Kristy McConnell
Founder and Registered Psychologist
EMDRIA Approved Consultant and American Trained EMDR Therapist
University of Calgary Adjunct Clinical Instructor
Attachment Focused- EMDR Trained
Emotion-focused Therapy Externship Trained
Developmental Model of Couples Counselling
Completed Level 1 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy
Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD (Couples)
Trauma of Money Certified Practitioner
Menopause Mental Health Provider Certification
Services provided to adults and couples, and psychoeducational assessments for children
In-person, in-office, outdoors, online and telehealth
Outdoors in Airdrie
Office: 117 1st Street NW in the Nauton House in Airdrie
Not currently accepting new clients
You've done everything right: built the career, held the family together, shown up for everyone. But lately the strategies that used to keep you going have lost their edge. You're successful by every measure, and exhausted in ways you can't quite explain. If you're ready to understand why, not just push through, this is the work I do.
My Story & Approach
Some paths into psychology are planned. Mine was built one unexpected turn at a time.
I'm Kristy McConnell (she/her), founder of Off the Beaten Path Psychology and Wellness and a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP, Registration #4001) since 2010. I hold a Master of Counselling Psychology from the University of Lethbridge (2010) and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta (2003). I also serve as an Adjunct Clinical Instructor at the University of Calgary. Before becoming a psychologist, I spent five years in classrooms working with elementary, junior high, and special education students, and was honoured to receive the Edwin Parr Award for Excellence in Teaching during that time.
My clinical work is grounded in the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, the theoretical foundation of EMDR therapy, built on a belief I hold deeply: that our brains are innately designed to heal. When overwhelming experiences interrupt that process, memories can stay stored in ways that still feel raw and unresolved, even years later. EMDR works with this process directly, helping the brain do what it was always capable of doing. I am an EMDRIA Approved EMDR Consultant, meaning I both provide EMDR therapy and support other clinicians in developing their EMDR practice.
I see adults and couples at OBP's Nauton House location in Airdrie, offering in-person, virtual, outdoor walk-and-talk, and therapy intensive sessions. Alongside EMDR, I draw on Attachment-Focused EMDR, Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), the Developmental Model of Couples Counselling, Cognitive Behavioural Conjoint Therapy for PTSD, and Trauma of Money work. I also provide psychoeducational assessments for children and youth.
On the more human side: I have a well-documented talent for getting classic sayings delightfully wrong ("we'll burn that bridge when we get to it"). I quote old SNL sketches and late-80s movie lines, which my family endures with remarkable patience. When I'm not at Nauton House, you'll find me on the sidelines at my kids' games, or out running and lifting with my long-time gal pals.
Recent Blog Posts by Kristy
Menopause and Sexual Desire: Why Waiting for the Mood Might Not Be the Plan
Is low sexual desire during perimenopause and menopause normal? Learn the difference between spontaneous and responsive desire, why pelvic floor physiotherapy can help with painful sex, and how counselling can support intimacy in long-term relationships. Plus, download our free journal, Finding Your Way Back to Desire.Attachment and Relationships, Frequently Asked Therapy Questions, Family and Parenting Wellness, Personal Growth and Self-Discovery
Achievement Pressure A.K.A. Perfectionism? Here's How We Keep It Out of the Therapy Room
Back to school brings pressure to perform, and therapy can accidentally become one more place to get it “right.” At OBP, we start with a different question: what does your nervous system need before talking is even possible? Walk and Talk, EMDR, art, and play offer ways in that don’t require the perfect words.