The Grounded Voice Journey
Tina Bells, founder of Grounded Voice Psychotherapy, creates a space for grief and trauma to be fully seen and healed.
Rooted in her experience as a chaplain, Tina supports youth and adults across Ontario who are navigating the wounds of loss, trauma, and spiritual disconnection.
Grounded Voice isn’t just trauma-informed; it’s grief-focused, offering a place where healing isn’t rushed but allowed to unfold in its own time.
From Chaplaincy to Private Practice
Tina’s story is one of finding purpose in places others might see as broken.
For years, she worked alongside marginalized communities those who were underhoused, justice-involved, and navigating structural inequities.
Through this, Tina repeatedly saw the invisible weight of grief carried by those who had no room to process it.
Whether it was the loss of a loved one to overdose or the quieter grief of disrupted relationships and lost freedom, it became clear to Tina that grief was often buried beneath the layers of trauma, survival, and societal neglect.
This insight led to Grounded Voice Psychotherapy. Tina’s goal was simple: create a place where grief could be named and held with care.
A place where trauma could be understood, and where the human experience was never rushed or dismissed.
Over time, this small but mighty practice grew, slowly and intentionally, rooted in the belief that healing needs space and time and that’s exactly what she offers to her clients.
Balancing Purpose and Practicality
Building a business while working full-time in the justice system is no easy feat.
Tina has experienced firsthand the tension between providing deep, nuanced care for her clients while also managing the practicalities of running a business.
The work is emotionally and physically demanding, especially when it involves holding space for individuals navigating complex trauma and grief.
But Tina’s commitment to slow, intentional growth has allowed her to build Grounded Voice in the midst of these demands.
It’s not about growing fast but about creating sustainable rhythms, protecting her energy, and ensuring that the work remains rooted in purpose.
Her journey has been about balancing family, purpose, and self-care, all while navigating the often-overwhelming responsibility of offering trauma-informed care in a society that frequently overlooks the depth of these experiences.
Redefining Grief and Healing
Tina’s work is grounded in the power of Narrative Therapy, IFS, and EMDR, tools that allow her clients to shift their internal stories.
One powerful example comes from a client who arrived overwhelmed with grief that felt confusing and unexplainable.
After years of being told to “let it go,” they had internalized a sense of shame about their unresolved pain.
Through their work together, Tina created a space where grief could simply be witnessed and named.
It wasn’t about fixing the pain, but about making space for it and, in turn, the client began to shift from feeling broken to recognizing their capacity to endure, love, and heal.
This healing journey wasn’t polished; it was messy, slow, and real but it was powerful.
This story echoes Tina’s belief that grief is not weakness but a natural, human process that demands acknowledgment.
In her practice, grief is not something to “move on” from, it’s something to process, sit with, and allow to transform.
Challenges of Private Practice
While Tina’s practice is growing steadily, there are still hurdles to overcome, particularly in marketing and visibility.
As someone who values depth over speed, Tina finds it difficult to translate the complexity of her work into something that stands out in the crowded mental health landscape.
She spends time researching how to run a business but often feels stretched thin by the competing demands of family, full-time work, and private practice.
Despite these challenges, Tina has remained committed to intentional growth, focusing on the work that matters most and trusting that every small step is a step forward.
Her goal is not to race to success but to build something that aligns with her values and serves the people who need it most.
The Heart of the Journey
Tina’s journey as a therapist and entrepreneur has not been without its struggles.
From self-doubt to the demands of balancing family and work, Tina has had to trust herself and her work, even when uncertainty looms. In a moment of reflection, she shared a regret: waiting too long to trust that her approach — grounded in care, patience, and presence — was enough.
Her journey has been a reminder that healing, whether for herself or her clients, doesn’t have to be fast, perfect, or neatly packaged.
Grounded Voice Psychotherapy is about embracing complexity, holding space for grief, and providing a sanctuary for people to heal on their own terms.
Healing at Your Own Pace, The Grounded Voice Philosophy
The work Tina does is deeply meaningful and it’s not easy.
But the impact it has on her clients, and on her own life, is a testament to the importance of slowing down and truly sitting with grief and trauma.
Whether it’s through private practice or her work in the justice system, Tina believes that healing doesn’t have to be rushed, and neither does the journey to get there.
For Tina, the key to Grounded Voice’s success isn’t just in its services, but in its purpose.
Her practice isn’t about checking boxes or moving clients through a quick process.
It’s about giving people permission to feel, to heal, and to reclaim their voice without the pressure to be “over it” too soon.
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