Meet our Team

Barb Bergman

Psychotherapist MACP, CCC, BAH, BA (double major)
Founder and owner of Phoenix Psychotherapy.

Qualifications

Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology (MACP) Yorkville University.
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology (BAH) University of Winnipeg
Bachelor of Arts in Criminology, University of Manitoba

Additional Credentials

Psychotherapist and Certified Professional Member (CCC) 10005622
Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA).

Certificates

Mental health first aid
Sleep problems and CBT for insomnia
Treating traumatized children and adults
Suicide prevention

Experience

Experience in various sectors and settings over the years has been helpful and has increased my self-awareness personally and professionally (e.g., crisis and frontline trauma work, vulnerable and displaced populations, residential school survivors, mental health/mobility (dis)abilities, youth, cognitive needs, and older Canadians).

I founded Information and Resources for Older Canadians to help make additional supports, educational information, and resources available for older adults facing everyday life experiences, stress, anxiety, and loneliness. My experience as a committee member and run co-organizer with the Terry Fox Foundation has been invaluable and exciting. I value the time and experiences of frontline work as a counsellor/psychotherapist with Siloam Mission. Some specific areas of experience include crisis work, frontline trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), stress and anxiety reduction, emotion regulation, panic attacks and disorder, persons of varying (dis)abilities (e.g. cognitive, learning, mental health, emotional, mobility, and others), individuals with acute or chronic illness (e.g. cancer), chemical (drug, alcohol), and gambling addictions, abuse, depression, bipolar disorder, anger management, self-esteem, grief/loss, sleep problems, issues surrounding older populations (e.g. loneliness), life transitions, residential school survivors, and suicide.

This knowledge and experience allowed for more personal/professional growth. I feel it has helped enhance my abilities and understanding when working with clients. I believe it is important to consider all aspects of an individual's life and situation as everyone has their own narrative. I am here to help you navigate life's challenges. I strongly believe people are resilient. Everyone has a story which affects their life differently. I feel its important for everyone to be heard.

My Approach

My aim is to provide an environment in which all individuals can share freely while feeling safe, secure, and comfortable. Therapy is tailored to the individual and situation. Understanding a client's story is central. I utilize one or integrate several approaches adapting therapy accordingly and based on client needs. Some methods used include; Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) (CBT-I), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (TF-CBT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive therapy (MBCT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Person-Centered, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Solution-Focused, Humanistic, Emotion-Focused, Talk Therapy, Sleep Disorder Therapy, Narrative, Psychodynamic, and Multicultural Therapy. Some couple and family methods include transgenerational, experiential, behavioural, cognitive-behavioural, structural, strategic, social construction, population-based, evidence-based, and psychodynamic. I feel it is important to work collaboratively with clients on formulating goals and treatment. Framing goals and treatment together with clients helps to direct the course of therapy and assists them with moving towards their chosen goals.

Phoenix Psychotherapy follows CCPA and American Psychological Associations (APA) guidelines and standards of practice.

Client Focus

• Inclusive to all genders, ages, and multicultural backgrounds.
• Children
• Youth
• Adults
• Older adult populations