Photo credit: Expressions Photography
You can learn more about my perspective on therapy and psychology by following me on
Twitter: @DrSachikoNagasawa or Bay Psychology's Facebook Page
Dr. Sachiko Nagasawa
Hons. BSc., M.A., Ph.D., C.Psych. , PMH-C (in progress)
Registered Clinical Psychologist
Clinic Director
Therapy is not just a job for me-it’s a calling. The road to becoming a clinical psychologist was a long but rewarding one. Since volunteering at a sexual assault centre in high school I knew that I wanted to work in the field of mental health. While obtaining my bachelor of science degree I became interested in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, and gender studies. It was through my studies that I learned that psychologists are the gold standard when it comes to psychotherapy and non-pharmaceutical treatment. I wanted to be the very best, so I went on to obtain my doctoral degree in order to receive the highest level of training.
My goal is to empower individuals to courageously live more authentic and satisfying lives. I believe that every person can live a more fulfilling life when they are given the insights and tools to access their inner strengths and talents. Psychological treatments such as psychotherapy enables individuals to develop increased awareness and effectively manage unhelpful thoughts, behaviours and difficult emotions.
I approach psychotherapy as a collaborative partnership in which we work together to achieve your life goals. I strive to bring warmth, compassion, humour, genuine caring, and anti-oppressive care into each session as I teach tools to assist clients to summon the motivation for the incredibly hard work of change. At minimum 25% of my ongoing caseload is devoted to subsidized or sliding scale treatment to reduce financial barriers to accessing high quality psychological care. I also advocate for affordable mental health treatment on the provincial and federal levels through ongoing research and committee work.
Evidence-based modalities that I have extensive training, clinical supervision and examinations with include dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) (trained by the Dr. Marsha Linehan Institute), emotion-focused therapy (EFT), and cognitive processing therapy (CPT). I am currently a clinician involved in a CPT study with both Ryerson and Stanford universities. Having extensive clinical training allows me to cater my therapeutic interventions to the unique needs of each client as each person’s recovery journey is different.
Some of the most common strategies I use include tools to overcome anxiety and depressed mood, strategies to promote mindfulness and an ability to return fully to the present moment, insight into the ways that past relationships and events have shaped our view of the world and the future, emotion regulation skills, and the processing of traumatic events.
These treatment methods are backed by scientific research (empirically supported) and provide concrete tools you can use in your everyday life. My approach to psychotherapy is holistic in nature, with the intent of helping people implement better-coping strategies, heal and live a meaningful life.
Research and Conference Presentations
Since 2005, I have had the privilege of conducting research with the University of Toronto's Developmental Theory of Embodiment Centre. An institute focused on understanding the interactions between the social environment of girls and women from diverse social locations and their embodied experiences of engagement with the world around them. As
a result of this work, I have had the opportunity to publish book chapters and have been invited to speak at conferences across North America and internationally. In addition, I am an editorial advisor for the award winning book, (Distinguished Publication Award of the 2018 Association of Women in Psychology) “Journeys of Embodiment at the Intersection of Body and Culture: The Developmental Theory of Embodiment.”
In addition to my research pursuits, I provide workshops, consultation, and clinical training to professionals and organizations on varied topics related to mental health.
About Me
I was born in Toronto, Ontario and raised in North Bay. I have been a yoga and meditation practitioner for over seventeen years. I received my honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto and completed a neurobehavioural science internship at McGill University. I continued to attend the University of Toronto for my graduate work under Dr. Piran, and received my masters and doctorate there, following an Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) accredited internship at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences. In the course of my training I worked in a variety of settings including York University's Counselling Centre, Sickkids' Hospital, private practices, and community agencies.
In 2013, I returned to North Bay to provide psychological services through a not for profit charitable organization before moving to the North Bay Regional Health Centre’s Acute Inpatient Psychiatry Unit and the Outpatient Mental Health Clinic. At the hospital my work involves clinical supervision, consultation, group and individual psychotherapy, program development, as well as cognitive and psychological assessments. In the community, I have taught at Nipissing University, provide presentations on mental health, and chaired the Health and Social Services Committee for the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Initiative. Currently I sit on the National Eating Disorder Information Centre’s (NEDIC) steering committee, the North East Women's Health Alliance, (NEWHA), and the Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative. I also regularly consult on resiliency training for first responders.
It is an honour to provide high quality psychological services to Northern Ontario through the founding of Bay Psychology.
I am registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. Therefore, all client issues are handled with strict confidentiality and the highest ethical standards. I am also a member of the Ontario Psychological Association, Canadian Psychological Association, and the American Psychological Association.
