Carolyn O. Klassen* has completed a Master of Arts degree in Marriage, Family, and Child Counselling in Fresno, California. She also has a degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Manitoba.
She has been featured on interesting projects such as Fierce Females and FiftyX50, and spoke at 2018 TEDxWinnipeg. For more about her speaking for webinars, workshops, keynotes, check out her website featuring her speaking with Wired for Connection, at CarolynKlassen.com
Carolyn's experience includes working with men and women as individuals, couples and families in a counselling setting. She has 29 years of experience working as a therapist, 20 years in her present setting.
She practices her individual and couple therapy as a subspecialty of Occupational Therapy. When appropriate, she enjoys helping people use their spiritual practices and religious beliefs in support of their growth. She has a particular interest in the issues that a woman brings to counselling.
Carolyn is a certified facilitator in The Daring Way ™, and Rising Strong™, curricula arising out of Dr. Brené Brown's shame resiliency research. She offers these groups regularly to the general public out of her office, and is available to offer an intensive program to your organization, book club, or church group.
She regularly delivers workshops, seminars, retreats, and sermons regarding topics of grief, self-compassion, shame, depression, anxiety, intimacy, vulnerability, authenticity and wholehearted living. Believing that we are wired for connection, presentation topics generally point towards having more meaningful and satisfying connections. Carolyn is available for speaking engagements and workshops.
Carolyn has a workshop for work teams and organizations entitled:
Burnout it a reality for many organizations at every level. After 18 months of relentless "pivoting", more hours, and isolation--people are tired. It's hard.
The way out? Gritty grace.
Coming this fall is a keynote/workshop/"lunch and learn" on the practice of grace--courageous, playful and gritty--as a transformative route out of burnout.
We are wired for connection--and the practical expression of grace in a burned out world is essential.
Call our offices at Conexus Counselling or email through the website to inquire further about this topic for your team.
The regular keynote address:
Wired for Connection, The Conduit for Resilience
Through personal anecdotes and warm spirited teaching, Carolyn acknowledges the struggle we all face in a world that has more demands than there are hours in a day. Folks feel lonely and exhausted and that all their efforts are "not enough". There is a path forward to rejuvenation and finding ways to withstand the inevitable struggles of life by coming together and reaching out to ask for and give meaningful help and connection.
Carolyn speaks weekly on Thursdays at 2:30 on various topics with Hal Anderson on 680CJOB.
Carolyn is an author and has published several books designed to help people find ways to connect better with themselves and others.
Is there still time to run? is a coffee table book designed to calmly prepare people for their therapy session.
Thinking therapy--no to yes shortens the distance from a person's hesitation to the therapy room door. Rather than automatically dismissing the idea of counselling, read through the most common concerns to get a better understanding of therapy.
Nice to a fault: Redefining kindness in marriage looks at empowering women to actively take part in creating a marriage that works for both spouses.
My Marriage is almost dead and my husband doesn't get it is the first edition Nice to a fault and is still available.
Carolyn has developed extensive experience working with folks who struggle with intimately connecting with themselves and others, sometimes with depression or anxiety being an intricate web of causing this disconnection, or resulting from this connection (and often both). Carolyn has worked with many clients with extensive trauma experiences.
Carolyn is a certified facilitator in The Daring Way ™, and Rising Strong™, curricula arising out of Dr. Brené Brown's shame resiliency research. She offers these groups regularly to the general public out of her office, and is available to offer an intensive program to your organization, book club, or church group.
She regularly delivers workshops, seminars, retreats, and sermons regarding topics of grief, self-compassion, shame, depression, anxiety, intimacy, vulnerability, authenticity and wholehearted living. (As a regular attender of The Meeting Place, Carolyn asks for your understanding, in that she does not see regular attenders of TMP as clients.) Believing that we are wired for connection, presentation topics generally point towards having more meaningful and satisfying connections.
Carolyn Klassen was an instructor at the University of Manitoba, having taught there for about 14 years, instructing Professional Master's students in areas of clinical interviewing, advanced communication, supervising topical seminars and groups. She continues to volunteer with the University supervising students in fieldwork education placements at Siloam Mission/Madison House and Steinbach Family Resource Centre.
Her concern for a client's growth toward wholeness encompasses the physical, psychological, emotional, intellectual and spiritual realms of life. While clients bring difficult and serious issues to therapy which are dealt with very seriously, she also sees the merit in learning through celebration and humour.
Carolyn has a blog, "A Thoughtful Look at Life", that muses about the intersection between daily life and a therapist's observations. Carolyn serves as the clinical director of Conexus Counselling, working towards continuing excellence in all areas of the practice. She loves her job and considers her colleagues as great friends, and her clients as her teachers...working at Conexus Counselling is very much a gift!
*Please note that Carolyn O. Klassen was formerly known as Carolyn O. Bergen
A sample of Carolyn's past speaking engagements (interactive workshops/seminars ranging from 1/2 day to 3 days, keynote speeches, and seminars) :
Transport Canada, Health Sciences Center, EESE: Living Resiliently in a Challenging and Changing World
Mennonite Church of Manitoba Pastors: Love Thyself as Thy Neighbour daylong workshop
Middle Managers, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority: Exploring Uncertainty, Change and Vulnerability
Whyte Ridge Baptist Church Women's Retreat: Wholehearted Living
St. Aiden's School staff: The Daring Way™ Two day workshop
Manitoba Case Management Symposium: Empathy
National Leasing: Mental Health First Aid
Red River College RED Day: 1/2 day Workshop on The Daring Way™
Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Safety and Risk Team: Resilience and Change keynote
Winnipeg Evangelical Free Church: Women's retreat
St. Benedict's Retreat Center Staff: Stress and Resilience
People First HR Services: Suicide Awareness and Prevention
The Meeting Place Support Staff: Triage and Crisis Care 101
Anxiety Disorders Association of Manitoba: Self Compassion, Trust, Vulnerability, Shame, and Wholehearted Living with Anxiety
Pastor Credentialling Orientation with Mennonite Brethren Conference: Conflict
Outtatown Program at Canadian Mennonite University:
- Supporting students in crisis
- Resilience as a leader in a challenging program
- Debriefing after a difficult year
Resilience in an Uncertain World to Non Profit organization: 1 day workshop
Resilience in an Uncertain World to Health Care teams: 1 hour workshop
Sixpointeight conference: "Ted-style" talk on "Peace with Self: Calming the Inner Turmoil"
Women of Integrity Conference: 1 day retreat on "Living Wholeheartedly in an Uncertain World"
TedxWinnipeg 2018 "Learning from the Sequoias: the Value of Interconnectedness"
Keynote speaker for 3 sessions with the Canadian Association for Christians in Student Development May 2018 conference: Being Well: Holistic Wellness Amidst Brokenness
Faculty of Medicine, Interprofessional Education: Managing Conflict
Facing Change Resiliently 1 day seminar
Enhanced English Skills for Employment: Developing Resilience in a Changing World Resilience
Spouses of Survivors with Occupational Stress Injuries: Resiliency Training 1/2 day workshop
Connection as a Strategy for Mental Health to local high school during mental health week. 1/2 hour talk.
Team of kitchen staff at Personal Care Home: 2 evening series Working together when it is is hard
and is a regular teacher at TMP
