Clara Whitman is a Clinical Social Worker from the Annapolis Valley who works with youth (14+), adults and couples. 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 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 incorporate mindfulness and self-acceptance, including Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Relational Psychodynamic Therapy, and Somatic Therapy. She also integrates elements of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Narrative Therapy.
With a particular specialization in trauma, Clara is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and has advanced training in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART). These evidence-based approaches use eye movements and bilateral stimulation to help individuals process distressing experiences, reduce symptoms of trauma and anxiety, and move toward healing and recovery. ART is designed to provide relief from trauma-related symptoms efficiently, often in a shorter number of sessions, while EMDR supports the brain’s natural capacity to process and integrate difficult experiences.
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.
Abuse
Anger Management
Anxiety/Panic
Attachment Issues
Burnout
Caregiver Stress
Coping Skills
Couples/Marital Issues
Family Conflict
Depression/Low Mood
Emotional Dysregulation
Grief & Loss
Identity (Gender and Otherwise
Interpersonal Communication Struggles
Intergenerational Trauma
Parenting & Child Development
Phobias
Relationship Issues
Self-Esteem
Separation/Divorce
Situational Stress
Traumatic Stress / PTSD /c-PTSD / Complex Trauma
Workplace Issues
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
Attachment-Based Therapy (ABT)
Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Narrative Therapy
Relational Psychodynamic Therapy
Somatic Therapy
Youth 14+
Adults 19+
Couples
Parents and Families
Indigenous community
Veterans
Canadian Armed Forces (CAF)
Developmental and Complex Trauma
Existing clients can book an appointment for therapy with Clara HERE.
New clients can book by contacting us HERE, calling 902-499-0089 or emailing admin@breathemindfulness.com.