Jacqueline is the founder and director of Breathe Mindfulness Centre. As a Clinical Psychologist, she has had the privilege of offering assessment, counselling, and other psychological services to her community within the Halifax Regional Municipality for more than 29 years. She is a Past-President of the Association of Psychologists of Nova Scotia (APNS) and is the Wellness Ambassador for the Keltic Lodge at the Highlands, Cape Breton NS. During her career, she has taught university psychology courses and provided interviews and articles for local and national television, newspapers, and magazines – including CTV and ATV News, Today’s Parent magazine, Chatelaine magazine and Parent-Child Guide.
Given the mounting scientific evidence regarding the therapeutic benefits of contemplative principles and practices on emotional and mental wellbeing, Jacqueline has undergone extensive personal and professional training in the areas of mindfulness, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, mindful eating, and mindful self-compassion – resulting in being amongst the very few in the Atlantic provinces to obtain certification in these areas. She is also an RYT200 Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher. Her study and training in these areas has ultimately deepened her understanding of the relationship between mind, body and spirit on individual happiness and overall wellness, allowing her to offer a tailored holistic approach to those she serves.
Since the inception of Breathe Mindfulness Centre in 2015, Jacqueline has expanded her offerings to include providing mindfulness, self-compassion, yoga and other wellness-based workshops, classes, retreats and programs to the public and to a variety of organizations across Nova Scotia, including but not limited to: the Government of Nova Scotia, the RCMP, Veteran’s Affairs Canada, Bide Awhile Animal Shelter, IWK and NS Health Authority, Keltic Lodge at the Highlands, Dalhousie Medical Response Team and the CNIB Foundation.
Although Jacqueline has been taught by some of the originators of Western mindfulness and self-compassion-based therapies including Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, Dr. Zindel Segal and Dr. Christopher Germer, her greatest inspiration and learning have come from her own personal practice of mindfulness, self-compassion and yoga. Her practice in these areas continues to positively transform her relationship with herself, others and the world. Her daily practise of mindfulness reinforces her intention to offer this extraordinary opportunity to others.
Dr. Michelle Tougas is a Registered Clinical Psychologist who works with youth and young adults, 12-30 years old. Michelle encourages her clients to build lives that emphasize caring for the mind and 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 with Anxiety, Eating Disorders, Emotion Dysregulation, Depression/Low Mood, Interpersonal Communication Struggles, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Sleep Disruption, and Trauma. To support her clients and reach desired outcomes she draws from evidence-based therapeutic modalities, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), and Family-Based Therapy (FBT).
In addition to counselling and therapy, Michelle provides ADHD, Psycho-educational (Learning), OCD and Eating Disorder assessments for youth and young adults. With a focus on harnessing strengths, these comprehensive assessments are intended to gain personalized understanding and valuable insights into the unique challenges individuals face to develop meaningful strategies and effective interventions which foster academic success, a more engaged life and greater emotional well-being.
Michelle’s favourite sound is the rustling leaves on a windy day. Her calm place is down by the river, wrapped up in a cool breeze surrounded by forest. She enjoys crunchy foods and loves the smell of supper cooking.
Wanda is a highly experienced and trained Clinical Social Worker who has worked over 30 years in mental health and addictions, family focused settings and medical social work. She specializes in a range of adult and family concerns that impact the quality of your life and general wellbeing such as relationship distress, grief and loss, depression, anxiety, medical illness, substance use and addictions, end-of-life planning, trauma, caregiver burnout and stress. Wanda brings her experienced, solution-focused perspective to assist couples in navigating the many challenges often faced. She strives to always take a client-centered approach, aiming to understand who you are as a person and the difficulties you are facing today to offer compassionate guidance that is tailored to your unique needs for present healing, growth, and wellbeing.
Wanda is trained in and draws from several evidence-based therapeutic approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing, Harm Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Strategies.
She was first introduced to mindfulness strategies while treating clients in mental health and developed her specific practice in Mexico. Some of her favourite practitioners are Thich Nhat Hahn, Tara Brach, Jack Kornfield and our very own Pema Chodron at Gampo Abby in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. She is most mindful while walking her dogs or biking on the Harvest Trail and one of her favourite practices is “touching the earth” where she feels “big and small” at the same time!
Jamie Maher, MSW, RSW, She/TheyJamie is a queer, Indigenous therapist and registered social worker offering therapy that is compassionate, queer affirming, anti-racist, sex positive, body neutral, feminist, and trauma informed. Jamie works with youth (16+) and adults addressing a range of concerns including depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and intergenerational trauma. She is experienced in providing affirming support to those who are exploring gender and/or sexuality. Her treatment approach draws from evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and Narrative Therapy.
Clients have described Jamie as warm, caring, empathic, supportive, funny and curious. Her warm sense of humour makes therapy less intimidating and her ability to integrate an awareness of mindfulness, mental health, addictions, and harm reduction strategies through both formal and informal, lived experience facilitates her ability to hold space for her client’s needs.
Clara Whitman, MSW, RSW, She/HerClara 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 comes from a family of scientists which has fueled her curiosity to understand not only not just how therapy is delivered, but why and how it works. Her perpetual critical thinking inspires her to pursue ongoing learning, not just from clinical practice trainers, but from some of the top researchers in developmental science, attachment, and neuropsychology. It is through this mindset of curiosity and critical thinking in which Clara approaches the specific struggles and goals her clients bring to sessions and develops tailored approaches to work with each that blend the best-fit ideas and tools from multiple therapeutic modalities.
In practice, 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.
Clara views mindfulness practices as unique in their power to intentionally interrupt our nervous system’s default feedback loops, creating pauses in the mind’s continuous assignments of meaning to what it senses. Within these pauses exists the possibility to take conscious control over the meaning we connect to events, people, self, and the actions we choose to take.
Caitlin Stewart, BA, She/TheyBorn and raised in the Annapolis Valley, Caitlin graduated from Acadia University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Psychology. She completed part of her undergraduate degree at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Managing the administrative side of the Centre, Caitlin strives to make the centre’s first point of contact a welcoming and safe experience. Her compassion and kindness reflect her years of customer service experience, which facilitates putting those who reach out to Breathe Mindfulness Centre at ease. Caitlin’s ability to deeply listen and offer suggestions regarding the suitability of services or events is a genuine asset to the Centre.
A big fan of the East Coast, Caitlin loves spending time in nature, exploring the many beaches of Nova Scotia, and adventuring with her rescue dog. She embodies the values of the Centre with mindfulness, self-care, and self-compassion being at the forefront of her own personal everyday practice.
Andrea Ennis MSc, She/HerAndrea is a Registered Clinical Psychologist and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Trained-Teacher, and co-owner of Dartmouth Psychological Services. Through over 20-years of personal yoga and meditation practice, Andrea has experienced and recognized the many benefits of mindfulness. As a person that lives with chronic pain, the MBSR program was transformative in changing her relationship to body and mind and in cultivating greater physical and emotional wellbeing. Her desire to share the benefits of mindfulness with others led her to pursue professional mindfulness-based training and to incorporate mindfulness as an integral part of her clinical approach (you can read more about her clinical psychology practice here: dartmouthpsychological.ca/our-team). She is thrilled to join Breathe Mindfulness Centre as a guest teacher; she currently runs MBSR group programs in the Dartmouth location.
I discovered the world of meditation after I became unwell in my 20s. At the time, I was living at 100 miles an hour and my body was begging for a break. It was only when I allowed my mind to rest through meditation that I realized this. I started by using various Mindfulness Meditation apps such as Head Space and Waking up. The relief I experienced from doing a short meditation every morning was substantial and after a few weeks, I could see the benefits becoming engrained in my everyday experience. Eager to get to the root of the practice, I signed up for a silent Insight Meditation retreat. I found this incredibly difficult and incredibly rewarding. The health benefits I experienced afterwards were too great to ignore and within a handful of months I found myself on another silent retreat. These retreats became part of my yearly schedule and after every one, I became increasingly convinced that meditation is a powerful healing practice for physical and mental well-being.
I discovered Jon Kabat Zinn’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course when speaking to a friend of mine about meditation and health care. At the time I was only vaguely aware of Mindfulness Meditation being used to treat patients in the healthcare system. After investigating more about the 8-week MBSR course, I was keen to sign up for one. On completion I thought it was brilliant. It took Mindfulness Meditation and crafted it into a structured, accessible course that was relatable for many. My experiences with mindfulness meditation, and specifically the MBSR course, lead me to pursue and obtain certification from Mindfulness UK to teach the 8-Week MBSR course. Teaching the MBSR course in the UK has been incredibly rewarding for me as is sharing Mindfulness Meditation with others. I am looking forward to continuing teaching in Nova Scotia, helping people realize that whatever they are dealing with has the potential to be transformed into something bearable, workable and perhaps, surprisingly positive.