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KR Counselling and Psychotherapy: Breaking the Stigma & Building Mental Health in Rural Communities | Krysta Rathwell

What if therapy didn't feel intimidating… but felt like coming home to yourself?

In this episode of Rural Unrecognized, released for Mental Health Awareness Month, Jessica sits down with Krysta Rathwell, founder of KR Counselling and Psychotherapy in Forestburg, Alberta, a village of just 800 people in Flagstaff County. After 20 years in education, including a principalship, Krysta made the leap into full-time therapy practice. The village rallied around her so fully that the CAO and mayor literally built her an office above the medical and dental clinic in downtown Forestburg.

Krysta walks us through the difference between a psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, and counsellor, and shares the personal wake-up call (a terrifying paralysis episode that turned out not to be a stroke) that reshaped how she shows up for her clients, her kids, and herself. She offers practical, honest tools you can actually use: how to define your self-care so it serves you, how to set boundaries that hold, and a simple phrase ("that's not my story") that protects your peace without closing your heart.

This conversation explores narrative therapy, parenting in a digital era, the rural resources we often overlook, and what it really takes to slow down and tend to your mental health… one small, intentional step at a time.

In This Episode

• The difference between a psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, and counsellor
• Leaving a 20-year career in education to follow her heart into full-time therapy
• Why the village of Forestburg built her an office, and what that says about rural community
• How narrative therapy helps clients separate themselves from labels like "anxious" or "depressed"
• The new Forestburg Connect Group, launching with two other local business owners to combat rural isolation
• Why "self-care" doesn't work unless your time is defined
• Krysta's personal health scare and the moment she realized she had to start serving herself, too
• Hard boundaries vs. soft boundaries, and the people-pleasing that gets in the way
• The "that's not my story" tool you can start using today
• Parenting in the digital era: modeling and admitting your mistakes
• Free, accessible mental health resources for rural families
• Krysta's joy-driven side hustle: coffee, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and small-town living

Resources Mentioned

• Kids Help Phone: free, 24/7 support for young people across Canada by phone or text. Visit kidshelpphone.ca or text CONNECT to 686868
• 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 988 anywhere in Canada for free, confidential support. 988.ca
• Psychology Today: directory for finding therapists, psychologists, and counsellors. psychologytoday.com
• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk: recommended reading, especially for those navigating trauma
• Anxious People by Fredrik Backman: another favourite read

Connect with Krysta Rathwell

• Instagram: @krcounsellingandpsychotherapy
• Psychology Today profile: search Krysta Rathwell, Forestburg, AB on psychologytoday.com
• Location: The Brick Centre, downtown Forestburg, Alberta (Flagstaff County)

Learn More

To learn more about Flagstaff County visit: