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Natalie Franz, Ph.D.

Registered Psychologist

Dr. Natalie Franz is a registered psychologist with over 30 years’ experience in public health and private practice. After earning her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Simon Fraser University, she spent over 20 years with the Ministry of Children and Family Development assessing youth with significant behavioural and mental health issues, training and supervising mental health providers across BC, and providing family therapy to high risk youth.

Working in private and corporate mental health settings, Dr. Franz has worked with children, teens, adults, and families presenting with a wide variety of concerns. As part of many multidisciplinary teams over the years, she has consulted to nurse practitioners and physicians, psychiatrists, kinesiologists, and dieticians as well as social workers, school staff, and child care workers to provide wrap-around and preventative care.

Located primarily in Vancouver, Dr. Franz also offers limited services at the St. Johns Health & Wellness Clinic in Port Moody, BC.

Using an approach that is both warm and down to earth, Dr. Franz welcomes clients as partners in healing and growth.

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Services

Children & Teens

Concerns that bring children and teens to therapy include social and generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depressed mood, negative body image and/or eating concerns, trauma, emotional dysregulation (including outbursts, running away, self-harm), interpersonal difficulties/bullying, academic challenges, peer and family conflict, chronic illness, grief, and neurodiversity such as learning disabilities, autism, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Sometimes parents bring their children and teens to therapy because of social media usage, excessive gaming, or substance misuse, which often gives rise to parent-child conflict.

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Parenting & Family Therapy

While there are vast amounts of resources targeting parenting, it can still be a bewildering and worrying enterprise. This is in no small part due to the changing landscape of technology, such as increased screen time, artificial intelligence, and social media, not to mention our collective recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Franz works with families of all kinds, including foster families, adoptive families, families struggling with divorce and co-parenting, and blended families. The goals are to help caregivers effectively communicate limits and expectations, lead problem solving, and resolve conflict in ways that enhance, rather than erode, connection and attachment security. Every member of the family is seen as an important part of the solution.

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Adults

Dr. Franz works with adults to address a wide variety of issues, including stress management, interpersonal challenges, low self-esteem, disordered eating, low mood, anger, inattention and impulsivity, anxiety/panic, perfectionism, trauma, chronic illness, and grief.

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