About me
Hi, I am Dr. Natalie St-Denis (PhD), a registered social worker with the province of Alberta, Canada. I have worked as a mental health practitioner/social worker in community for a decade in a number of Calgary-based agencies as a staff member or contractor, with agencies such as Aspen (now Trellis), Miskanawah, and Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse, as well as volunteered in various capacities at the Distress Centre, Calgary Immigrant Women's Association, Awo Taan Healling Lodge and RESET. I was a social work instructor for 6 years teaching at the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University. My eclectic clinical practice draws from Eastern philosophies, Indigenous wisdom and Western science, as well as life and work experiences. My approach honours your ability to access your inner wisdom, healing capacity and agency in the therapeutic process within a compassionate, inclusive and respectful space.
​
I am of mixed-ancestry, of mostly settler Acadian with Mi’kmaq heritage, as well as Abenaki and Inuit lineages on my mother’s side. I am also of Quebecois ancestry with Algonquin and Abenaki lineages on my father’s side, some of these ancestors were part of the fur trade era as voyageurs and coureur des bois. I have been in relationship with Indigenous Elders for 15 years through ceremony, conversations and land-based practices, and my PhD work in social work focussed on Intergenerational trauma, complex post-traumatic stress disorder, child sexual abuse, sexual abuse and violence, colonial violence, resilience and Indigenous healing practices.
I have a strong standing practice of meditation, breathwork and yoga which I bring into my mental health practice. Mindful and somatic approaches for overall wellbeing are well established in community and research. I have also developed expertise in working with 'food as medicine' to support emotional and physical health, which are deeply interconnected. I have an ongoing curiosity for evidence-based therapies that support health and wellbeing, and I am always learning about new techniques that best support my clients in their wellness journey.
​
​I am a certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide and Professional Interpretive Hiking Guide. I have been connected to wild spaces all of my life with over 25 years of hiking, backpacking, mountaineering, cross-country skiing, canoeing and kayaking. I have always found that spending time in the wilderness to be life-affirming and full of learning opportunities for connection, growth and integration. When possible, and with your consent, we can take our one-on-one therapy sessions outdoors in a nearby park. Deepening and mending our relationship with the natural world provides a healing environment that deeply supports our mental and physical health.
​
​
