Derrick Klaassen, a man with short light brown hair, glasses, and a beard, wearing a navy blazer and button-up shirt, poses in front of a plain light Grey background.

Derrick Klaassen, Ph.D., Psychologist

Associate Professor

Clinical Psychology

Vancouver

dklaassen@adler.edu (236) 521-2469

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OVERVIEW

For the past 15+ years, Dr. Klaassen has served as a core faculty member in professional psychology programs. He joined the Adler University (Vancouver) Clinical Psychology program in 2023, where he now teaches doctoral courses in the history and systems of psychology, research design, humanistic-existential psychotherapy, and grief counselling. He also provides clinical and research supervision to graduate students. Throughout his career, Dr. Klaassen has developed a particular scholarly and clinical expertise in existential psychology and psychotherapy, and he serves as a clinical trainer for Existential Analysis in Canada, the United States, and in Europe. Dr. Klaassen is a licensed psychologist in British Columbia and an active member of the Canadian Psychological Association. He serves as a peer reviewer for numerous journals and collaborates frequently with students and colleagues on professional publications and presentations. Dr. Klaassen maintains a private clinical practice with Dr. Janelle Kwee, where he focuses on psychotherapy, consultation and clinical supervision.

MEMBERSHIPS + ASSOCIATIONS

  • Canadian Psychological Association.
  • Existential Analysis Society of Canada, Affiliate of the International Society for Logotherapy and Existential Analysis.
  • International Society for Logotherapy and Existential Analysis.

Publications + Presentations

Publications

Existential Self-Care for Psychotherapists: A Person-Centred Framework of Wellness. In E. Maisel, D. Laird, & A. Cantu (Eds.), Existential Wellness: Human-Centered Approaches as Alternatives to the Medical Model.

2026 Ethics International Press Critical Psychology and Critical Psychiatry Series.
Author(s): Klaassen, D.W., Kwee, J. L., Freyvogel, S.

“I could have”: The lived experience of bereavement-related regret.

2025 Death Studies, 1–15.
Author(s): Yang, A. Y., Klaassen, D. W., & Wada, K.
Publication Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2025.2502987

Accompanying clients recovering from traumatic brain injuries: An existential-analytical approach.

2020 Existenzanalyse, 37(1), 4-15.
Author(s): Klaassen, D. W.

The question of meaning in clinical Practise: Viktor Frankl’s contribution to psychotherapy.

2019 BC Psychologist, 8(2), 14-17.
Author(s): Klaassen, D. W.

Phenomenology and depth in existential psychotherapy.

2019 Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 1-12.
Author(s): Längle, A., & Klaassen, D. W.

The spiritual lives of bereaved parents.

2015 Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 49, 79-95.
Author(s): Klaassen, D. W., Young, R., & James, S.

Presentations

Clinical and ethical decision-making in psychology.

2026 Presentation for the Edmonton Cross-Specialty Residency Consortium, February 18.
Author(s): Klaassen, D. W.

Psychotherapy and Love: Reflections on Profound Encounters.

2025 Invited Presentation for the Ukrainian Society for Existential Analysis, December 6.
Author(s): Klaassen, D. W.

Inner consent in clinical Practise: An experiential introduction to existential psychotherapy.

2025 Workshop for the Annual Convention of the Canadian Psychological
Association, June 13.
Author(s): Kwee, J. L, & Klaassen, D. W.

Existential meaning for psychologists and their clients.

2024 An Invited Address at the 77th Annual Ontario Psychological Association
Conference, November 28.
Author(s): Klaassen, D. W.

Existential meaning in clinical Practise.

2024 Workshop for the Annual Convention of the Canadian Psychological
Association, June 21.
Author(s): Klaassen, D. W., & Kwee, J. L.

All actual life is encounter: An existential-analytical therapy group.

2023 Workshop for the Third World Congress of Existential Therapy, May 5.
Author(s): Kwee, J. L., & Klaassen, D. W.