Clinical Counselling for Individuals, Parents and Youth in Vernon, BC
Cole VonNiessen, MC, RCC
Cole is currently accepting new clients, including children, teens, individual adults and couples.
Cole works works with individuals navigating a wide range of concerns including anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, life transitions, grief, and personal growth. Cole believes it is a privilege to hear each client’s story and is deeply committed to creating a supportive space where people feel heard, understood, and respected.
Cole’s counselling approach is relationship-focused and client-centered. He prioritizes building a strong foundation of trust, safety, and authenticity within the therapeutic relationship. When clients feel comfortable and supported, it becomes easier to explore difficult experiences with curiosity, openness, and compassion.
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His style is calm, personable, and collaborative, allowing sessions to move at a pace that respects each client’s readiness and goals. Cole strives to balance thoughtful reflection and deeper exploration with practical strategies and skills when they may be helpful.
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Evidence-Based Therapy Approaches
Cole integrates a variety of evidence-based counselling approaches, tailoring therapy to each individual’s needs, personality, and goals. These may include:
Eye-Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT)E
motion-Focused Therapy (EFT)
Parts Work / Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Psychodynamic and insight-oriented therapies
His work is also informed by attachment theory and trauma-informed care, helping clients understand emotional patterns, relationship dynamics, and the impact of past experiences.
Professional Experience
​Cole completed his undergraduate studies in Philosophy and Psychology at the University of British Columbia, graduating in 2020. His academic background in both disciplines continues to inform his work as a counsellor, providing a foundation for understanding human behaviour, emotional processes, and the broader questions of meaning, identity, and personal growth that often arise in therapy.
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He later completed his Master of Counselling through City University of Seattle’s Vancouver campus in 2025, where he developed advanced clinical skills and training in evidence-based therapeutic approaches. During his graduate program, Cole began his clinical practicum at the Whitevalley Community Resource Centre in Lumby in 2024, where he continues to work part-time.
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Through his practicum and ongoing work at Whitevalley Community Resource Centre, Cole has gained experience supporting clients with a broad range of concerns including anxiety, life transitions, grief, trauma, abuse, relationship difficulties, and personality-related challenges. Working within a community-based setting has provided valuable experience offering accessible mental health services in a smaller community, while also strengthening his ability to meet clients with empathy, flexibility, and respect for diverse life circumstances.
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In 2025, Cole also began working in private practice in Vernon, expanding his experience in supporting individuals, couples, and youth across a variety of mental health concerns. In February 2026, he completed formal training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), an evidence-based approach for working with trauma and distressing life experiences.
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Cole is committed to ongoing professional development and lifelong learning. In addition to his clinical work, he continues to deepen his practice through continued training, professional consultation, research, and reading, allowing him to integrate new insights and approaches into his work with clients.
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Additional Training
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Eye-Movement Desentization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Basic Training​