BIO
Kenton Klassen, BFA, MA, RCC Psychodynamic Psychotherapist
Having grown up in northern towns all over Western Canada, and moving 30 times before I was 30, I am accustomed to building relationships with all sorts of people. I have enjoyed exposure to wildly different communities and have a background in various fields including industrial work, bartending, education, & theatre/film. My personal experiences eventually led me on a path to becoming an advocate for meaningful psychotherapy and mental health education.
I am a Psychodynamic Psychotherapist, a Registered Clinical Counsellor (R.C.C.), and the owner of Beyond the Pines Therapy. I hold a B.F.A. from The University of British Columbia and an M.A. in Counselling Psychology from The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. I completed clinical internships through Dr. Peter Centre and Nightingale Counselling & Research, as well as a fellowship with Launchpad Counselling. I am committed to ongoing psychotherapy education and clinical supervision.
Outside of the therapy office you may find me at the cinema, exploring the coastline with my family, enjoying live music, working on a new creative project, or immersing myself in a good novel.
THERAPEUTIC APPROACH
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (Psychoanalytic)
How is a mind formed? Many of our struggles are related to the formative impact of relational experiences that often remain outside our awareness but shape our day-to-day lives in numerous ways. Many therapies focus on quick solutions to lower distress, but without working with deeper psychological structures, this distress often returns. Psychodynamic Psychotherapy works to address the roots of your concerns, through exploration and processing of your experiences within a stabilizing relationship.
I have specialized clinical training in Object Relations, a school of Psychoanalysis that explores the connections between relationality and psychological development. I also draw upon contemporary (Jungian) Analytical Psychology, which emphasizes the archetypal patterns of human experience and the principle that we are fundamentally oriented towards greater integration.
“There is a consistent finding in the research of patients making considerable improvement, long after treatment has ended.” - British Psychoanalytic Council
Click here to look at the research.
Dr. Jonathan Shedler briefly explaining how this type of therapy works.
Interpersonal Neurobiology / Attachment Theory
How is your nervous system connected to your mental health? I also draw upon my clinical training in Interpersonal Neurobiology, a school of research that examines how your brain, body, and mind are developed, function, and change in the context of human relationships. The science of Attachment is a central area of research in this field, and there is an emphasis on the healing impact of mindfulness and other contemplative practices.
Family Systems / Cultural Systems
What role do you play in your family? It can be extremely helpful to zoom out and examine the impact of previous generations, the relational dynamics of your family system, along with your inherited cultural influences. A core tenet of my approach is keeping in mind that we are formed within larger social systems. I often refer to Bowen Family Systems , along with various theories of human cultural development to assist me in this area.
BEHIND THE NAME
The name Beyond the Pines was inspired by a Thrice song, which is based on A Great Wagon by the poet Rumi. It is also a nod to the Derek Cianfrance film The Place Beyond the Pines. These art pieces explore how societal divisions relate to divisions within.
We are currently living through a period of ever intensifying social division. Wouldn’t it be great to find ourselves in the place beyond the pines, where we ultimately transcend our internal divisions and hateful projections, realizing how interdependent we all are?
Beyond the Pines also refers to the stunning Pacific North West, where I am located, and the Arthurian grail myth about entering the dark forest — an apt metaphor for transformative inner work.
As we are highly relational beings, lasting change requires bringing our stories into trusted relationships. Beyond the Pines Therapy aims to be a place where this can happen.
“It is in the space between inner and outer world, which is also the space between people - the transitional space - that intimate relationships and creativity occur.”