Two providers, one philosophy.
The term "mother-baby dyad" comes from the simple profound truth that there is no baby without relationship. As Donald Winnicott, a pediatrician and psychoanalyst stated in the early 20th century; "there is no such thing as a baby". There is only a baby and someone (usually the mother).
The dyad, or mother-baby relationship, is one interconnected system. The health and well-being of mother and her baby are intimately intertwined and reliant on each other.
With this significant fact in mind, our name "The Nurtured Dyad" was born. We believe that baby's wellbeing is shaped through the mother's body, nervous system, emotions and environment - and that supporting the mother is a form of infant care. Nurturing the dyad means tending to the bond, the regulation, and the shared experience between mother and baby, rather than trying to consider one without the other.
We are here to support you along this journey.
Get to know us more below 🤍
Hayley Gilmour, Somatic RN, Psychotherapist
BScN, Somatic Experiencing (SE) Student
My most important work - and the one I am most proud to name - is that I am a mother to a beautiful, fiery, and gloriously goofy girl.
Motherhood is the calling I didn't know I needed. It has been the most life-giving, purposeful experience and one that has asked me to stretch in ways I never anticipated. It became an invitation to take radical responsibility for my own healing, to end the lineage of generational trauma I was raised in, and to show up more fully for the people I love.
I believe wholeheartedly that I can only meet you as deeply as I have met myself. My continued healing is not separate from my work, it is part of it.
Over a decade of nursing practice has woven a clear thread through everything I do: a deep passion for walking alongside people moving through life's most profound transitions. I have worked with marginalized families and children in primary care, offered individual and group mental health support, and spent meaningful years supporting survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence of all ages. These experiences live in me and shape the care I bring to every session.
I am passionate about working with mothers navigating the profound terrain of the perinatal experience. Whether you are moving through birth trauma, postpartum anxiety or depression, or the quiet but seismic identity shift of becoming a mother, you don't have to do it alone. Whether you are navigating the common, yet rarely acknowledged, change in your romantic partnership, finding your footing in your relationship with your baby, or carrying something from your past that your mind can't quite name but your body hasn't forgotten - support is here 🤍
I work from a somatic lens, which means we work with the whole of you - not just your thoughts and story, but also the wisdom held in your body. This is where the deepest healing lives as it is through the body that we connect to the unconscious patterns and imprints we carry. My approach is gentle, paced, and deeply relational. Together we will create a space where your whole self - mind, body, and spirit - is welcome. Where the parts of you that have been held in survival can begin, slowly and safely, to soften.
it would be an honour to support you along your journey.🤍
Support Areas:
- Trauma & chronic stress (including perinatal trauma)
- Attachment repair
- Perinatal & postpartum life transition adjustment
- Perinatal stress, anxiety and depression
- Postpartum stress, anxiety and depression
- Pregnancy planning and support
Language
- English
Training:
- Somatic Attachment Therapy
- Somatic Experiencing Practitioner Training (up to level Advanced I)
- Advanced Somatic Resolution Skills for Perinatal Trauma
- Nurture Neuroscience Practitioner
Stephanie Karlovcec, RN, Psychotherapist
BScN, MScN, PhD Candidate
If you’ve ever seen that clip of Catherine O’hara where she’s asked what role she’s most proud of, and she answers with “mother to my children” - that is truly how I feel being the mother to my sweet baby boy (next to supporting all you wonderful mamas of course ☺️).
Motherhood is such a wonderful, monumental, life-changing gift, and as someone who has had some unique challenges in pregnancy and birth, I can also empathize with it having some very challenging aspects as well.
Motherhood asks you to confront who you are now and reshape the future for yourself and your child(ren). It asks you to meet your inner child and inner self to work through your triggers and intergenerational traumas to allow yourself to blossom in ways you didn’t know possible.
It is my commitment to walk through this journey alongside the mothers I support. It is part of my motherhood journey to continuously reshape myself through healing my own intergenerational wounds to be able to bring my best self to our sessions.
With 9+ years of experience as a Registered Nurse in mental health and primary care, I bring a holistic lens to support individuals of all ages as their whole authentic self. I have completed several additional trainings in psychotherapy in addition to a Masters of Science in Nursing (which includes Masters level mental health & trauma courses) and the pending completion of my PhD - Nursing where I am researching the lived experience of vicarious trauma on mental health nurses.
I have worked both in the inpatient and outpatient mental health settings, and as a mental health case manager in primary care. Through these roles, I have offered group and individual mental health support/therapy, and participated in numerous continuing education opportunities to develop important therapeutic skills to offer this work 1:1 with you. These roles have been deeply important to my journey to this work and I carry the story of every individual I’ve worked with, with the compassion and respect it deserves.
I work from a multifaceted approach to therapy by understanding there is no one size fits all approach to supporting you. With training in both cognitive- and body-based modalities, I am to support you to feel connected to yourself in both mind and body, and meeting all the parts of you with grace and understanding.
I am so passionate about supporting you to have the motherhood you hoped for and deserve 🤍. Navigating pregnancy, birth and postpartum are life altering events in both experience and identity and it would be an honour to guide you through this process. Through a deep understanding of the nuances in the experience of this life transition and how our nervous systems respond to it - I hope to bring you back to a place where your body, mind and spirit feel like home.
All are welcome here and I look forward to being a part of your journey 🤍.
Support Areas:
- Perinatal stress, anxiety and depression
- Postpartum stress, anxiety and depression
- Perinatal & postpartum life transition adjustment
- Pregnancy planning & support
- Perinatal & Postpartum trauma (including loss and birth trauma)
- Trauma and attachment wounds (including parental wounds - e.g. mother wound/mother hunger)
- Navigating parenthood without your parents (including estrangement & loss)
- Health care providers (burnout & vicarious trauma)
Languages:
- English
Trainings:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Cognitive Behavioural Theraoy for Insomnia (CBTi)
- Janina Fisher Trauma Training Level 1
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) for Perinatal Providers
- Somatic Therapy for Complex Trauma Certification
- Inner Child & Early Attachment Trauma Certificate
- Nurture Neuroscience Practitioner
Frequently Asked Questions
An RN, Psychotherapist is a Registered Nurse (RN) - licensed by the College of Nutses of Ontario (CNO) with additional training and qualifications to provide psychotherapy.
The CNO does not set specific educational requirements, but both Hayley and Steph have listed their experience and education in their bios outlining what qualifications they hold to offer psychotherapy.
RN, Psychotherapists are accountable to the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) and all related Practice Standards. While the CNO does not set guidelines or requirements for clinical supervision, both Hayley and Steph undergo ongoing clinical supervision and support to ensure clinical competency and safe practice.
Please see our individual bios for more information on our unique qualifications and experience in mental health and psychotherapy :).
Yes - in many cases! However, it is important that you check with your specific insurance provider to see if your plan covers RN, Psychotherapy as we do not provide direct billing at this time.
Yes - if finances are of concern, please reach out to us via e-mail to see how we can help you get the support you need 🤍.
We do not provide crisis services or support. Our psychotherapy services are meant to support individuals who are feeling stable enough in their mental health to work through supportive treatment. This means if you are struggling with concerns of suicidal/homicidal ideation or severe mental health concerns, we are not the right support for you. For direction to a more fitted service or if you are in immediate crisis, please contact 9-8-8 or ReachOut 24/7 at 519-433-2023, or present to your local emergency department.
Start Your Journey Home to Yourself Here
We look forward to walking alongside you.
Get started by contacting us today and learning more about how we can best support you.
