Curio Counselling vs. Elevate Psychology Calgary: Comparing Trauma-Focused Practices
Elevate Psychology and Curio Counselling are both Calgary practices with a stated commitment to trauma-informed, inclusive care. They differ in team size, specialist depth, services offered, and the populations each serves most strongly. Here is a direct comparison.
Elevate Psychology, led by Registered Psychologist Labiba Majeed, is a Calgary practice focused on personalized therapy with a strong commitment to serving diverse and marginalized populations including BIPOC, 2SLGBTQI+ communities, and individuals with disabilities. Curio Counselling is a larger multi-disciplinary practice in Calgary's inner SW. Both practices occupy the trauma-informed, inclusive therapy space — and both are worth understanding before deciding between them.
Clinical Approach and Modalities
Elevate Psychology uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy as its primary modalities, with individual therapy as the main service offering. For trauma specifically, Elevate offers Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) — a structured, evidence-based PTSD treatment that involves systematic, graduated exposure to trauma-related memories and situations. PE has strong research support, particularly for single-incident PTSD, and is somewhat less common in Calgary than EMDR.
Curio Counselling approaches trauma using EMDR (certified practitioners), somatic and Polyvagal-informed therapy, and Trauma-Focused CBT, in addition to stabilization-first phase-based treatment for complex and developmental trauma. For clients wanting PE specifically, Elevate is worth exploring. For clients wanting EMDR or somatic approaches, Curio is the stronger match.
Diversity and Inclusion Focus
Elevate Psychology has a particularly explicit commitment to serving marginalized clients. Their published practice philosophy emphasizes creating a safe environment for BIPOC clients, 2SLGBTQI+ individuals, neurodiverse people, and those with disabilities — not as a secondary consideration but as a core feature of the practice. For clients whose identity has historically been minimized or misunderstood in therapeutic settings, Elevate's explicit positioning is meaningful.
Curio Counselling operates with cultural humility and serves clients across backgrounds and identities. Individual therapist profiles indicate specific areas of training in anti-oppressive and identity-affirmative practice. The explicit diversity commitment at Elevate is more prominently foregrounded in their practice identity.
Services Range
Elevate Psychology focuses primarily on individual therapy for adults with telepsychology available for remote clients. The practice does not prominently feature couples therapy, child therapy, play therapy, art therapy, or group programs.
Curio Counselling offers individual, couples, family, child and youth, play therapy, art therapy, and group programs — making it the stronger choice for clients who need a range of support types or for families looking to work with one practice across multiple members.
Who Each Clinic Serves Best
Choose Elevate Psychology if:
- You are from a BIPOC, 2SLGBTQI+, or otherwise marginalized background and want a practice where that is explicitly centred
- You want Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) for PTSD specifically
- You are looking for individual adult therapy with DBT as a core component
Choose Curio Counselling if:
- You want EMDR-certified trauma therapy or somatic approaches
- You need couples, family, child, or group therapy alongside or instead of individual work
- You are in inner SW Calgary or want virtual sessions with a specialist team
Curio Counselling Calgary
Address: 1414 8 St SW, Suite 200, Calgary, AB T2R 1J6
Phone: 403-243-0303
Website: curiocounselling.ca |
