Dr. Karen AuYeung, R.Psych.
Dr. Karen AuYeung is a Registered Psychologist (#2412) specializing in the treatment of anxiety and mood difficulties in adolescents and adults. She has training and expertise in the assessment and treatment of social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, specific phobias, perfectionism, and depression. She specializes in providing treatment for individuals undergoing transitions and having difficulty coping with life events and stressors. Dr. AuYeung also has experience assisting individuals with issues related to eating disorders, body image, interpersonal relationships, and low self-esteem.
Dr. AuYeung’s approach to treatment is active and collaborative. She works together with clients to understand their difficulties, develop meaningful goals, and implement effective and practical strategies to help clients make changes in their lives. Dr. AuYeung primarily uses a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) approach, which has shown to be highly effective in the treatment of mood and anxiety problems. She also has training in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Family Based Therapy for eating disorders.
Throughout her training and career, Dr. AuYeung has taken special interest in working with youth and young adults within the public health domain. Dr. AuYeung is also currently working as the Youth Consultant to the BC Division of Bounce Back: Reclaim your Health Program. Bounce Back provides free CBT skills to help people better manage stress and reduce low mood and anxiety. This amazing program is being expanded nationally and has recently grown to include youth aged 15-19 years. Dr. AuYeung provides training for working with youth and ongoing clinical support to the program service providers. Please visit https://bouncebackbc.ca/ for more information. Prior to this, she worked with the Provincial Specialized Eating Disorders Program for Children & Adolescents at BC Children's Hospital and Tupper Nova, a school-based mental health program run through Child Youth and Mental Health services.
With respect to background and training, Dr. AuYeung completed her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of British Columbia (UBC), receiving training in both adolescent and adult assessment and therapy. She has conducted research and published articles and chapters investigating social anxiety, family stress, social exclusion, and empathy. She completed clinical training placements at the Mood Disorders and BC Psychosis Units at UBC Hospital, Hamber House, Vancouver General Hospital Concurrent Disorders Inpatient Unit, UBC Clinic, has completed workplace injury cognitive assessments with the Rainbow Clinic, and telehealth treatment to Northern BC at the NSSAC. She completed a full-time Canadian Psychological Association-accredited pre-doctoral residency year at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. She provided a wide range of assessment, individual, and group treatments for adolescents, adults, and parents, at the Anxiety Treatment and Research Clinic, Youth Wellness Centre, and Eating Disorders Clinic.
Dr. AuYeung is constantly inspired by the hard work and resilience she sees in clients. She was born and raised in Toronto but has considered Vancouver home since 2010. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her husband and dog, photography, and spending time outside rock climbing, biking, hiking, and running.
