Bella Staines, BA (she/her)

Bella was born in London, UK, and moved to Cape Town, South Africa, in 1995 at the age of three. She completed her schooling in Cape Town and graduated from Stellenbosch University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in the Humanities, majoring in Psychology, Philosophy, and Political Science.  In 2014, she pursued her passion for the culinary arts at The Private Hotel School in Stellenbosch, where she completed an Advanced Certificate in International Culinary Arts. She then spent nearly a decade working globally as a freelance private chef, caterer, and restaurant consultant, specializing in nutritional support for individuals with chronic and terminal illnesses—advocating for food as medicine. Following, she relocated to AZ in 2021 and completed her coursework at NAU in May 2025.

 

​​As a clinician-in-training, Bella brings a rich, multicultural perspective shaped by her diverse professional and personal experiences. She fosters a therapeutic space grounded in inclusivity, holistic wellness, and client-led collaboration. Her approach draws from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and neural-informed modalities—all within a person-centered framework.

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Bella is especially passionate about supporting individuals navigating life transitions, grief and loss, relational dynamics, and betrayal trauma. While she is Gottman Level 1 certified, she often draws on Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) in her work with couples and relational issues.

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Outside the therapy room, Bella is most at home in nature—hiking, wild swimming, paddle boarding, or skiing. She also enjoys reading, propagating plants, and serving in student leadership as an Assistant Hall Director at NAU.