Are you running on empty, overthinking every decision, or stuck in patterns you can't break?

​You don't need to have it all figured out to start.

I'm Dr. Natsumi Sawada, a doctoral-level registered psychologist with a PhD from McGill University and 17 years of experience. My training goes beyond talk therapy.

This work is about learning to trust yourself, feel grounded and safe in your own skin, and reconnect with what you feel and who you truly are. I've helped anxious, overwhelmed clients move past simply "managing symptoms" to come home to themselves.

Whether you've been struggling for weeks or years, I can help.

Approach

I know that choosing a psychologist is not easy. You can trust that I am committed to the highest standard of care. I am well versed in evidence -based treatments such as  mindfulness-based therapies, emotion focused experiential therapies, and cognitive behavioural therapies. This means we can draw from a versatile toolbox of strategies to tailor our therapy to what works best  for you and gets you the experience and results you want. 

Expertise

 I have received the highest level of training and education for a psychologist with a PhD in Clinical Psychology from McGill University, a clinical postdoctoral fellowship, and over 17 years of experience providing therapy in private, hospital, and research settings. I currently specialize in working with people experiencing difficulties related to anxiety stress, and burnout, mood and motivation, food/eating, and relationships and life transitions. I continually develop my expertise through ongoing training and consulting with other experts in my field.​

Comfort & Accessibility

 I offer online therapy to residents of Calgary, Edmonton, and the rest of Alberta; Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, and the rest of Ontario; New Brunswick; and Nova Scotia. This allows you to attend therapy from the comfort of your home. Online booking and payment and appointment reminders are available.

Approach

Effective therapy is rooted in a caring relationship where you feel safe and understood. My first priority will always be to nurture and respect our relationship while we work towards your goals. 

Practically speaking you can also expect that we will:
  • Define your goals and what you want from therapy
  • Help you understand the issues you're dealing with and develop a clearer and more compassionate understanding of the situation and your history, patterns, and yourself
  • Develop a plan to help you move towards your goals
  • Execute our plan by:
    • Accessing my expertise in psychology 
    • Helping you tap into your inner wisdom, skills, and resources
    • Ensuring you feel supported as you develop new insights and learn, grow, and make meaningful and transformative change
  • Evaluate our progress and refine our plan as needed​

I integrate empirically-supported mindfulness-based therapies, emotion-focused experiential therapies, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapies (CBT) that draw on the resources of both the mind and body.

​Expertise

I'm a PhD-level psychologist trained at McGill University. I have post-doctoral training through the DBT Centre and Simon Fraser University. 

I have worked in hospital and private practice settings and on research studies with individuals with a wide range of difficulties for over 17 years. I continually update and develop my expertise through continued education and consultation. 

My expertise is in mindfulness-based therapies, emotion-focused experiential therapies, and CBT. I have training in Mindful Self Compassion, Hakomi, Motivational Interviewing, Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), and Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) and I draw from these therapies in my work. I am a mindfulness meditation and trauma-informed yoga teacher.

I specialize in helping people with:
  • Anxiety, worry, negative thinking
  • Stress management
  • Low mood and motivation
  • Clarifying values, goals, and direction
  • Challenges with life transitions
  • Difficulty managing emotions
  • Family and relationship difficulties 
  • Work related challenges and stress
  • ​​​Low self esteem and self confidence and self criticism
Dr. Natsumi Sawada, Psychologist
​MindBright Psychology
Online therapy and Consulting
Alberta - Ontario - New Brunswick - Nova Scotia