We want you to get the care you deserve.
Meet Cynthia
I am a long way from home but I am exactly where I want to be! My name is Cynthia Scratch, and I am the owner and therapist at Scratch Beneath the Surface Psychological Services located at Pure Life Wellness Center in Grimshaw, AB. I am a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP), an EMDR Therapist, a certified teacher, and a member of Psychologists’ Association of Alberta (PAA).
I have Grief and Loss Certification through Taking Flight International with Jane Symington. Other trainings include: Violent Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) Levels I and II, Non-Violent Crisis Intervention (NVCI), Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) and Suicide Ideation (SI) protocols and FASD Speaker through the Saskatchewan Speaker’s Bureau.
I came out west with the commitment that I was going to teach and to help people so that their lives were improved. I was also searching for a career that would answer to my knowledge base and to my hankering to be in a helping profession. Providence stepped up to the plate, and opportunity presented itself as a small Indigenous community in Beauval, Saskatchewan. As a certified teacher and a Special Education Coordinator, I lived the experience of remote and rural communities with Indigenous populations. I moved to Wabasca-Demarais in 2009. I was a Special Education Coordinator and began my counselling career as I earned my Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology. I was the only on-site school therapist for 3 schools including the Bigstone Cree Nation School Oski Pasikoniwew Kamik (OPK).
2016 brought me to Peace River as the counselling and consulting psychologist for Peace River School Division where I was fortunate to visit schools across the division, providing counselling for students and supporting their families and staff who were struggling with challenging situations at school and at home.
In 2017, I accepted the position of Program Manager with Project PEACE, a Mental Health Capacity Building program that places Success Coaches in schools where, under my direction, they facilitated a variety of social-emotional universal classroom programs and targeted small groups for various mental health issues. This was quite an exciting endeavour as I worked to build a team that needed connection and support (not to mention mentoring!). Financials and budgets aside, I facilitated clinical supervision for the Success Coaches and I worked closely with Youth Education Support Workers in the more remote regions of the division so that they were supported in their work. Additionally, I fulfilled the role of a leader in Crisis Intervention for critical incidents in the division.
Currently, I serve as Vice-Chair on the North Peace Society for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (NPSPDV - Stepping Up), and as a volunteer at the Soup Kitchen Peace River.
My drive to be a psychologist was predicated on my curiosity as to why people do the things they do, and why they make the choices they make. I want always to assist those who are struggling with challenges in their lives so that they can feel heard and have their personal journey honoured. To that end, Scratch Beneath the Surface, a concept percolating in my brain for some years, has become a reality, and I am now in private practice.
Life is complicated. It is my philosophy that everyone can use mental health support at some point in their lives, and I will do my level best to listen and support anyone who comes through my door. I work in tandem with each client to help them in achieving mental wellness so to improve their lives and general well-being. You and I will be partners in your healing travels as you grow in personal empowerment and confidence. It will be a privilege to connect and do the work.