We are a team of registered psychotherapists supporting clients locally and across Ontario
12/26/2025
Letting go is often misunderstood as “moving on” or “getting over it.” In reality, it’s a psychological process that involves grief, meaning-making, and learning how to release what no longer aligns with who you are becoming.
Whether you’re letting go of a relationship, an expectation, an identity, or a chapter of life, support can make this process feel more grounded and less overwhelming.
As the year comes to a close, we want to take a moment to wish our clients, colleagues, and community a warm and restful holiday season. This time of year can hold many emotions—joy, reflection, grief, connection, and everything in between—and all of it is valid.
We hope the coming days offer moments of rest, grounding, and care, however that looks for you. Thank you for trusting us with your journeys this year. We look forward to continuing to support you in the year ahead.
With warmth,
Vivian Noehring Psychotherapy & Associates 💛
The holiday season often asks us to give more—our time, energy, emotions, and presence. When burnout becomes familiar, it can quietly shape how we see ourselves.
This reflection invites you to pause and consider who you are beneath the exhaustion. What remains when you’re not constantly pushing, pleasing, or performing?
Exploring this question can be a powerful step toward redefining the holidays in a way that supports your mental health and well-being.
Ever notice your memory feels worse when you’re stressed? That’s not a coincidence.
Stress activates survival systems in the brain, making it harder to concentrate, retain information, and recall details. Over time, chronic stress can contribute to mental fatigue and ongoing memory challenges.
The good news? When stress is addressed, cognitive clarity often improves. Therapy can help you identify stressors, regulate your nervous system, and build tools that support both mental health and brain function.
People-pleasing often starts as a way to stay safe, connected, or accepted—but over time, it can quietly erode your well-being.
If you find yourself constantly prioritizing others, feeling guilty for saying no, or losing touch with your own needs, this pattern is worth exploring with compassion—not judgment.
Learning to balance care for others and yourself is a skill—and it’s something therapy can help you build.
The beginning of the holiday season can stir up many emotions—anticipation, stress, nostalgia, grief, or a mix of everything. This week’s journal prompt invites you to pause, check in, and reflect on what this season brings up for you.
Journaling can be a gentle way to process emotions, clarify needs, and set intentions as the holidays approach. There’s no need to rush—just notice what’s present.
Give yourself permission to move into this season with awareness and compassion. ✨
Exam season brings pressure not only for students—but for teachers too. 📚🍎
Late nights, high expectations, performance anxiety, and emotional overload can take a toll on everyone involved.
Whether you’re studying, teaching, marking, or supporting someone who is, small mental health tools can make a big difference. From grounding exercises to structured routines to compassionate check-ins, support helps reduce burnout and build resilience during this demanding time.
If exam stress is affecting your mood, concentration, or well-being, therapy can help you build coping strategies and regain balance.
You’re not alone in this season—support is available. 💛
When the seasons shift, your mood might shift too—and you’re not imagining it. 🍂
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a real and treatable form of depression that often appears during the fall and winter months.
If you’ve noticed lower energy, changes in sleep, withdrawal, or increased sadness as daylight decreases, you may be experiencing SAD. The good news? There are many supportive tools that can help regulate your mood, boost energy, and bring more brightness into the darker months.
Therapy can also provide space to explore your symptoms, learn coping strategies, and strengthen your emotional resilience through the winter season.
Many people imagine depression as something obvious—but for some, it hides behind productivity, achievement, and a calm exterior. This is known as high-functioning depression, and it often goes unnoticed even by the person experiencing it.
You might be meeting deadlines, showing up for others, and keeping life moving… while quietly feeling drained, disconnected, or overwhelmed.
High-functioning depression is real, valid, and treatable.
If this resonates with you, reaching out for support can make a meaningful difference.
Your mental health matters—even when you’re “functioning.” 💚
📸Photo by UnSplash
12/05/2025
🌿 What Is Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)?
ACT is an evidence-based therapy that helps you build psychological flexibility—the ability to stay present, accept your emotions, and take meaningful actions rooted in your values.
Rather than trying to control or erase difficult thoughts, ACT teaches you to create space for them, shift how you relate to them, and move toward the life you want.
If you’re navigating anxiety, depression, stress, or big life changes, ACT can be a powerful approach to grounding, clarity, and growth.
Looking to explore ACT-based therapy? Our team is here to help. 💚
📸 Photo by UnSplash
12/04/2025
🌿 How to Practice Self-Validation
Self-validation is a core emotional regulation skill that helps reduce shame, strengthen confidence, and support overall mental well-being. When we acknowledge our internal experiences without judgment, we create space for clarity, compassion, and healthier coping.
This is a gentle reminder:
Your feelings make sense.
Your needs are real.
And validating yourself is an act of self-care.
If you’re working on emotional regulation or self-awareness, therapy can help you build these skills in a supportive environment. 💚
📸 Photos by UnSplash
12/02/2025
With the tree lit up and sparkling, it set the tone for a day filled with connection, fun, and well-deserved pampering. Even though a few couldn’t attend, they were missed, appreciated, and still very much part of the positive energy of our team.
As a small gesture of gratitude for our heart-centred team, we brought a calm, spa experience into the clinic to celebrate the care they consistently bring to our community. Today was about recharging, celebrating each other, and nurturing the community we’ve built together.
I’m grateful to walk alongside these gems who bring compassion, authenticity, and dedication into their work.
Here’s to more connection, more wellness, and a team I’m truly blessed to have.
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“Don’t allow your wounds to transform you into someone you’re not”. - Paulo Coelho
I believe no one should have to try to navigate personal challenges alone. Therefore, it is my pleasure to extend hope and a path toward healing and wholeness for anyone caught in life’s struggles.
I am a registered psychotherapist and registered nurse with 26 years of combined experience. I offer private and group therapy sessions, support hospital staff members in two hospitals with anxiety reduction techniques. In addition, I volunteer on the Ontario COVID-19 Wellness Network providing therapy by video conference to health care workers across the province.
My passion lies in providing mental and physical support to those undergoing emotional and/or physical turmoil. Guided by empathy and compassion, I provide a safe, respectful therapeutic atmosphere where we explore your struggles, skill sets, victories, and dreams.
It’s not uncommon for people traveling life’s journey to get stuck, experience immense inner pain, face crises, or experience existential angst. Therapy is a tool to help navigate it all, learning practical strategies to help you along your journey.
Guiding Principles
I tailor each session specifically to your goals and needs. You have a unique story that deserves the time and space to be explored. Providing empathy, we will work toward you discovering and accepting your authentic self.
As therapy progresses, we will do some exploring to see what’s going on under the surface. We’ll collaborate to identify healthy coping skills and learn new tools that will ultimately help you reach your goals.
Areas That I Specialize In
Anxiety
Depression
Codependency
Marriage/Relationship Issues
Self Esteem
Life Transitions
Loneliness / Hopelessness
Anger Management
Grief and Bereavement
Trauma/PTSD
OCD / Negative and repetitive intrusive thoughts
My Background
I’ve been an operating room nurse for 26 years. I’ve also volunteered on several crisis-focused volunteer missions, witnessing the effect and toll of mental distress.
In 2002, I accompanied an ENT/cosmetic surgeon to remote areas in China where we performed corrective surgeries on babies and young adults born with cleft lip and palate birth deformities. Many families reported being shunned and ostracized by their communities due to the physical differences in their children or in themselves. The extent of this prejudice also meant that individuals were excluded from receiving medical care; receive basic education or participation in greater community.
I was struck by the families’ resilience and endurance while experiencing unjust behaviour and ridicule from their communities. I thought of the perseverance and enormous motivation to seek out medical attention at our outreach clinic.
In 2005, with the Canadian Medical Association of Toronto (CMAT), I embarked on another nursing mission to Pakistan for 21 days, shortly after a deadly earthquake. The trauma that affected these people was far beyond physical wounds, as they were traumatized by grief, death, the devastation of their homes, and by the struggles ahead.
Education and Training
I commit to ongoing professional development and continuing education by engaging in further training.
Registered Psychotherapist (RPQ)- The College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario
Registered Nurse and Registered Nurse First Assist - The College of Nurses of Ontario
Advanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Certification Program specializing in psychosis, bipolar, schizophrenia, Trauma, PTSD, OCD and generalized anxiety disorder - University of Toronto and Sick Kids Community Health Center
Solution Focused Therapy Certificate Program - University of Toronto
Grief and Bereavement Educator Certificate Program - University of Toronto (in progress)
Trauma Focused Therapy Certificate Program - Wilfred Laurier University (in progress)
