Jacqueline is the founder and director of Breathe Mindfulness Centre. As a Clinical Psychologist, she has had the privilege of offering assessment, counselling, workshops, therapeutic groups and wellness retreats within the Halifax Regional Municipality and across Nova Scotia for more than 30 years. She is a Past-President of the Association of Psychologists of Nova Scotia (APNS) and held a position as Wellness Ambassador for the Keltic Lodge at the Highlands, Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. Adding to her extensive experience with conventional evidence-based psychological treatments such as CBT, IFS and ACT, is her advanced certification in the areas of therapeutic mindfulness and self-compassion and trauma-informed yoga.
See Jacqueline’s Full Bio & Services Contact for Appointment
Dr. Michelle Tougas is a Registered Clinical Psychologist working with youth and young adults, 12-30 years old. She offers both counselling and assessment services. Michelle encourages her clients to build lives that emphasize caring for both the mind and the body. Her work focuses on striving toward value-based, mindful living.
Michelle aims to guide improvement in daily function and self-compassion for youth and young adults living with anxiety, Eating Disorders, emotional dysregulation, depression or low mood, interpersonal communication struggles, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), sleep disruption, and trauma. To best support her clients and reach desired outcomes, she draws from evidence-based therapeutic techniques, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), and Family-Based Therapy (FBT). Comprehensive psychological assessments are offered in the areas of learning, ADHD, OCD and Eating Disorders.
Clara Whitman is a Clinical Social Worker from the Annapolis Valley who works with youth (14+) and adults. With over a decade of experience in social work, she has been privileged to connect with clients of all ages and stages of life in her work with families and individuals. She has a particular affinity for working with those impacted by trauma, including traumatic stress, PTSD, c-PTSD, developmental and intergenerational trauma.
Clara draws from evidence-based therapies that include elements of mindfulness and self-acceptance, such as Emotionally Focussed Therapy (EFT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Relational Psychodynamic Therapy, and Somatic Therapy. She also integrates elements of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Narrative Therapy. Clara is further trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), an eye-movement therapy designed to offer relief from symptoms of trauma and anxiety in a shorter number of sessions.
Tessa Cosman is a Clinical Psychologist (Candidate Register) from the Annapolis Valley providing therapy and assessment services to adults 19+. Tessa practices a collaborative and client-centered approach, with an emphasis on supporting clients in meeting goals that are important to them.
Tessa provides support for clients managing anxiety, depression or low mood, phobias, emotion dysregulation, and stress. She practices the following evidenced-based modalities to meet the specific needs of each client: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).
Tessa values mindfulness and self-compassion as important skills and mindsets. She weaves both of these perspectives into her work with clients.
Tom discovered the world of meditation after struggling with his mental health in his 20s. At the time, Tom was living at 100 miles an hour and his body was begging for a break. It was only when he allowed his mind to rest through meditation that he realized this. He started using various Mindfulness Meditation apps such as Head Space and Waking up. The relief he experienced from doing a short meditation every morning was substantial and within a few weeks, he could clearly see the benefits becoming engrained in his everyday experience. Eager to get to the root of the practice, he signed up for a silent Insight Meditation retreat. He found this incredibly difficult and incredibly rewarding. The health benefits he experienced afterwards were too great to ignore and within a handful of months, Tom found myself on another silent retreat. These retreats became part of his yearly schedule and after every one, he became increasingly convinced that meditation is a powerful healing practice for physical and mental well-being.