Hello! I’m
Grace McDonald, A Certified Imago Relationship Therapist
Registered Clinical Counsellor and Marriage & Family Therapist
I am a Certified Imago Advanced Clinician, so I mainly use Imago Relationship Therapy with couples. I also am trained in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and the Polyvagal Theory, which helps people in their ability to stay present and self-regulate. My approach to therapy focuses on strengthening self-awareness and connection in relationships. I believe that everyone knows what they need, so I guide people to listen to themselves and come up with their own solutions. Therapy is a place for people to practice their desired outcomes, so they feel confident to use their newly learned ways of being in the world.
About Imago Therapy
My expertise
I help people to:
Feel more connected in relationships
Develop tools to effectively manage conflict & communicate
Increase compassion and empathy
Raise happy, thriving children
Build resilience to difficult feelings
Increase capacity to self-regulate
Strengthen self-worth, confidence, and empowerment
Identify and meet their own needs
My core services
I work with individuals, couples, families, and parents.
Grace provides clinical and relationship therapy to couples and individuals, in person and virtually across British Columbia. She supports people to feel more connected to themselves, their partners, and the world around them. She also presents Parenting Workshops which focus on strengthening the parent-child connection.
Couples Counselling
Enhance connection, communication, and self-regulation with Imago Relationship Therapy.
Individual Counselling
Increase self-awareness and self-regulation using Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Polyvagal Theory & Imago Relationship Therapy.
Parenting Support
Strengthen the Parent-Child connection so that children evolve into relationally healthy, self-actualized adults using Imago Parenting and other current research on child development.
My education & credentials
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz
Certified Imago Advanced Clinician
Completion of Level 2 Training of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
Master’s Degree in Marriage & Family Therapy, University of Southern California
Served on the board of the BC Association of Marriage and Family Therapy 2012-2020
Polyvagal Theory
Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) of the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors
Registered Marriage & Family Therapist (RMFT) of the Canadian Association of Marriage & Family Therapy
Serves on the board of Imago Relationships North America
“ Grace has taught me how to see other people in a different way. To be patient and understanding of other people’s feelings is a way for me to have happiness in my own life. Thank you for helping us learn how to communicate better and stay connected. “
“The Imago method has been powerful in helping us grow together as individuals and most importantly as a couple.”
“Grace is warm, patient, and understanding. She makes you feel comfortable and shows she really cares. I really appreciate her patience with us.”
Grace has helped us come to a deeper understanding of ourselves through a process where we are integral to each other’s progress.”
“Grace showed us the way to communicate with each other that embraced our differences while at the same time helping us gain insight into how and why we react the way we do.”
“Grace is a gentle person who listens and appreciates the concerns of her clients.”
“Grace is an exceptional therapist and has been so effective in helping my partner and I relate to each other better. Her communication strategies, although new to us at first, have become useful daily tools for each of us. We both really love the practical approach that she offers and it has brought about a lot of personal growth for both of us in terms of how we can better understand our needs, motivations and the processes we go through both consciously and unconsciously. Thank you Grace!”
“Grace creates a comfortable and supportive environment and a respectful relationship with me as a client which I appreciate. I feel listened to, and it is helpful to me to have my thoughts reflected back and/or reframed for analysis and understanding which helps me to move forward as I look to work on issues that have crept up in my life.”
“Grace is a fantastic therapist. She has changed my life In more ways than I can count. Couldn’t imagine my life without her in it.”
“Big thanks to both Grace and Mindy. Your workshop has armed us with a number of tools and knowledge to proceed as parents with confidence as well as reinforced the aspects of parenting the we were winning. The subject matter was informative and given in a environment that felt safe and relatable.”
“Grace and Mindy were great! Loved the examples and tools they presented and the way they did it. Everything is useful and it’s exciting to put everything into practice to become a “good enough” parent!”
“Me and my partner worked with Grace on pre-marriage counselling for us to identify things we need to work on. We learned so much more than I expected, including agreeing on relationship visions, setting up a conflict agreement, and tools on how to talk to each other using the imago dialogue. We got growth assignments after each session which helped us carry forward what we learned into our everyday lives.”
“Big thanks to both Grace and Mindy. Your workshop has armed us with a number of tools and knowledge to proceed as parents with confidence as well as reinforced the aspects of parenting the we were winning. The subject matter was informative and given in a environment that felt safe and relatable.”
“Grace and Mindy were great! Loved the examples and tools they presented and the way they did it. Everything is useful and it’s exciting to put everything into practice to become a “good enough” parent!”
First Steps
How do I get started?
Book Appointment
Once we have done the complimentary session, If we are a good fit, we will schedule our first appointment.
First Session!
We will go over your concerns, goals, and expectations, and you will leave with a sense of hope and connection.
Once you become a client, you get access to lots of FREE clinical and relationship resources to help you at home. Fill out the contact form below to schedule a consultation with Grace.