Natalie Zaiffdeen
"ONLY WHEN WE ARE BRAVE ENOUGH TO EXPLORE THE DARKNESS WILL WE DISCOVER THE INFINITE POWER OF OUR LIGHT."
(not accepting new clients)
Meet Natalie
B.A., B.COM., M.C., R.PSYCH
REGISTERED PSYCHOLOGIST | EMDR SPECIALIST | WCB PROVIDER
We are often moved so profoundly by our personal life experiences. Some experiences can shake the core of who we are on a mental, emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual level. It is this ripple effect that can challenge our ability to effectively cope and live a full and balanced life.
Natalie Zaiffdeen
Natalie strongly believes in the power of healing from the inside out. She feels that in order to create change, we must first allow our most vulnerable selves to be deeply seen and known. It is not until we look within that we begin to uncover our inner strengths and resiliencies that can bring about meaningful growth.
To Natalie, the therapeutic relationship is an essential starting place for positive growth and change. In her counselling practice, she strives to offer trust, respect, kindness, and compassion to create a safe and collaborative relationship with her clients. Through empathetic understanding, Natalie hopes to foster connection and the capacity for greater insight, empowerment, self-awareness, and above all, self-acceptance. Natalie believes it is an honour and a privilege to journey alongside her clients and to witness the embracing of their personal path in a profound and meaningful way.
Natalie is dedicated to providing client-centered, integrative, and holistic counselling services to adolescents, adults, and families across a broad spectrum of mental health issues. She is passionate about working through complex, developmental trauma and post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, substance dependency, personality disorders, grief & loss, and issues related to life transitions, self-esteem, relationships, and diversity & inclusivity.
Natalie’s training and experience in key therapeutic approaches add both depth and flexibility to her work with clients. While her primary orientation is psychodynamic (relational, insight-oriented), she draws inspiration from a breadth of approaches to meet the unique needs and goals of each client—including cognitive-behavioural (CBT), emotionally-focused (EFT), narrative, mindfulness-, attachment-, & strength-based modalities. She is also specialized in Eye-Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. To best support her clients, Natalie is actively committed to personal and professional growth to further expand her training and knowledge.
As a Registered Psychologist, Natalie is in good standing with the College of Alberta Psychologists, Psychologists’ Association of Alberta, and Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). She holds two undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Human Resource Management from the University of Alberta and has achieved her Master of Counselling degree from the City University of Seattle.
- Adults
- Youth / Adolescents
- ANXIETY
- BEHAVIOURAL ISSUES
- CHRONIC PAIN
- CO-DEPENDENCY
- COMPLEX / DEVELOPMENTAL TRAUMA
- CULTURAL INTEGRATION
- DEPRESSION
- DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
- GENDER IDENTITY ISSUES
- GRIEF & LOSS
- HEALTH & RESILIENCY
- IDENTITY ISSUES (GENDER / RACIAL)
- INTERPERSONAL DIFFICULTIES
- LIFE TRANSITIONS
- MARITAL & PREMARITAL
- OBESITY
- PERSONAL GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT
- PERSONALITY DISORDERS (BIPOLAR / BORDERLINE / OCD / NARCISSISTIC / ANTISOCIAL)
- PREGNANCY / PRENATAL / POSTPARTUM
- RELATIONSHIP ISSUES
- SCHOOL-RELATED ISSUES
- SELF-ESTEEM ISSUES
- SELF-HARM
- SEPARATION & DIVORCE
- SLEEP DIFFICULTIES
- SPIRITUALITY
- STRESS & BURNOUT
- SUICIDAL IDEATION
- TEEN VIOLENCE
- TRAUMA & PTSD
- ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT (ACT)
- ATTACHMENT-BASED
- COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL (CBT)
- COMPASSION-FOCUSED
- CULTURALLY SENSITIVE
- DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOUR (DBT)
- EMOTION-FOCUSED (EFT)
- EYE-MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION REPROCESSING (EMDR)
- GOTTMAN METHOD
- HOLISTIC
- HUMANISTIC / EXISTENTIAL
- INTERPERSONAL
- MINDFULNESS-BASED (MBCT, MBSR)
- MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING (MI)
- MULTICULTURAL
- NARRATIVE
- PERSON-CENTERED
- PSYCHODYNAMIC (RELATIONAL, INSIGHT-ORIENTED)
- SOLUTION-FOCUSED (SFT)
- STRENGTH-BASED
- SUPPORTIVE
- TRAUMA-FOCUSED (TF-CBT)
- TRAUMA-INFORMED
- Registered Psychologist (#6064), COLLEGE OF ALBERTA PSYCHOLOGISTS
- MASTER OF COUNSELLING (M.C.), City University of Seattle
- BACHELOR OF COMMERCE (B.Com.), University of Alberta
- BACHELOR OF ARTS (B.A.), University of Alberta
- Member of the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP)
- Member of Psychologists’ Association of Alberta (PAA)
- MEMBER OF CANADIAN COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY ASSOCIATION (CCPA)
- QUALIFIED HEALTHCARE PROVIDER, WORKERS’ COMPENSATION BOARD (WCB)
- TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTITIONER, BREAKING FREE FOUNDATION (BFF)
- Member of EMDR International Association (EMDRIA)
- Level 1 Clinical Training, Gottman Method Couples Therapy
- Graduate-Level Teaching AssistanT, City University of Seattle
- Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), Canadian Mental Health Association
- Grief Support Services, Hope and Healing Center & Institute
- University of Alberta Alumni
- City University of Seattle Alumni; ANNUAL PANELIST FOR COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS
- Alberta Blue Cross
- ASEBP / ARTA
- Canada Life / CANADA LIFE – PSHCP
- Desjardins
- Equitable Life of Canada
- First Canadian Insurance
- Medavie Blue Cross
- SSQ Financial
- Green Shield Canada
- Chambers of Commerce Group
- Sunlife
- Manulife
LET'S GET PERSONAL
Beyond her professional life, Natalie finds her greatest joy in two core passions: her boundless love for travel and her unwavering dedication to her close-knit family.
Having travelled to over thirty-five countries, Natalie’s exploration of diverse cultures has not only expanded her global perspective but also given her a deep sense of purpose. This broad worldview has inspired her to lead charitable efforts with organizations like Operation Smile Canada, SOS Children’s Villages, Bridge of Hope, and the Zebra Foundation. Her commitment to improving the lives of underprivileged children drives her to personally visit schools and orphanages in developing countries, where she seeks to make a tangible impact.
Closer to home, Natalie is an active and engaged member of the fitness community. A passionate advocate for self-care, she enjoys exercise, competitive soccer, and living an overall healthy lifestyle. Her curiosity extends beyond physical well-being—one of her favorite pastimes is watching thought-provoking documentaries that challenge her thinking and broaden her understanding of the world. This dedication to continuous learning, coupled with her open-mindedness, critical thinking, and empathy, enhances her ability to support and guide her clients in a therapeutic context.