Accepting new clients

Heidi Erisman

Registered Psychologist R. Psych.| She/Her

At the heart of Heidi’s work is a simple belief: when we understand the story behind our struggles, we are better equipped to move forward with intention and purpose.

Heidi Erisman is a Registered Psychologist who works with young adults, adults, couples, and families. She provides counselling and psychological assessment services for individuals navigating anxiety, trauma, relationship challenges, life transitions, and emotional difficulties, as well as those seeking greater clarity and understanding of themselves.

Book with Heidi

What Therapy with Heidi Feels Like

Many people arrive in therapy feeling stuck. They may find themselves repeating the same relationship patterns, struggling with anxiety that seems difficult to explain, carrying the impact of painful experiences, or questioning why certain challenges continue to surface despite their best efforts.

Together, therapy becomes an opportunity to explore these patterns with curiosity and compassion, uncovering the experiences, beliefs, and relationships that have shaped them over time.

Her approach is relational, attachment-focused, and trauma-informed, and informed by careful assessment. She values balancing insight with practical strategies, helping clients develop both a deeper understanding of themselves and the tools needed to create change in everyday life.

Book with Heidi

A Bit More About Heidi

Therapy Superpower

Clients often describe Heidi as thoughtful, compassionate, and insightful. They appreciate her ability to help them make sense of complex emotions and relationship dynamics, including patterns that can be difficult to recognize or put into words. She brings curiosity and care to these conversations, helping clients feel understood while offering perspectives that support greater clarity, connection, and choice.

Guiding Values

Heidi’s work is guided by compassion, curiosity, respect, and collaboration. She values understanding each client within the context of their experiences, beliefs, culture, and relationships. She welcomes honest conversations and respects clients’ choices, goals, and pace. By pairing thoughtful exploration with practical support, Heidi helps clients build self-understanding and make changes that matter in their everyday lives.

Favourite Quote

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

– Viktor Frankl

Outside of Work

Outside of her work, Heidi enjoys painting portraits, travelling to experience fine art, and continuing to study psychology. She values time with her family and especially loves being a grandparent to her energetic grandsons.

Languages

English

Communities

•TBA

Area of Specialization

• Couples Counselling: Communication, Connection, and Relationship Repair

Fun Fact


Heidi also shares her life with a Dachshund, whose personalities provide a daily reminder that every individual brings their own unique story into the world.

Book Now

Works With

  • Adults

  • Older Adults

  • Couples

  • Families

  • 2SLGBTQIA+

  • BIPOC

  • First Resonders

Focus Areas

• Addictions, Compulsive Behaviours & Recovery
• Stress, Burnout & the Weight of Responsibility
• Couples, Intimacy & Sexual Well-Being
• Women’s Mental Health, Identity & Well-Being
• Trauma, Attachment Injuries & Life-Altering Experiences
• Men’s Mental Health & Life Challenges

Approach

  • Relational

  • Attachment-focused

  • Trauma-informed

  • Informed by careful assessment

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

  • Attachment-based therapies

  • Gottman Method principles

  • Evidence-based trauma treatments

  • Insight with practical strategies

Availability

  • Tuesdays & Thursdays

  • 11:00am – 6:00pm

  • Accepting NEW Counselling and Assessment Clients

Professional Summary

Heidi holds a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology from the Centre for Applied Psychology at Athabasca University, a Master of Business Administration, and an undergraduate degree in psychology. Her academic background brings together an understanding of human behaviour, relationships, and organizational life.

Throughout her career, Heidi has maintained a strong interest in how people grow, adapt, and heal across the lifespan. Clients describe her as thoughtful, compassionate, and insightful, valuing her ability to bring clarity to complex emotional experiences and relationship patterns.

Alongside counselling, Heidi provides comprehensive psychological assessments for adolescents and adults. Her assessment work explores diagnostic questions, personality functioning, ADHD, trauma-related concerns, and emotional well-being, offering individualized recommendations to guide treatment and support.

Book with Heidi

Heidi Supports Clients Experiencing

Addictions, Compulsive Behaviours and Impulse Control

• Alcohol Use Disorder

• Substance Use and Drug Use Concerns

• Gambling Addiction and Compulsive Gambling

• Internet, Social Media, and Video Game Use Concerns

• Pornography Use Concerns

• Sexual Compulsivity and Out-of-Control Sexual Behaviours

• Nicotine Use and Smoking or Vaping Cessation

• Co-Occurring Addiction and Mental Health Concerns (Dual Diagnosis)

• Cravings, Triggers, and Coping Skills

• Harm Reduction and Readiness for Change

• Abstinence and Recovery Support

• Relapse Prevention and Recovery Maintenance

• Shame and Stigma Related to Addiction

• Relationship Repair and Rebuilding Trust

• Boundaries, Daily Routines, and Lifestyle Changes in Recovery

Trauma, Grief, Stress, and Life Transitions

• Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• Emotional Abuse

• Sexual Abuse

• Domestic Abuse and Violence

• Dissociative Concerns

• Grief and Bereavement

• Adjustment Difficulties

• Life Transitions

• Stress and Burnout

• Workplace Stress and Burnout

• Career Counselling and Career Transitions

• Occupational Concerns

• Work-Life Balance

• Leadership and Professional Development

• Return-to-Work Planning

• Workplace Relationships and Conflict

Neurodiversity, Personality and Psychological Assessment

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

• Rejection Sensitivity / Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD)

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Including Previous Asperger’s Diagnoses

• Tourette Syndrome and Tic Disorders

• Neurodivergent Experiences

• Behavioural and Executive Functioning Concerns

• Personality Disorders, Including Clusters A, B, and C

• Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

• Emotion Regulation Difficulties Related to Personality Functioning

• Complex Presentations

• Diagnostic Clarification

• ADHD Assessment

• Trauma-Related Assessment

• Personality Functioning Assessment

• Emotional Well-Being and Diagnostic Assessment

• Gottman Connect Couples Assessment

• Assessment for Treatment Recommendations

Relationships, Identity and Life Transitions

• Couples Counselling and Couples Therapy

• Communication and Conflict Resolution

• Premarital Counselling

• Infidelity and Betrayal Recovery

• Intimacy and Sexuality Concerns

• Marriage and Relationship Challenges

• Divorce and Separation

• Family Conflict

• Parenting Concerns

• Cross-Cultural, Intercultural, and Interracial Relationships

• Interpersonal Difficulties

• Loneliness and Social Isolation

• Identity and Sense of Self Concerns

• Gender Identity and Expression

• 2SLGBTQIA+ Affirming Care

• Spirituality

• Personal Growth and Self-Discovery

Anxiety, Mood and Emotional Well-Being

• Anxiety Disorders

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

• Social Anxiety Disorder

• Panic Disorder

• Fears and Phobias

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

• Depression

• Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)

• Seasonal Depression (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

• Bipolar and Mood Disorders

• Emotion Regulation

• Anger Management

• Self-Esteem

• Self-Harm

• Suicidal Thoughts

• Suicide Prevention and Intervention

Health, Reproductive Mental Health, and Aging

• Women’s Mental Health and Related Concerns

• Men’s Mental Health and Related Concerns

• Pregnancy, Prenatal, and Postpartum Concerns

• Postpartum Depression

• Infertility and Adoption

• Eating Disorders

• Binge Eating Disorder

• Body Image Concerns

• Weight, Health, and Lifestyle Concerns

• Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness

• Sleep Difficulties and Insomnia

• Impulse Control Concerns

• Aging and Older Adult Mental Health

• Geriatric Counselling

Therapeutic Modalities

Heidi takes an integrative and individualized approach to therapy, recognizing that no single therapeutic model is the right fit for every person or situation.

Psychodynamic & Depth Approaches

  • Psychodynamic Therapy

  • Narrative Therapy

  • Compassion-Focused Therapy

Humanistic, Existential & Holistic Approaches

  • Person-Centred Therapy

  • Existential Therapy

  • Transpersonal Therapy

  • Positive Psychology

  • Strengths-Based Therapy

Trauma-Informed Practice

  • Trauma-Informed Care

  • Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT)

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

Culturally Responsive & Inclusive Practice

  • Multicultural & Culturally Sensitive Therapy

  • Feminist Therapy

  • Integrative Therapy

Additional Approaches

  • Reality Therapy

  • Forgiveness Therapy

  • Bibliotherapy

Cognitive & Behavioural Approaches

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

  • Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT)

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

  • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

  • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)

  • Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT)

  • Exposure Therapy

  •  Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP)

  • Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

  • Motivational Interviewing

Relational & Systemic Approaches

  • Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)

  • Gottman Method Couples Therapy

  • Attachment-Based Therapy

  • Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)

  • Family Systems Therapy

  • Relational Therapy

Book with Heidi

Credentials

Academic Background

  • Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology, Centre for Applied Psychology at Athabasca University

  • Masters of Business Administration

  • Undergraduate degree in psychology

Certifications & Trainings

  • Gottman Method Couples Therapy

  • Trauma Treatment

  • Couples Therapy — Hendricks Institute

  • Indigenous Awareness Certification

  • EMDR — Instructional Training

Continuing Professional Development

2025

  • Treating Trauma, Oxford Conference, Oxford, UK

The following courses were completed through AASECT-approved training providers as part of ongoing professional development toward certification in sex therapy:

  • Treating Low Desire in Men and Women

  • PLISSIT-R Model

  • Transitioning: Facing the Fear and Regret of De-Transitioning

  • Sexual Attitude Reassessment (SARS)

  • Navigating the Evolution of Sexual Desire

2024

  • Mindful Sex: Engaging Body & Mind to Help Your Clients

  • Ethics: The Interface of Ethics and Technology

  • Ethics: Child Touch in Psychotherapy

  • Ethics: Current Issues and Practical Responses

  • Oppositional, Defiant, and Disruptive Children and Adolescents: Non-Medication Approaches

  • Integrating Motivational Interviewing with CBT and DBT

2023

  •   Healing From Affairs: Moving Past the Trauma

  • Deliberate Practice for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Book with Heidi

What makes you “Authentically” you?

Lifelong Student of Human Behaviour, Relationships, and Personal Growth

Psychology was never a late discovery for me — it was an early one that life asked me to set aside for a time. When I was younger, I wanted to become a psychologist, but my path took a different turn. Facing divorce and co-parenting two young children, I made a deliberate choice: graduate school in business, a career that would provide stability and a good enough life for my family. I believed then that I wasn’t yet mature enough to offer what the work of psychology truly requires. So I waited, and I built, and I lived.

At 58, I decided the time had come. I returned to the aspiration I had carried quietly for decades, pursued my Master of Counselling Psychology, and achieved my goal as a registered psychologist in my 60’s. Practising psychology is not my second career so much as my original one — arrived at by a longer road, and with far more life experience than I could have brought to it earlier. I am grateful for that road. It informs everything I do.

Outside of the office, my greatest joy is spending time with my family and being a proud grandparent to my energetic grandsons. They keep me laughing, learning, and appreciating life’s simplest moments — whether that involves bedtime stories, building Lego creations, or making ridiculous sounds that leave us all in fits of laughter. I also share my home with Elsa, my beloved Miniature Dachshund, whose larger-than-life personality provides daily entertainment and a gentle reminder that neither people nor animals experience the world in exactly the same way.

I enjoy portrait painting, travelling to explore fine art, and continuing to learn about psychology. For many years I have studied Renaissance and Flemish painting techniques, and I remain fascinated by the patience required to build an image layer by layer while never losing sight of the whole composition. In many ways, I see a similar process unfold in therapy. Understanding, healing, and personal growth rarely happen all at once. They develop gradually — through curiosity, reflection, and the kind of connection that makes it safe to keep looking.

Book with Heidi