KATIE POIRIER
Registered Psychologist & Eating Disorder Specialist
As a registered psychologist and trauma-informed therapist, I support individuals navigating eating disorders, body shame, and trauma, so they can feel better, faster.
My work is rooted in the belief that healing begins when we turn inward toward what’s beneath the surface: the quiet emotions, protective parts, and unmet needs that shape how we move through the world.
Together, we slow down, get curious, and create space for your system to soften so you can feel more ease, agency, and connection in your life.
THERAPY FOR WHEN YOU’RE READY FOR FOCUSED, DEEP HEALING
You’ve tried to manage things on your own, maybe even through traditional therapy, but you still can’t seem to unburden yourself from the overthinking, self-criticism, perfectionism, and disconnection from your body.
This is where I come in. With Therapy Intensives and Ongoing Therapy, we go beyond the surface of food behaviours, anxiety, or overwhelm, and get curious about where it started; the grief, protection, longing, and unmet that helped you survive.
Because healing takes work, but it doesn’t have to feel heavy.
How I got here.
MY OWN EXPERIENCE WITH EATING AND PERFECTIONISM SHAPED MY PATH
I began my career at the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE), supporting individuals through trauma, and have been running support groups with the Eating Disorder Support Network of Edmonton (EDSNA) since 2016. I practiced at Pine Integrated Health Centre, a perinatal-focused clinic, where I worked with individuals and families during major life transitions.
I originally planned to become a surgeon, but discovered psychology during my undergraduate studies. My own struggles with eating and perfectionism shaped my path, clarifying my life’s work and deepening my empathy for clients navigating similar challenges.
Background and credentials.
Founder of Poirier Counselling in Edmonton
Group Facilitator with the Eating Disorder Support Network of Alberta (EDSNA) — Loved Ones Groups & Online ED Support Groups
Hakomi Institute Training — Introduction to Hakomi (2 workshops)
M.E.T.A “Recreation of Self” Training with Jon Eisman (3 workshops)
Master of Education in Counselling Psychology, University of Alberta, 2013
Bachelor of Science, Honours in Psychology, Mount Allison University, 2009
Peer-reviewed publications in: Body Image, The Psychological Record, and The Alberta Counsellor
Certified in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
Certified in Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT)
Certified in Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
In progress: Internal Family Systems (Parts Work)
My Commitment to
Social Responsibility
I am a settler on Amiskwacîwâskahikan, commonly known as Edmonton, the ancestral and traditional lands of the Nêhiyawak (Cree), Niitsítapi (Blackfoot), Dene, Saulteaux, Nakota Sioux, Tsuut’ina, and Métis Nations.
I acknowledge the ongoing presence, strength, and sovereignty of Indigenous peoples and recognize that colonial systems embedded in healthcare and mental health continue to cause harm. Part of my ongoing work is decolonizing my practice: learning from Indigenous worldviews, challenging systemic oppression, donating to initiatives that support marginalized and underrepresented communities, and creating space for relational, accountable, and community-rooted care.
Embedded in my values is not only reconciliation, but action. Poirier Counselling donates to local and Canada-wide charities and organizations that support and empower marginalized and underrepresented communities.
THERAPY ISN’T THE ONLY PATH TO HEALING
I support clients in reconnecting with their internal wisdom and compass, while building or finding community and resources to support growth and liberation.
Systems will continue to create pressures and disconnect, but the pursuit of ease, autonomy, self-trust, and internal resourcing can make a meaningful difference.
It is part of my mission to share valuable knowledge and resources to support individuals outside of the therapy space.
On a personal note.
I was born and raised in New Brunswick, and my path from aspiring surgeon to psychologist has been anything but linear. Each turn along the way — personal, academic, and professional — has shaped the lens I bring to this work: one rooted in empathy, curiosity, social awareness, and genuine human connection.
Reflections of
motherhood and
parenting.
I’m a twin mom to three incredible kids
(and a Husky who adds joyful chaos).
Becoming a parent has offered me some of my most profound lessons about what it means to be human — resilient, flawed, tender, and evolving all at once.
Children hold up mirrors, reflecting where tenderness is needed, belonging is still forming, and where old patterns still whisper beneath the surface.
This lived experience continually informs my work.
Parenthood has a way of awakening the unhealed parts of our own stories. That has certainly been true for me!
Instead of viewing those moments as shortcomings, I’ve learned to see them as invitations to pause, repair, and reconnect, both with my children and with myself.
Parenting has strengthened my appreciation for internal resources like self-trust, emotional safety, and the ability to return to ourselves when life feels overwhelming.
These are the same resources I aim to nurture in the people I work with when exploring trauma, eating challenges, or the tender space between who you’ve been and who you’re becoming.
I BELIEVE THAT HEALING IS RELATIONAL, THE BODY HOLDS WISDOM, AND COMPASSION OPENS DOORS WHERE PRESSURE SHUTS THEM.
And our patterns, especially the ones around food, body, shame, or emotional protection, make perfect sense in the context of our stories.
Are you ready to feel more grounded, empowered, and at home in yourself?
Move beyond surface-level patterns, reconnect with your body and emotions, and explore deeper healing with immersive, client-centered therapy.