Dana Patterson – Counsellor in Kelowna

Dana Patterson is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) at Affinity Family Wellness in Kelowna, BC, registered with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC). She holds a Bachelor of Education (with distinction) and a Master of Counselling from the University of Victoria, along with advanced training in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), trauma-informed practice, cultural safety, Emotionally Focused Therapy, and support for marginalized populations.

Dana’s clinical practice centres on Accelerated Resolution Therapy, an evidence-based method that uses structured eye movements and somatic processing to resolve trauma, anxiety, depression, phobias, OCD, and addiction. ART works differently from traditional talk therapy: it’s designed to produce meaningful relief in fewer sessions by working directly with how traumatic memories and distressing experiences are stored in the body and nervous system. For patients dealing with post-MVA trauma and driving anxiety, it has been particularly transformative and Dana has developed significant experience supporting ICBC clients through exactly this kind of recovery.

Dana came to counseling because of her own early experiences with anxiety and depression, and that personal history gives her both deep empathy and a firsthand understanding of what it actually takes to shift. She works with patients across a wide range of presentations and life stages: acute trauma, ongoing stress, relationship challenges, and deeply rooted patterns of anxiety and depression.

Her approach is collaborative, compassionate, and practical. She believes therapy should leave clients with tools they can actually carry into daily life, not just insight, but capacity.