Our Therapy in Ontario
Island Waters was created from a passion for helping others.
Our welcoming, confidential space supports you in exploring struggles, challenges and strengths.
Explore our team, practice, and approach using the buttons below:
Designed by Freepik
Flexible booking times
Trauma-informed care & person-centered therapy in Ontario
Most insurances accepted
Our Team
Nikki Mulvihill
(she/her)
Clinic Owner, RSW
Nikki has over 25 years of experience working with children, youth, and families. She is a holistic therapist who believes in an integrative approach, practicing several therapeutic styles to assist individuals and families in reaching their goals.
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Nikki merges features of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Mindfulness to help children, youth, adults and families find more effective ways to cope and strengthen their relationships. She utilizes a strength-based and client-centered method, as she believes everyone is an expert in their own lives. Nikki may also integrate strategies from art, play, and music therapy for a more holistic approach.
Nikki obtained her Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Calgary and her Child and Youth Worker diploma from Mohawk College. She is registered with the College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.
Specializes In:
Parenting Complex Needs Children with ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder
Neurodiversity Informed Mindfulness
Women’s Health including Peri and Post Menopause
Anxiety and Depression
Interpersonal Relationships
Alex Duff
(she/her)
Alex is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) who is passionate about helping youths feel seen, heard, and supported. She has worked with individuals of all ages and abilities through various mental health roles involving crisis intervention, skills training, language acquisition research, psychoeducation, and child development.
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Using a blend of cognitive-behavioural, mindfulness, and client-centred techniques, she strives to create a safe and collaborative environment to help clients discover their strengths & develop coping skills to manage anxiety, low mood, life transitions, school/family stress, relationships, social media overload, or simply life in general.
Our Practice
Island Waters was created out of a passion for helping others. Our therapy in Ontario has been designed to offer a safe, confidential and welcoming space, which allows others to explore struggles, challenges, and strengths, and to establish realistic and achievable goals.
Finding the right therapist to walk on this journey with you is the most important aspect of counselling, next to taking the first step which is reaching out.
Being ready to begin therapy is a powerful and courageous step, even if you’re unsure, nervous, or hesitant. Readiness doesn’t mean having everything figured out. It means you’re open to exploring your thoughts, feelings, and patterns, and willing to work toward some kind of change or understanding.
Here are a few signs you may be ready to start therapy:
You’re curious about yourself.
Even if you’re not in a crisis, therapy can help you understand yourself more deeply, your habits, beliefs, and emotional responses.
You want to talk about things you can’t say elsewhere.
If you feel like you don’t have a safe or neutral space to open up, therapy can offer that.
You’re feeling
stuck.
You might not know what’s wrong, but something feels off. That’s a valid reason to begin therapy.
You’re overwhelmed, anxious, emotionally exhausted.
Therapy isn’t just for people in crisis, but these feelings can be important signals.
You’re ready to commit time & energy to growth.
Therapy takes honesty, reflection, and consistency, and being open to the process.
If you’re unsure, consider asking yourself:
What do I hope to get out of therapy?
What’s holding me back from starting?
Am I willing to be honest, even if it’s uncomfortable?
What to expect in your first therapy session
Port Perry Office
This session is meant to be a time for your therapist to get to know you and make sure that you can feel comfortable working with them.
Your therapist will go over your rights and privacy, such as confidentiality, and you are encouraged to ask any questions that you might have.
This first session is also a time for you to assess the therapist to ensure that they are the best fit for you. This first session begins the rapport building and not everyone works well together.
Peterborough Office
The approach that Island Waters is a holistic one, which means in this first session, your therapist will ask you questions about various aspects of your life to get a better sense of your overall well being.
A treatment plan is then developed together to meet your needs in the most effective way. This will include goals, or areas you wish to focus on in your future sessions, and the frequency of appointments. If you feel that the therapist is not a good match for you, referrals can be provided to you.
Please know that questions are encouraged, and there are no wrong or bad questions.
Our Evidence-Based Approaches
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CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and it helps us to recognize and change thinking and acting patterns that have been unhelpful.
The basic idea is that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected and by changing negative thoughts and actions, we can improve how we feel.
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DBT stands for Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and it helps us to understand our emotions and how to manage those emotions so we can be more focused and present in our everyday lives.
This approach helps us to pay attention to what matters to us and “bounce back” more quickly when facing tough challenges.
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Mindfulness therapy is about paying purposeful, nonjudgmental attention to the present moment to manage difficult emotions, thoughts, and behaviours.
It’s about changing your relationship to your thoughts, and learning to notice your experiences with awareness and compassion, rather than reacting automatically.
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Narrative therapy views us as separate from our problems and focuses on the stories we tell about ourselves and our lives.
The main idea is that our “life stories” shape our identities and by reviewing and rewriting these stories, we can find new meaning, strength, and possibility.
