Phone : 204-856-0621

Build your resilience with 

Willow's Bend Counselling

Centre, Inc.

Willow's Bend was founded in 2010 by Barbara Woods, Ph.D., CCC.  We are the leading provider of counselling & psychotherapy services in south central Manitoba.  We are located in downtown Portage la Prairie and able to provide telehealth and distance counselling to clients in Manitoba and Alberta.  

why work with us?

We have been the leading private mental health provider in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba

for the last 10 years.

General Counselling & Psychotherapy

Our general counselling services are based on evidence based practices rooted in neuroscience.  We support children, teens, adults, and families to develop resilience and coping skills. We offer a variety of interventions for the majority of difficulties our clients typically experience.  Many of these difficulties include trauma, anxiety, depression, workplace stress, and relationship difficulties.

Telehealth & Distance Counselling

The convenience and privacy of meeting with a therapist from the comfort of your own home can make therapy more accessible...especially during worldwide pandemics.  We offer a very easy to use option for telehealth.  As long as you have an internet connection and a device, you can receive our services.  Alternatively, we also provide distance counselling by telephone.

Play Based Interventions & Family Play Therapy

Supporting children to develop resilience during and after tough times is critical for healing life's hurts. We provide "serious" play based interventions that are rooted in neuroscience and evidence based practices.  We also believe that supporting the whole family system is critical for developing a resilient, connected family.



about us

Allow us to support your journey.

Willow’s Bend Counselling Centre, Inc. is a leading provider of psychotherapy services in central Manitoba.  Because we are a well-established, full time practice in Portage la Prairie, we are able to meet the diverse needs of the people in Portage and the surrounding areas.


We specialize in providing services to children, teens, adults, and families.  Our interventions are evidence-based which means there is science to support their effectiveness. However, we are also flexible enough to meet the cultural and creative needs of our diverse clientele, particularly Indigenous clients.


We have adopted an approach of anti-oppression by specializing in interventions that allow the client to heal from within.  

We support and recognize diversity through considering the historical, institutional, intergenerational, and personal traumas an individual may be impacted by and particularly for Black, Indigenious, and People of Color.


Our interventions with children are considered “serious play based interventions” because the strategies we rely on are rooted in neuroscience.  We engage children and some teens in age-appropriate, play based activities that support the development of positive relationships, attachment, and self-regulation.  When children leave our sessions feeling good about the work they have done, they are more motivated when they come back for the next appointment. 

OUR approach

Resilience Based Psychotherapy

The strategies we use to support clients and families are considered "Resilience Based Psychotherapy" due to the emphasis on developing individual and family resilience. We take extra steps to ensure that our services are collaborative with clients and referrals sources.  Working together to meet the end goals for each client is so important for services to be effective.  We provide a high degree of professional services though our policies, interactions, and additional training we attend to continually improve our skills.  Our location and interactions are inviting especially for children and people who may be seeking services for the first time.  We understand that when a person reaches out for help, it takes a great deal of courage.  We approach our clients in a natural, down-to-earth style even when using more complicated strategies.  Clients from many different backgrounds are welcomed and feel a deep level of acceptance and regard for their individual values and beliefs.

post list

Family Resilience Toolbox

Questions?  

Please contact Dr. Woods at

barbara@willowsbend.ca

or phone 204.856.0621.

She will respond within 48 hours.

(Please note:  The contact form for this website wasn't working and it was removed to make sure we were able to respond to messages.  Don't worry!!  A new and improved website is coming soon!)