The Therapist + The Approach

Hello!

My name is Nicole Saltsman and I am a Registered Psychotherapist with CRPO. I have completed my Masters of Arts in Counselling Psychology with Yorkville University.  My primary goal is to support individuals in their journey towards healing, growth, and self-discovery. By fostering a collaborative and trusting therapeutic relationship, I aim to assist clients to step into their power to navigate life's challenges with resilience, courage, and self-compassion. 

I believe in the transformative power of compassion, empathy, and humor in the therapeutic process. Through a strengths-focused lens, I encourage individuals to recognize and build upon their inherent capabilities. My approach is centered on the idea that people possess an innate ability to help themselves, and my role is to provide guidance, support, and encouragement on their path to healing. 

With a profound belief in the inherent strength and resilience of each person, I specialize in supporting those who have experienced childhood trauma, intimate partner violence, gender-based violence, and are experiencing symptoms such as addiction, anxiety, depression, challenges with emotion regulation, distress tolerance, relationship issues, and low self-esteem. My therapeutic style is characterized by warmth, empathy, and a strengths-focused perspective, grounded in the principles of feminism and humanism. 

Using a holistic, intersectional approach you can expect us to explore multiple aspects of your life including your psychological, emotional, and physical well-being, past, present, and future, as well as your relationships with self, others, and the world at large. Together, we will establish goals that align with your values, beliefs, and desires moving you towards health, happiness, and a full life.

Professionally and personally, I know that engaging in therapy is hard. It is hard facing our fears and hurts; hard making necessary and sometimes painful changes; hard being honest and vulnerable with ourselves and having another person witnessing it all. 

However, in working with people who experience hardships due to many of Life’s greatest challenges, I have learned that healing together is better than suffering alone. Working collaboratively, in a compassionate, open, honest manner, assists with the discomfort of addressing our challenges. The results often make the hard work of self-transformation worthwhile.

Depression, fear, and anxiety are some of the most common and uncomfortable emotions that we can experience, and most people experience these at some point in their lives. Through counselling, we can help you explore your individual goals regarding motivation, perspective, and the joy you would like to experience in your life.

Many individuals can experience symptoms associated with painful and traumatic experiences. Anxiety, fear, and hopelessness are a few emotions that can linger after experiencing traumatic events. By working on the recovery process towards healing including safety, restructuring stories, and consolidating healing into your life, we can address the symptoms and impact they have on your life.

Individuals living with BPD struggle to understand and regulate their emotions. With knowledge comes self-efficacy, power, and self-actualization that allows you to have greater control over  your life and interactions with others. BPD treatment includes Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, focusing on presence, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal relationships.

Substance use is often accompanied by shame, guilt, feelings of isolation, and low self-worth. But engaging in substance use is a symptom of deeper issues and with a warm, compassionate approach individuals are able to achieve harm reduction or abstinence. 

Having to repeat  behaviours over and over again or experiencing intrusive, often scary thoughts can impede the joy and fulness of a life that you deserve. Worry, fear, and the need to control certain situations may significantly interfere with your relationships and daily routine. Exploring the relationship with these obsessive desires and intrusive thoughts assists the individual in understanding the significance of these behaviours and how to identify and implement healthier coping mechanisms that are more inline with living a full, meaningful life.

Women who have or are experiencing sexual assault and intimate partner violence may also experience simultaneous mental health challenges including, PTSD, anxiety, depression, substance use, suicidality, self-harm, internalized or externalized behaviours, as well as difficulties in other relationships including family members, work, school, and other community members. These experiences are isolating and alienating and with the support of a compassionate therapist, healing is possible.

Certificates In:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
• Narrative Therapy (NT)
• Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT)
• Self-Compassion 
• Suicide Awareness + Safety
• Group Facilitation
• Mindfulness 

Working Knowledge of:

• Trauma Informed Therapy
• Attachment Theory
• Lifespan Development
• Somatic Approaches
• Feminist Approach
• Compassion Focused Approach
• Mindfulness Approaches
• Coping, Calming, and Resiliency Skills Development