About Sarah Kring, MPCC | Counsellor in Maple Ridge, BC

I've spent much of my career supporting people through difficult, complicated, and sometimes life changing experiences.

What I've learned is that people rarely need someone sitting across from them with all the answers.

They need someone who can listen carefully, understand what's happening beneath the surface, ask the right questions, and help them find a way forward that makes sense for their life.

That's the kind of space I try to create.

Sarah Kring

MPCC Reg. #3964

Maple Ridge, BC

My approach to counselling

I believe meaningful change begins with understanding, not judgment.

My approach to counselling is trauma-informed, collaborative, and grounded in recognizing how our experiences, relationships, and environments shape the way we think, feel, respond, and connect with others.

Sometimes the patterns we find ourselves struggling with began as ways of coping, protecting ourselves, or navigating difficult circumstances. Understanding those patterns can help us make sense of what is happening today and begin developing healthier ways forward.

I recognize that people come to counselling with different experiences, strengths, needs, and levels of readiness. My role isn't to tell you how you should feel or push you toward a particular outcome. It's to create a space where we can explore what's happening honestly, develop practical strategies, and work toward meaningful change at a pace that respects your needs.

Counselling doesn't always begin with revisiting difficult experiences. Sometimes our first work is building emotional awareness, strengthening coping skills, restoring stability, and creating the conditions for deeper work when appropriate.

Whether you're navigating trauma, relationships, stress, loss, or personal change, the focus remains on understanding you as a whole person, not simply the challenges that brought you here.

You won't be expected to say the right thing in session, and I won't expect every conversation to be serious. There can be room for difficult conversations, emotion, honesty, humour, and the ordinary parts of being human.

Professional background

My professional path hasn't taken place entirely inside a counselling office.

Before and alongside private practice, my experience has included occupational health and safety, disability and claims management, workplace risk, crisis intervention, trauma support, leadership, and working with organizations following difficult events.

That background spans:

Counselling and crisis intervention
Critical Incident Stress Management
Occupational health and safety
Disability management
Organizational leadership
Frontline and first responder support
Working with individuals and teams in challenging environments

Working across both individual and organizational settings has shaped the way I approach this work.

Whether I'm sitting with one person in a counselling session, supporting a team following a critical incident, or teaching a room full of professionals, my goal is similar: help people understand what's happening, identify what they need, and find practical ways forward.

Frontline work

A Special Connection to Frontline Work

A significant part of my counselling practice has been dedicated to supporting first responders, healthcare professionals, emergency dispatchers, and others working on the frontlines.

My specialized training and professional experience include trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), psychological first aid, occupational stress, and first responder mental health. I've also worked directly with individuals and teams following difficult workplace incidents, including facilitating critical incident defusings and debriefings.

Over the years, I've come to appreciate the unique culture that comes with these professions. The humour can be different. Some experiences are difficult to put into words, especially with someone who doesn't understand the realities of the work.

There's often tremendous pride and purpose in what people do, but that can exist alongside exhaustion, cumulative stress, difficult calls, and the expectation that you simply keep going.

I know how important it is to have somewhere you can speak openly, without having to explain the culture or justify why something has affected you. Sometimes it's about processing a difficult experience. Other times, it's about relationships, family, stress, or simply finding a healthier balance between the work you do and the life you want outside of it.

While this work holds a special place in my practice, my counselling services extend well beyond frontline professionals. I work with individuals and couples from all walks of life, supporting them through relationship challenges, anxiety, trauma, addiction and recovery, life transitions, personal growth, and the everyday challenges that come with being human.

Outside the counselling room

The person sitting across from you matters just as much as the letters behind their name.

I'm a counsellor, but I'm also a person with a life outside of this work.

I understand what it's like to navigate change, relationships, family, responsibility, uncertainty, and seasons when life doesn't unfold exactly as expected.

Those experiences don't replace professional training, but they do influence the way I show up. With curiosity, compassion, perspective, and respect for the fact that everyone's story is different.

I don't expect perfection from the people I work with. I value honesty, connection, growth, and the willingness to keep showing up.

Finding the right fit matters.

You should feel comfortable with the person you choose to work with. That's why I offer a complimentary consultation. It's simply an opportunity to tell me a little about what you're looking for, ask questions, and see whether working together feels like a good fit.

Request a Consultation Explore counselling