When people read therapist bios, it is all about our credentials, areas of expertise, and other professional information. Don’t get me wrong, this is essential information to have. However, as therapy is all about the fit and relationship between the person and their therapist, personality match is important too. For that reason, our clinicians who are offering the best psychological services in Calgary and mental health counselling in Airdrie wanted to give you a more lighthearted look into our personalities and interests.
The Sana Psychological team consists of a number of diverse, skilled clinicians from different backgrounds, interest areas, and personalities. We aim to be able to support a wide array of different children, youth and families when offering the best psychological services Calgary and mental health counselling Airdrie. We offer mental health counselling in a number of areas, including anxiety, OCD, trauma, grief, chronic pain and illness, health trauma, depression/mood, anger and relationships. We also offer specialized support in addiction recovery counselling for those who feel plagued by their relationship with substances and/or problem behaviours.
Best Psychological Services Calgary: Therapist Introductions
Our viewers submitted questions and our therapists took the time to answer them. Enjoy getting to know a bit more about each of us!
Jasleen Bhatoa (Trauma Counselling Calgary & Addiction Counselling Calgary): Jasleen has only lived in Calgary for a few years and, before that, was living in Toronto for many years where she pursued a job in finance only to realize that was not her calling. We’re so glad she found her best fit job as a therapist as Jasleen is a lovely, kind, calm, and compassionate therapist who is always learning and expanding her knowledge base to serve people. Here is what Jasleen had to say about herself:
Q: What career or job did you want to have when you were a kid?
Jasleen: I wanted to be a doctor. Period. There was a lot of family influence in this direction but through personal experience and reflection, I came to embrace psychology.
Q: What is your idea of an ideal day?
Jasleen: My ideal day would include feeling fulfilled with what I do, overcoming daily challenges, eating what I love, having moments to relax by myself, and spending time with loved ones – a balanced day. I support clients with this too when providing trauma counselling Calgary and addiction counselling Calgary.
Q: What is your greatest fear?
Jasleen: Feeling disconnected from loved ones. I value my family and always want to feel close and connected to them. Even if some of them are long distance, I appreciate that sense of closeness.
Q: What are your favorite shows to watch?
Jasleen: The Office and House. (We are learning that The Office is a staple for our Sana Psychological clinicians! The dry, loving humour must fill us up in a special way and allow us to offer the best psychological services Calgary just as they offered the best paper services in Scranton!).
Q: Would you rather be able to fly or read people’s minds?
Jasleen: I would rather read people’s minds for sure! This would be very helpful in the work I do with clients. It would also offer an even gentler way to provide trauma counselling Calgary.
Q: What’s one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
Jasleen: I can speak four languages! This allows me to offer trauma counselling, anxiety counselling Calgary and addiction counselling Calgary in English, Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi which increases accessibility.
Megan Hanrahan (Anxiety Counselling Calgary & OCD Counselling Calgary): Megan loves connecting with her family and enjoying fun activities outside of work. These help keep her grounded and able to bring her best self to her work with clients. Here is a bit more about Megan:
Q: What career or job did you want to have when you were a kid?
Megan: I wanted to be a grocery store cashier! I had a toy cash register and loved to scan my family’s “groceries” when I was a kid. How fun!
Q: What is your idea of an ideal day?
Megan: My ideal day would involve lots of relaxation and a bit of indulgence. It might involve sleeping in, having a coffee out on my back deck, going to the spa, and then going out for a delicious meal (I’m a big foodie).
Q: What is your greatest fear?
Megan: Public speaking! No matter how much I practice, I just hate it! (We may not see any workshops or public speaking engagements from Megan in the future because of this, but she has been challenging herself to do more social media videos for our Instagram page and sharing some tips and knowledge about her areas of anxiety counselling Calgary and OCD counselling Calgary. We are so grateful for her openness with this).
Q: What are your favorite shows to watch?
Megan: I love TV shows. If I’m feeling like watching something comforting, Friends is always a go-to. More recently, I’ve been watching Jack Ryan (this show keeps me on my toes) and Abbott Elementary (so funny!). It reminds me of The Office but at an elementary school.
Q: Would you rather be able to fly or read people’s minds?
Megan: Definitely I would want to be able to fly. Most of the time I’d rather not know exactly what people are thinking, especially outside of the counselling office.
Q: What’s one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
Megan: I have recently gotten into playing video games. My partner is a big gamer and has introduced me to Red Dead Redemption 2 which I can’t stop playing!
Meghan Nimmo (Chronic Pain Counselling Calgary, Couples Counselling Calgary): Meghan has a passion for supporting people living with chronic health issues after her own journey with this earlier in life. She brings a love of media into her sessions and uses metaphors all of the time to help people understand themselves and their experiences in a different way. Let’s hear her answers to the following questions:
Q: What career or job did you want to have when you were a kid?
Meghan: I had many! Everything from firefighter to actress were on there before I started to refine my interest in helping others. I started out as a behavioural aide, went into social work, and then pursued my career in psychology. My personal experiences ignited a specialized passion for chronic pain counselling Calgary and working with those experiencing or who have experienced health trauma.
Q: What is your idea of an ideal day?
Meghan: My ideal day would occur In warm weather (that isn’t too hot like we had last summer). I would spend some time reading and then with my family with yummy food and a relaxing evening watching a good movie.
Q: What are your favorite shows to watch?
Meghan: I love watching shows and movies and incorporating these into chronic pain counselling and couples counselling sessions. I’m a huge fan of ‘Harry Potter’ and really enjoyed the movie ‘Inside Out 2.’
Q: What is your greatest fear?
Meghan: Losing my loved ones is my biggest fear. I am also NOT a fan of mice. Ew!
Q: Would you rather be able to fly or read people’s minds?
Meghan: Fly! You save so much on travel!
Q: What’s one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
Meghan: I don’t really know how to swim but I love being in the water (we’ll let you think about that one).
Tamara Kreptul (Chronic Pain Counselling Calgary, Anxiety Counselling Calgary, Addiction Counselling Calgary): Tamara brings a longstanding passion for healthcare to Sana Psychological as she is still an active nurse who wanted to broaden her scope and incorporate mental and psychological wellness into her purview. Before exploring counselling she also became a certified coach. Her passion for holistic wellness shows.
Q: What career or job did you want to have when you were a kid?
Tamara: I wanted to be everything! I felt like there was something interesting and fun with almost any kind of job. Thinking back, the most common thread was working with and helping people, especially kids.
Q: What is your idea of an ideal day?
Tamara: There are so many options and it all depends on my mood, the weather, and who I’m with. At least part of the day would be spent outside with my dogs in the mountains or at the beach. Hanging out with friends and family, especially the littles (nieces and nephews) in my world would be a must as well. I would also add good food and lots of laughing into my ideal day!
Q: What is your greatest fear?
Tamara: Causing another person or animal pain, the idea of this breaks my heart. I want to only help others, which has led me to be passionate about chronic pain counselling, anxiety counselling, addiction counselling Calgary and mental health in general.
Q: What are your favorite shows to watch?
Tamara: Anything except for horror shows or movies.
Q: Would you rather be able to fly or read people’s minds?
Tamara: I would rather fly. I don’t love heights, but I could see the world from a completely different perspective and go anywhere, whenever I’d like. I could visit friends and family, fly over the mountains, walk where nobody has ever stepped foot, or go to the beach for some time in the sun! How nice does that sound?
Q: What’s one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
Tamara: I was a professional Ukrainian dancer (I’ve known Tamara for over 15 years and that was a surprise to me!).
Jennifer Turner (Mental Health Counselling Airdrie): Jenn brings a background in teaching to the Sana Psychological team. She lives on a rural property north of Airdrie which was the inspiration for opening a second location north of Calgary. Jenn brings tremendous passion for mental health counselling and has focused interest in trauma, ADHD, addiction, and grief. Here are Jenn’s answers to the questions:
Q: What career or job did you want to have when you were a kid?
Jenn: As a kid – Oh man – there were so many things I wanted to do. Originally, I’m sure like most young girls, I wanted to be a veterinarian, but then realized that there are a lot of sad aspects about the job. Then, when I was 13 or 14 years old, I wanted to be a psychologist – I really liked the idea of helping people. Then in my late 20s – after having overcome my own addiction problems, I decided to go into teaching. That was an amazing position, but I still felt as though something was missing – So, I went back to school and got my master’s in counselling psychology, and the dream of being a psychologist was reborn. I’m so excited to be able to offer mental health counselling Airdrie support.
Q: What is your idea of an ideal day?
Jenn: My idea of an ideal day is a beautiful sunny day, snuggling up with my sheep and a good book.
Q: What is your greatest fear?
Jenn: My greatest fear is having regret. The thought of living with “I wish I would have” for the rest of my life, I think, would be one of the most painful experiences. That and small holes – I hate small holes!
Q: What are your favorite shows to watch?
Jenn: I don’t watch too much TV, however, I do enjoy the odd ghost hunting show, and true crime docu-series. Those, along with Shaun the Sheep, are probably my favourites (Notice the sheep theme. Jenn loves sheep and has many on her property!).
Q: Would you rather be able to fly or read people’s minds?
Jenn: I think I would rather fly for the simple fact that being able to read somebody’s mind could be very troubling. I don’t think I would like to know exactly what anyone is thinking. Once you are aware, you cannot be unaware! I enjoy hearing people’s honest sharing when offering mental health counselling Airdrie, I don’t think I need to delve deeper than that!
Q: What’s one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
Jenn: I think the biggest thing is that I am a born and raised city girl who, once adopting several farm animals at 39-years-old, had to learn to own and operate a small farm all on her own. I’ve really loved building and fixing things and just being around animals.
Jennifer Thomson (Calgary Couples Counselling & Trauma Counselling Calgary)
Q: What career or job did you want to have when you were a kid?
Jen: When I was really young, I probably wanted to be a dancer and, maybe for a bit, an actress or model. My parents enrolled me into modelling/acting classes to entertain my interest, but I quickly figured out that it wasn’t for me! In my teens and, more specifically, after my parents divorced, I really wanted to help people. That interest stuck!
Q: What is your idea of an ideal day?
Jen: For me, an ideal day would be having the time and space and freedom to go and get a coffee at Starbucks, sit outside and people watch, then go to the mountains and go for a hike to relax and enjoy the fresh air, the quiet and not feel pressure to do anything. Of course, delicious food must be included in the day as I am a foodie too. Being a mom of two young kids, these types of experiences are few and far between and, as much as I love my kids, I also appreciate the need to have a day with no pressure to do certain things or be a certain way.
Q: What is your greatest fear?
Jen: My greatest fear would be losing my husband and kids. They are the most important people to me and my life is so much fuller and richer having them in my life. But.. I also fear spiders and snakes!
Q: What are your favorite shows to watch?
Jen: Right now my favourite shows include: Love is Blind, Ultimatum, Virgin River, real crime documentaries, American Rust, and Handmaid’s Tale (I can’t wait for the last season) to list a few.
Q: Would you rather be able to fly or read people’s minds?
Jen: I would love to read people’s minds (interesting she was the only one of us to choose that!). I am always wondering what people are thinking and this is part of what drew me into mental health care. Knowing what people were thinking would definitely be an asset when offering couples counselling Calgary.
Q: What’s one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
Jen: People might be surprised to learn that I lived in the UK for 3 months as part of my undergraduate degree. That inspired me to move to Ottawa to continue my learnings. It was the best time of exploring, learning, and finding myself. It was also a pivotal time in my journey to become a therapist and offer couples counselling Calgary and trauma counselling Calgary.
Paige Abbott (Addiction Counselling Calgary): Paige is an introverted, ascerbic, seemingly-serious-so-it-surprises-you-when-she-swears therapist. Paige was drawn to psychology after high school when realizing her childhood career dreams would be difficult and perhaps not the most realistic. Paige is the Founder of Sana Psychological and is excited to introduce you to the lovely team she gets to work with every day. Let’s get to know Paige more:
Q: What career or job did you want to have when you were a kid?
Paige: I went through a few, starting with a teacher and then moving onto a writer. I actually wrote a young adult fiction novel when I was in grade 6 (it was rejected from publishers and self-publishing was not a thing in those days, thank goodness!). I am so grateful that psychology and addiction counselling Calgary offers me the opportunity to still write. It may not be writing fiction but I enjoy doing everything from reports to the books I have co-authored.
Q: What is your idea of an ideal day?
Paige: I am so grateful that I get to live out many of my ideal days. It involves a slow start to the day, a cup of tea, some chores/tasks to keep me engaged, outdoor time, laughter, time with my chosen family, and body movement. I have a lot of internal energy that I need to burn off! I find these are the things that keep me well and able to provide addiction counselling Calgary to the clients I work with.
Q: What is your greatest fear?
Paige: I HATE snakes. I love Fish Creek Park in Calgary but the area that I live near has a snake hatchery and every time I go there I see snakes. Needless to say, I don’t go there very often anymore… This is not a full blown phobia like we may see in anxiety counselling Calgary, but it is a strong dislike, that’s for sure.
Q: What are your favorite shows to watch?
Paige: I love humour and competition reality TV shows. Friends has been my longest running favorite show, as well as newer ones like Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, The Office, and I love Amazing Race, Survivor, Big Brother and The Traitors for reality TV. Each night involves a decompression of watching an episode of one of these to help me unwind.
Q: Would you rather be able to fly or read people’s minds?
Paige: While reading people’s minds would probably be really helpful for my work providing addiction counselling Calgary, I would choose to fly. I don’t like airplane travel very much and get restless so flying myself would be amazing! So free!
Q: What’s one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
Paige: I struggled with this question because you always put pressure on yourself to come up with something ‘juicy.’ Something that may surprise people is how dry my humour can be and my interest in psychological thrillers and dark humour. There’s really no limits to what I may laugh at.
The Sana Psychological team is here to support you and your family. We offer individual, couples and family appointments and work with anyone age 5+. Our areas of focus and specialization are unique to each of our clinicians (no two people are alike and therapists are no different! We all bring our individual flavour of personality, training and expertise). Our main areas of expertise are Calgary Addiction Counselling, Trauma Counselling Airdrie and Trauma Counselling Calgary, and Anxiety Counselling Calgary.
Appointments can be booked online anytime and are available to those in Calgary and Airdrie, Alberta for in person sessions and virtual sessions are available for various locations across Canada, depending on your chosen clinician.
