Meet Nicole - Our Mind-Body Psychotherapist and Trauma Sensitive Yoga Instructor!
This interview was originally published in our May 2021 Newsletter.
You seem to be fairly involved, what other activities and practices are you a part of, and how does that affect your work as a psychotherapist?
I currently work full time in the Children and Youth Mental Health field working with folks 6-29 years old and their parents. In addition to working as a therapist, I work as a Yoga Facilitator with New Leaf, which provides trauma informed yoga and mindfulness to youth that are in spaces such as school and communities that are on low income. I also teach yoga at community centres and have partnered with different agencies to make yoga more accessible for their community such as working with Flemingdon Health Centre. I created a grass roots project called Beautiful Minds which provides free programming for youth 13-29 years old around art-based, yoga and mindfulness activities to promote mental health. I provide peer support at events for Reclaim Your Voice, that provides a free space for folks who are survivors and was a peer support for the Dandelion Initiative. At the core all of these programs and groups are around supporting people's mental health. As a psychotherapist I realize there are many ways people may need support, such as being part of a community, through movement or expressing one's self through art. I also bring in the learnings from each community and setting I am in, into my work as a psychotherapist.
Could you tell us a bit more about what sparked interest in the specific areas of mental health that you specialize in, such as trauma processing and the connection to the body, and how this is meaningful to you?
I've been connected to communities that support people with trauma and have also had my own experience, which led me to wanting to explore trauma in more detail. When we think of trauma it is something that many people may experience and there can be stigma associated with it that can isolate people or cause shame. There has been further research and studies around trauma and the ways that we process trauma including looking at the role our body plays. I wanted a better understanding of how people can have different responses and what can be supportive. I was already teaching yoga and heard that yoga was being used for depression and anxiety. I was curious about how it is translated to trauma work. I found a program that focused on this and was really amazed at how these core principles could be supportive for folks who have experienced trauma. I'm constantly learning about trauma and the body, as I feel it is a holistic view. The connection to the body is being talked about more and I think this is an important piece. As a result of trauma, people can feel like their choices were taken away or feel that their body is separate from them, and when we work with the body we can create a different environment that can support people in connecting to themselves. Reconnecting to your body, when it previously did not feel safe is one of the biggest reasons why I'm so passionate about this work.
Do you have any recommendations/words of wisdom to share with anyone who might be new to yoga?
I feel like we have moved away from some of the core elements of yoga. It has become more known for flexibility and accomplishing difficult forms, which can make it intimidating to start. Yoga is your connection to your body and can look however you want it to be, which could change every week. Take breaks, find modifications, explore different types and teachers to find what resonates with you and it's okay if your practice is short or may not look exactly like what the teacher is doing.