Annette Sawatzky

I hold a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), am a Registered Social Worker (RSW), and earned a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Clinical Counselling. My graduate training included more than 600 supervised clinical counselling hours and two intensive clinical residencies in the United States. I am currently completing my PhD in Psychology, with research focused on Indigenous Ways of Knowing and culturally informed approaches to wellness and healing.

At the foundation of my approach is the belief that every individual possesses inherent worth. I guide youth (12+), adults, and couples to explore the patterns, beliefs, and coping strategies that may be affecting their relationships, work, mood, or sense of self. Through practical psychoeducation and evidence-based approaches including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), clients come to better understand how the brain responds to stress and adversity, recognizing that many behaviours began as survival strategies. Understanding these patterns is often the first step toward rewiring them and creating more flexible and empowered responses to life's challenges.

My areas of practice include adolescent mental health, young adult transitions, men's mental health, indigenous mental health and wellness, ADHD and neurodiversity, addiction and unhealthy coping patterns, trauma, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, and relationship concerns.