Art-based creative therapy integrates the use of art materials - such as painting, drawing, clay, mixed media, and photography - with psychotherapy to encourage self-expression, exploration, and personal insight. Unlike traditional talk therapy, it offers an action-oriented, tangible, and sensory-rich experience, allowing individuals to express what may be difficult to articulate with words. The emphasis is on the process of creating rather than the finished product. Art-based creative therapy has been shown to be especially effective for children, adolescents, and individuals who have not experienced sustained progress through traditional talk therapies.

CBT-I is an evidence-based therapy for chronic insomnia. It addresses unhelpful thoughts and behaviours that disrupt sleep using strategies like sleep restriction, stimulus control, and cognitive restructuring. Recommended as the first-line treatment, CBT-I helps improve sleep naturally without relying on medication.

Brainspotting is a powerful, focused therapy that helps you process and release emotional pain, trauma, and stress stored in the body. Developed by Dr. David Grand, it’s based on the idea that where you look affects how you feel. During a session, your therapist helps you find a specific eye position, or “brainspot”, connected to the emotion or experience you want to work through. By staying mindful of what arises, your brain naturally begins to heal and integrate what’s been held beneath the surface. Brainspotting can be especially helpful for trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, and performance blocks. Many people find it a gentle yet powerful way to access deep healing, often when traditional talk therapy hasn’t been enough.

Brief Solution-Focused Therapy is a goal-oriented, evidence-informed approach that helps clients identify practical solutions and build on their existing strengths. Rather than focusing extensively on past problems, BSFT emphasizes what’s working and how to create positive change moving forward. BSFT is effective for a variety of concerns, including: stress, anxiety, low mood, relationship and family challenges, behavioural issues in children and adolescents, goal setting, and life transitions.

CBT is an evidence-based, gold-standard treatment for many concerns, including anxiety and depression. It helps adolescents, teens, and adults understand the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and develop healthier ways of coping with distress. By learning to challenge unhelpful thought patterns, individuals build resilience and gain a more balanced perspective in difficult situations.

CPT is a gold-standard, evidence-based treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It has been proven effective for trauma related to child abuse, combat, sexual assault, and natural disasters. Endorsed by the U.S. Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, CPT is widely recognized as a best practice for PTSD treatment. Dr. Nagasawa contributed as a clinician to the CPT Sustainability Study (2019–2021), a collaboration between Toronto Metropolitan University and Stanford University funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research.

Complicated Grief Therapy is an evidence-based approach designed to help individuals process and adapt to the loss of a loved one. CGT supports clients in accepting the reality of their loss, managing intense grief reactions, and re-engaging with meaningful activities and life goals. It is specifically effective for individuals experiencing Prolonged Grief Disorder (also known as complicated grief), persistent depressive symptoms related to loss, and trauma-related grief reactions.

DBT is an evidence-based treatment proven effective for challenges such as impulse control, emotional instability, interpersonal difficulties, self-harm, suicidality, and anger. DBT is the gold standard treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) but has also been found to be effective with a range of difficulties relating to difficulties with mood regulation. DBT helps individuals build practical skills in four key areas: • Mindfulness – staying present and aware without judgment • Distress Tolerance – coping with intense situations that can’t be changed • Emotion Regulation – managing emotions so they don’t overwhelm thoughts and actions • Interpersonal Effectiveness – improving communication, setting boundaries, and maintaining self-respect in relationships Dr. Nagasawa provides ongoing DBT training, supervision, and consultation. Since 2016, she has trained numerous community providers, including CMHA (formerly NMHSS), West Nipissing General Hospital (Alliance Centre), North Bay Regional Health Centre Acute Inpatient Psychiatry Unit, Eating Disorder Clinic Mental Health Clinic, Nipissing Detoxification Program, Hands – The Family Help Network, Nipissing University Student Counselling Centre, and North Bay Recovery Home.

Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy is an attachment-focused family therapy approach to support children who have experienced developmental trauma. Using the PACE model (Playful, Accepting, Curious, and Empathic). DDP creates a secure therapeutic environment where the therapist, child, and caregivers can build trust and a coherent personal narrative. DDP combines individual caregiver sessions with joint sessions to foster emotional co-regulation, develop secure attachment, and help children process trauma. It is commonly used to address developmental trauma, attachment difficulties, behavioural challenges, emotional dysregulation, anxiety, and difficulties forming or maintaining healthy relationships.

EFT is an evidence-based, humanistic approach that helps clients understand, express, and transform emotions to support lasting change and well-being. Through guided interventions, clients build emotional awareness, learn to regulate difficult emotions, and foster healthier, more secure relationships. EFT is effective for low mood, anxiety, relationship difficulties, grief, eating disorders and other challenges involving emotional processing.

ERP is a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy technique that is the gold-standard treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It helps individuals gradually face anxiety-provoking triggers while resisting compulsive behaviours. Over time, ERP reduces distress, breaks the cycle of obsessions and compulsions, and builds confidence in managing feared situations.

EMDR is an evidence-based psychotherapy designed to help individuals process and heal from distressing memories, particularly those related to trauma. During EMDR, the therapist guides the client to focus on a troubling memory while simultaneously attending to a back-and-forth visual, auditory, or tactile stimulus. This process helps reduce the emotional intensity of the memory. EMDR is well-studied and effective for PTSD and other trauma-related conditions, often providing a faster path to healing.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a gentle, compassionate approach to therapy that helps you understand and heal the different “parts” of yourself. Developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, IFS is based on the idea that we all have many inner parts, each with its own feelings, beliefs, and roles—and that at our core, we also have a Self that is calm, wise, and capable of healing. Through IFS, you’ll learn to listen to and care for your inner parts with curiosity and compassion, rather than judgment. This process helps reduce inner conflict, ease emotional pain, and restore balance and self-leadership in your life. IFS can be especially helpful for trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, and self-esteem issues. It offers a path toward greater self-understanding, inner harmony, and lasting personal growth.

Mindfulness helps cultivate calm, focus, and resilience by bringing attention to the present moment with openness and without judgment. Compassion-based practices support emotional healing by encouraging kindness and connection, even in the face of difficult emotions. Together, mindfulness and compassion foster balance, clarity, and a more caring relationship with oneself and others.

Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative approach that helps individuals explore ambivalence, strengthen motivation, and move toward positive change. Often used at the start of therapy—and revisited as needed—it supports progress by reducing barriers, fostering open dialogue, and encouraging change through compassionate, client-centered conversation. MI is commonly used to support individuals with substance use disorders, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and other behaviours where motivation or ambivalence may interfere with treatment.

Dr. Nagasawa has completed over 500 hours of supervised Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT) and earned certification from the Michener Institute of Education at UHN’s Foundations of Psychedelic Psychotherapy Program. Bay Psychology partners with Atma Cena, a Canadian mental health organization specializing in consultation and training for clinicians certified in PAT. PAT integrates medicine and psychotherapy to help individuals address complex mental health challenges. Delivered by a multidisciplinary team in a safe and supportive setting, each program includes personalized screening, preparation, medicine sessions, and integration to ensure therapeutic insights are effectively applied in daily life. Potential Benefits While research is still emerging, studies suggest psychedelic therapy may help those who haven’t responded to traditional treatments. Reported benefits include: Emotional healing: Facilitates release from rigid thought patterns and supports trauma processing from new perspectives. Enhanced neuroplasticity: Compounds like ketamine may promote brain changes that increase psychological flexibility. Transformative experiences: Many report profound feelings of connection and transcendence that support lasting growth.

SFBT is a short-term, goal-oriented approach that emphasizes present solutions and future goals rather than past problems. Typically lasting 5–8 sessions, it helps clients identify strengths and build on what’s already working. Techniques include exception questions (e.g., “When was the problem not present?”) and scaling questions to track progress. Core Principles - Future-oriented: Focuses on desired outcomes rather than past issues. - Strengths-based: Builds on existing abilities and resources. - Collaborative: You are the expert in your own life; solutions are co-created through guided dialogue. - Concise: Designed for practical, efficient change within a brief timeframe.

TF-CBT is a short-term, evidence-based therapy for children, teens, and families impacted by trauma. It supports coping with trauma-related symptoms, processing painful experiences, and restoring a sense of safety and control.