About Lesley Hartman

I have had the great privilege of working as a Psychologist since 1995. Over the years, my clients have honoured me with their trust and have been my greatest teachers, awing me with the ability of the human spirit to grow through adversity. I have worked with adults, adolescents and couples over my career, but currently, the focus of my work is solely with adults. 

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People consult with me about a variety of concerns, from PTSD, anxiety, depression, coping with acquired brain injuries, work problems, school problems, recovery from illness, grief, difficulties with career choices, family of origin, abuse, attachment issues or relationships. I enjoy working with diverse groups of people—of different genders, sexual orientations or identities and cultural backgrounds or experiences and can provide therapy in Spanish or English. 

I believe that the relationship between the client and therapist is the most important agent of change, and bring a big heart to my work. I am authentic and use humour, stories, and metaphors to help illuminate experiences. Being trained in diverse therapeutic modalities, I provide a theoretically integrative, trauma-informed approach that respects where clients are at in their healing journey. While I have training in a variety of treatment approaches, such as  Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, and Mindfulness approaches, the modalities that primarily inform my work at this time are Somatic IFS (Internal Family Systems) Therapy, and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). Both of these approaches work together to assist clients with the myriad ways we have protected ourselves from or been impacted by the pain of trauma and adverse life experiences. I have experienced the healing power of these therapies myself, and have witnessed many others benefit, not only with reductions in emotional and behavioural symptoms or challenges, but with increased joy, increased freedom and choice, richer relationships with others, a deeper sense of meaning in life, and reductions in physical pain or symptoms of illness.  

I'm very blessed to have a team of colleagues at Lesley Hartman and Associates Inc. who, like me, are passionate about accompanying people on their healing journeys. These compassionate, highly skilled colleagues share my vision of offering our best to you, as you strive to rise above pain and shine. This is our wish for you.