part of her childhood living in Argentina. Her multicultural background has provided her with a greater appreciation for the importance of culture and enjoys working with people of different backgrounds.

Cristela owns an adorable Pomeranian dog named Shadow. If you would like Shadow to be a part of your therapy session, please let Cristela know in advance so she can bring her along.

If you would like to book an appointment with Cristela, please contact the office at 250-554-4747 or you can email Cristela at cristela@livingbridges.ca. Cristela also offers a 15-minute free initial consultation with potential new clients if requested.