Expert Interview: West End Therapy

Interview with Christine Holowick, Founder and Director of West End Therapy

Oct 01, 2025

General Experience And Background

Can you share your background and what led you to start West End Therapy?

Prior to starting West End Therapy, I had been working in the field of mental health as a Social Worker for over a decade. My personal motivation to enter this line of work stems from my own experience of growing up with a parent with schizophrenia and a gambling addiction. Healing and recovery from these circumstances is a life-long process, and supporting others on their path has been a natural fit, part of a broader spirit-level journey for me.  I started building my own tiny therapy practice in 2020, which then led to working with a couple of close friends. From there, it just snowballed into the group practice and therapy clinic that it is today.

What motivated you to focus on therapy services for individuals and couples in Winnipeg?

Honestly, the focus has come from a place of love and values. Any therapist will tell you how rewarding it is to see people grow, change, and heal. We’ve also prioritized building a team that has the capacity to support couples and families, not just individuals. Relationships can be very challenging and complicated, and people want connection and fulfilling relationships, but getting to that place can be very difficult. We live in such an individualistic culture with lots of pressures; there are so many things stacked against our relationships in today’s modern life. For this reason, supporting the health of couples and families is a very values-based endeavour for me. It’s felt important to build a team that is skilled in relational therapy as well as individual therapy.

What challenges have you faced in your journey, and how have you overcome them?

The challenges have mostly been related to what any small business owner can attest to. It’s difficult to start a business: Finances, time, and work/home life balance are all challenging aspects when you’re growing something from nothing. Persistence and hard work are really important. Being thoughtful and intentional when making decisions is also important. I also have to mention that my partner, Neil, has been so intertwined in the background, supporting the business and family life. None of this would have been possible if we weren’t working together well.

Therapy Specialties

What types of therapy services do you specialize in, and what makes them effective for your clients?

We specialize in working with individuals, couples, families, children, and adolescents. We work with a wide range of issues, including grief and loss, trauma, relationship conflict, issues related to mental health and addiction, neurodivergence, life transitions, anxiety and stress, and more. All of our therapists are licensed and are master's-level trained. They also all have additional training in their areas of specialty. Our team of therapists is really fantastic. We feel so grateful to have attracted clinicians who are so skilled in what they do. 

What can clients expect during their first therapy session?

First sessions, or intake sessions, typically include a bit of history-taking, gathering information about your current situation, as well as discussing goals for therapy. Every therapist has their own style and approach for first sessions, but generally it’s about getting to know you, establishing a focus, and starting to build that initial rapport that’s required for therapeutic work. 

Client-Centred Approach

Can you share a success story that demonstrates the impact of therapy at West End Therapy?

Our therapists see change, growth and shifting in the people they work with on a daily basis. We see couples learn how to work through arguments in a healthy way and reconnect. We see parents and teens learning to understand each other and establish common ground. As well, we walk alongside our individual clients as they heal from trauma and from difficult events in their lives. People can and do recover. However, change does take time, and it’s not a linear process or a passive process. Therapy is an investment in yourself and your relationships that requires openness and collaboration with the therapist. People tend to get out of therapy what they put into it.

What advice would you offer to someone who is hesitant about starting therapy?

That depends on the reason for the hesitancy. Sometimes people are nervous about facing the things that are difficult and the emotions that come with that. If that’s the case, communicating this with your therapist is really important. They will support you and move at a pace that feels right. If the reason is related to feeling shame or embarrassment, I would want to remind them that we all face difficulties in life at some time or another. As therapists, our everyday work is to support people in their struggles. We are equipped to be with and witness the most vulnerable parts of the self. Lastly, some people’s hesitancy comes from not being sure if therapy will be helpful or not. For these folks, I would encourage them to try it for a few sessions to get a sense of what it’s like and then decide if it’s for them or not.

Trends And Innovations In Therapy

What emerging trends in mental health and therapy do you believe are shaping the future?

I believe, in general, we are becoming more open to talking about emotions and the hard stuff. Especially in younger adults, going to therapy isn’t regarded as a shortcoming or something to hide. Many view therapy in a positive light, as a vehicle for taking responsibility to improve how one feels in their life and about themselves, as well as discontinuing unhealthy patterns that tend to repeat intergenerationally. I love that there is less stigma around therapy, which makes it easier for people to take that first step towards seeking help. Another trend is the wide availability of information through podcasts, audiobooks, and social media. We find that many people are educating themselves on topics that are often discussed in therapy, such as relationships, the nervous system, trauma, and attachment styles. This learning is a good place to start and can set the stage for deeper therapeutic work that often takes place in therapy. 

How do you stay updated on the latest therapy practices and research?

We have lots of ways! As part of our provincial registration as therapists, we are required to participate in ongoing professional development through training or coursework. Working in a group practice is also a great way to network with other therapists and share information about new approaches and emerging trends. As part of a group practice, we also have an opportunity to collaborate and support each other in the work that we do.

Community Engagement And Support

What role does ongoing support play after therapy, and how do you continue to assist clients in their journey?

As people reach their therapeutic goal and therapy winds down, decreasing the frequency of sessions is typical, or scheduling a check-in session for a later date is common. Discussing the quality of the person’s support system is sometimes discussed in therapy, and coaching around developing a healthy support network may be part of the therapy journey. Once therapy ends, our clients will sometimes reach out again in the future for one or more sessions, for support through a particularly difficult time or though certain times of transition, for example. For those who find therapy beneficial, it’s normal to move in and out of therapy at different times in their life, sometimes with the same therapist and sometimes with a new therapist. Each therapist has different things to offer in their practice, and what matters is that the client feels that they’re getting what they need out of the therapeutic process.