Tina Hardman

Registered Psychotherapist
Registered Social Worker
Certified Play Therapist

School age (e.g. age 5-12), Adolescents/Youth (e.g. age 12+), Adults (18+), Couples, Family (2 or more members)

English

I have held psychotherapist and social worker positions for 11 years, providing therapeutic services in a variety of clinical settings. These include Brookside Therapy and Assessments, Garden City Psychologists, Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre of Niagara, Family Counselling Centre, Canadian Mental Health Association of Niagara, Brock University, Psychiatric Emergency Response Team at Marotta Family Hospital Niagara Health and the Niagara Detention Centre.
Through the application of evidence-based clinical approaches and a collaborative therapeutic working relationship, we will work towards emotional, behavioural, cognitive and relational goals. One of my primary focus areas is restructuring relationship bonds and fostering secure attachments through Emotion Focused Family and Couples Therapy or Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy. In addition, I guide the processing of traumatic and adverse experiences using Cognitive Processing Therapy, and utilize Cognitive and Dialectical Behavioural approaches for anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive behaviours, emotion regulation, and interpersonal skills.
As a trained and certified play therapist, I strategically apply play techniques to encourage children’s expression and processing, and to teach healing principles. Play is a natural medium of communication for children as this is their primary language. Children have the safety to express their adversity, thoughts and feelings through child-oriented activities that offer a safe degree of distance. Specifically, children communicate their inner world experiences and struggle through bibliotherapy, metaphors, arts, and symbols such as sand trays and figurines, doll houses and story boards.