KR Counselling and Psychotherapy
5004 49th Ave Forestburg, AB
Phone: 403-741-9076
krcounsellingandpsychotherapy@gmail.com
In a village of roughly 800 people, walking through the door for therapy can feel like a very big step.
Krysta Rathwell knows that.
She knows the hesitation that can come with seeking support in a small community, where familiar faces are everywhere and privacy matters deeply.
She also knows how much harder it can be for rural residents to access mental health care when distance, work schedules, transportation, and stigma all stand in the way.
That is why she opened KR Counseling and Psychotherapy in Forestburg.
“My name is Krysta Rathwell with KR Counseling and Psychotherapy,” she said. “I offer therapy and counseling to those who are age nine all the way up to as old as you can possibly make it. I provide couples therapy, I provide individual therapy, and I provide group therapy in Forestburg, Alberta.”
For those who live farther away, virtual appointments are also available.
Krysta’s path to therapy was not a straight line, but it is one that seems to have brought her exactly where she is meant to be.
Before opening her practice full time, she spent 20 years in education. She loved teaching and being surrounded by students, but over time, she saw the need for mental health support continue to grow.
“I loved teaching, I loved being around the kids,” she said.
“There was just this element of joy walking in the building and just watching kids learn. But what I was really noticing was that mental health was just so difficult and the issues with mental health were increasing.”
For a time, Krysta was working in education during the day and providing therapy in the evenings. But there were only so many people she could serve that way. Many of her clients were from outside her own community, and she began thinking more seriously about the need for accessible mental health support close to home.
“I knew I needed to step away and be able to provide something in small communities,” she said. “So, you don’t have to go so far for mental health support.”
In rural Alberta, that distance matters.
For some families, accessing therapy can mean taking time off work, arranging transportation, or driving hours for an appointment. For youth, it may depend on whether a parent can leave work. For adults, it may mean putting their own care last because the logistics feel overwhelming.
Krysta wanted to help remove some of those barriers.
“Here in the proximity of Forestburg, it’s amazing because people can just walk to the office,” she said. “People from out in Hardisty, the further east you get, it’s almost like that’s kind of the end of the earth for us. That’s how it feels because you’re getting further away from the big cities.”
Her goal is not only to provide therapy, but to make the experience feel approachable. Krysta is trained in several therapeutic approaches, including narrative therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, and solution focused therapy. But she is quick to say clients do not need to understand those terms before they come in.
“Don’t worry about the type of therapy as you’re walking in the door,” she said. “Just worry that it’s a safe, comfortable place. That’s the biggest thing.”
That sense of safety begins with the first conversation. Krysta typically starts with a 15-minute consultation to make sure the client feels the fit is right. From there, the first session includes background information, a discussion about why the person is seeking therapy, and a plan for what future sessions could look like.
That plan is tailored to each person.
Some clients come weekly, some every second week, some monthly, and some simply check in every couple of months. Krysta also offers flexibility around scheduling, including early morning and evening options when possible.
“I always keep in mind people are busy,” she said. “What is reasonable in your schedule? And then let’s talk about where we’re at and how often.”
In small communities, confidentiality is one of the biggest concerns. Krysta understands that deeply.
Her office is located in a mixed-use building with several other services, including medical, dental, legal, esthetic, and financial offices. Someone walking up the stairs could be going anywhere.
But beyond the physical space, Krysta is intentional about making confidentiality clear from the very beginning.
“When they walk in this space, it’s you, me, and the four walls that surround us, and that is it,” she said.
For those who are not ready to walk through the door, virtual sessions can be a first step.
More than anything, Krysta wants people to know they do not need to wait until they are in crisis to reach out. She often hears people minimize their own struggles, saying others have it worse or that they should be able to manage on their own.
Her response is always rooted in compassion. “Give yourself so much grace,” she said. “You deserve it. And you deserve the help.”
That help may be for anxiety, depression, parenting struggles, school refusal, relationship challenges, grief, stress, or simply the weight of carrying too much for too long. Krysta believes therapy is not only for the hardest moments. It can also be a place to process, reflect, build tools, and feel less alone.
Inside her office, therapy does not look one specific way.
There are comfortable places to sit. There are fidgets, Play Doh, colouring books, games, and coffee. There may be tears, but there is also laughter.
“This space is meant to be the space that’s giving you hope,” she said.
Krysta describes therapy with a metaphor once shared by her supervisor. A person begins in the trees, steps into a raging river during the session, then comes safely back to the trees before leaving.
That is the work. Not avoiding the river but not leaving someone stranded in it either.
For Krysta, practicing in Forestburg is both meaningful and personal. It is the community where her children are growing up and where she spent many years teaching. It is also the place where she now gets to offer something she believes rural communities deeply need.
“I have the absolute privilege of practicing where my kids are growing up, and where I know the community,” she said.
And in that community, where everyone may know everyone, Krysta hopes people will also come to know this: therapy is not something to be ashamed of.
It is care.
It is connection.
And now, for many in the Flagstaff Region, it is closer to home.
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