Meet Anna Barabanova: Certified Schema Therapist & EMDR Provider
Have you ever promised yourself "this time will be different," only to find yourself in the same spot again? Anna Barabanova knows that experience well, which is part of why we're so happy to have her join Being and Becoming.
Anna is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and an Advanced Level Certified Schema Therapist, a designation from the International Society of Schema Therapy. She also offers EMDR therapy. Anna sees clients in person at our Burnaby office and online or by phone anywhere in BC. She also offers sessions in both English and Russian.
A decade of experience, and a lot of variety
Before joining us, Anna spent more than ten years working in settings as different as private practice, addiction treatment, crisis response, and community mental health. That range shows in her work. She's comfortable sitting with people at their most overwhelmed, and she's equally comfortable helping them build everyday tools for getting through the week.
Her focus is on the things that tend to run deepest: complex trauma and PTSD, grief that doesn't resolve on its own timeline, painful relationship cycles, and difficulties that people have often carried since childhood. She works with teens aged 16 and up, adults, and couples.
Therapy that goes somewhere
Anna draws on Schema Therapy, EMDR, and CBT, among other approaches, and chooses what fits each person rather than following one script. What ties it together is a simple belief: understanding why a pattern exists is the first step to changing it. Instead of revisiting the same struggles each session, she helps clients trace where their patterns began, what those patterns were protecting them from, and what they actually need.
Anna describes her style as warm, curious, and hands-on, and she's not shy about using humour when it helps. Clients can expect honest conversations, space to be vulnerable, and a therapist who will gently push them toward change.
She especially loves working with people who've been labelled "too sensitive," "too much," or "difficult." In her view, those labels miss the point. Our coping strategies usually make perfect sense once we know the story behind them.
The person behind the practice
Anna's own story has taken her across continents. She grew up in Asia, lived for years in Europe, and eventually settled in North America, immigrating twice along the way. That experience of moving between cultures fed a lifelong curiosity about people and how they live. Ask her what she's reading lately, and you'll likely get a new answer every time.
Ready to connect?
Anna is currently welcoming new clients, with evening and weekend appointments available. If you'd like to see whether she's the right fit, you can book a free consultation, request an appointment, or email her directly at anna@beingandbecoming.ca.
