Charise Besson holds a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Mount Saint Vincent University. She works with individuals navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, life transitions, self-esteem challenges, and invisible disabilities. Before transitioning into counselling, she gained valuable experience supporting individuals through roles in community services and healthcare, including case management with the Department of Community Services and policy support with the Department of Health and Wellness.

With an integrative approach, Charise draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), Narrative Therapy, and trauma-informed care. She tailors each session to meet the unique needs of her clients, helping them build resilience, develop effective coping strategies, and create meaningful change.

Charise is committed to providing a supportive, non-judgmental space where clients feel heard and empowered. She believes in a collaborative process that honours each individual’s strengths, fostering personal growth and a renewed sense of balance and well-being.

Charise Besson holds a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University and a B... Read More

Lauren Brady-MacAulay is Brightside’s Clinic Manager and Registered Holistic Nutritional Consultant.

Lauren’s former career as a social worker taught her that a person’s overall health includes the mind, body and spirit, and depends upon many factors. Her own wellness journey began when she started to experience professional burnout and sought natural ways to support her physical and mental health. Finding nutrition to be foundational to her own good health and well-being, Lauren wanted to share her knowledge with others and graduated with honours from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, in 2013. Lauren promotes a whole-food, minimally processed diet, which is plant-based, but not necessarily vegetarian. Lauren Brady-MacAulay has a special interest in diets which support brain health, and therefore mental health, perimenopause; and is also experienced in navigating food sensitivities and helping parents to optimize their children’s nutrition.

Lauren Brady-MacAulay is Brightside’s Clinic Manager and Registered Holistic Nutritional Consulta... Read More

Sydney is a registered massage therapist from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She graduated from the 2200 hour Eastern College Massage Therapy program with honors. Sydney is a member of the Massage Therapist’s Association of Nova Scotia (MTANS).

She was drawn to the field of Massage Therapy by her passion for health and wellness. She believes that massage therapy and its holistic approach to dealing with health and injury plays a major role in health and wellness.

Sydney looks forward to helping clients with their short-term and long-term goals pertaining to their health.

Sydney is trained in:

General Swedish Massage Deep Tissue Techniques Trigger Point Therapy Myofascial Techniques Active/Passive Stretching Techniques Hydrotherapy Cupping

Sydney is a registered massage therapist from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She graduated from the 2200... Read More

Lily Daiman is a Registered Counselling Therapist-Candidate with the Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists (NSCCT). She obtained her BSc in psychology and biology from Mount Saint Vincent University, and completed her Master of Arts in counselling psychology from Yorkville University. Lily has also completed a credential course in the clinical applications of neuroscience.

Lily’s professional experience includes previously serving in the Canadian Armed Forces as a medical assistant where she was able to obtain work experience within hospital/clinical settings, learning various intervention skills. She has also worked as a long-term disability case manager, which allowed her to deepen her understanding on how different components within work and mental health influence one another. Her professional background has allowed her to work with populations from different walks of life, and obtain a diverse experience within the field of mental health.

Lily works with adults, youth, and elderly.

Her areas of focus include: emotional regulation, depression, anxiety, relationship issues, grief and loss, managing life transitions and stress, self-esteem, behavioural concerns, and ADHD.

Lily’s approach is integrative and collaborative, as she draws from different evidence-based therapeutic modalities depending on her client’s identity, needs and goals. Her approach is also neuroscience informed, which offers another lens to understand and make sense of different experiences, providing validation. Lily Daiman strives to create a safe and non-judgemental environment that is conducive to increasing self-awareness, skill-building and security.

Lily Daiman is a Registered Counselling Therapist-Candidate with the Nova Scotia College of Couns... Read More

Bethany is a licensed therapist with the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers, a member of the Canadian Association of Social Workers, and has been a practicing social worker with experience working in health care and mental health for the last 20+ years. After achieving her undergraduate degree in psychology in 1997, she continued her education by achieving both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from Dalhousie University.

Bethany works with adolescents and adults of all ages, all genders and non-binary identified individuals. She has experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds and is adept in working with veterans, current military members and first responders.

Bethany works with individuals from a compassionate space, using a strengths-based and trauma-informed approach, which assists clients by empowering them to make healthy decisions, set boundaries, and regain agency over their overall wellness and mental health.

She believes in a holistic approach to mental wellness, which includes supporting physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being; while also taking in to account each individuals’ uniqueness, lived experiences, and strengths.

Over the course of her career, she has specialized in trauma and post- traumatic stress (including military, veterans, first responders and sexual assault survivors), grief & loss, addictions, childhood trauma, anxiety, depression, chronic pain and health issues, anger and conflict management, emotional regulation, parenting and relationship support as well as stress management, life stage adjustments, school/career related stress, burnout and relationship issues.

Bethany is also trained in EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) therapy. EMDR is a form of therapy that assists people in healing from trauma or other distressing life events or experiences. EMDR has been extensively researched, and is considered a best practice approach for the treatment of trauma and post-traumatic stress, as well as other emotionally distressing life events. Some potential benefits of EMDR therapy include:

• A reduction of symptoms related to a traumatic event or experience
• Alleviation of emotional stress including anxiety and depression
• Improved self-esteem and self-confidence
• Increased development of adaptive coping strategies.
• Reduction in symptoms related to post-traumatic stress
• Improvement with interpersonal relationships and communication skills

Bethany is a licensed therapist with the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers, a member of the C... Read More

Reaching balance in our lives can often be a struggle. Daily stressors in our jobs, health and relationships, while living with our past experiences and traumas, can create an imbalance in healthy coping. We find ourselves reaching for anything that helps numb us and escape – making it difficult to focus on ourselves in the present. Agnieszka helps clients explore unhealthy coping patterns, understand the impact of past traumas on core beliefs and build a mindful and self-compassionate understanding of self.

Agnieszka received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Dalhousie University, where she focused her studies on learning theory and the interplay of environment and behaviour. Following her passion in how unhelpful habits and behaviours lead to dysfunction in relationships and connection within, she continued her studies in applied behavioural analysis, completing her advanced diploma in behavioural intervention and went on to complete her Masters in Counselling Psychology. She has worked with young adults with challenging behaviours and instructed for Dalhousie’s College of Continuing education where she helped students reach academic success through an understanding of how emotional reactions and behavioural patterns can lower one’s ability to succeed in reaching goals in life.

Agnieszka has spent the last 5 years working with men and women with addiction and substance abuse disorders with co-occurring mental health issues. Her work in this field has led her to develop a strong person-centred approach when working with clients with an emphasis on the importance of strengthening one’s self-identity, self-worth and self-compassion.

Client Focus

Adults 18+

Types of Therapy

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Areas of practice

Trauma, anxiety, relationship issues (not couples), and general mental health

Reaching balance in our lives can often be a struggle. Daily stressors in our jobs, health and re... Read More

Matthew Glass is a registered social worker with the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW), the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW). He obtained a Master’s degree in Social Work from Dalhousie University, a BSW from Lakehead University, and a BA in Law and Justice from Laurentian University.

Matthew works with individuals, couples, children and youth. He is experienced in crisis intervention and assisting individuals through traumatic events, relationship issues, major life transitions, and grief and loss.

His areas of focus include emotional regulation, depression, anxiety, relationship issues, grief and loss, managing life transitions and stress, self-esteem and behavioural concerns. Matthew’s approach is integrative and collaborative, drawing from various evidence-based therapeutic modalities depending on his client’s identity, needs, and goals. His goal is to offer comprehensive support tailored to each client’s unique needs to support them in the capacity best suited for them. Matthew Glass takes the time to understand each individual and what they need from therapy, creating customized plans that resonate with who they are and address their specific needs.

Matthew Glass is a registered social worker with the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW... Read More

Brian is not currently accepting new clients.

Brian MacAulay is the owner of Brightside Integrated Health. He is a clinical social worker with 24 years of experience and has been in private practice for 13 years.

Brian’s professional experience includes working with child welfare, the Nova Scotia Health Authority (mental health & rehabilitation), the Department of Justice, as well as managing St. Mary’s University’s mental health program and counselling centre. As such, he is able to support clients in navigating these systems and can provide reports to the Court upon request. Brian believes that mental health is as important as physical health and he prioritizes prevention before symptoms arise.

Brian works with adults, youth, couples, families, first responders and military personnel.

His areas of focus include: trauma and PTSD, sexual abuse, domestic violence, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, grief and loss, divorce and separation, managing injuries/physical disabilities, bullying and life stage transitions. Brian is trained in Agriculture-Informed Therapy.

Brian’s approach is relaxed and direct, as he helps his clients to target their inner strengths, while establishing and working toward tangible goals and healing. He is an out-of-the box thinker and can often be found combining sports with therapy for his younger clients.

Brian is not currently accepting new clients. Brian MacAulay is the owner of Brightside Integrat... Read More

In my sessions, I want clients to feel truly listened to. Therapy, in my view, is a space for a client to experience empathetic and genuine attention which may be rarely found in everyday life. With this kind of attention, people can face problems and develop strengths much more easily than on their own. Ultimately, my goal is to help people get to the point at which they can manage their mental health without me, by using the tools and skills we develop during our sessions. My main approach is a person centered one that focuses on the client and that believes you are the expert on your own life. I also use a holistic approach that examines strengths and weaknesses across different life aspects. I often help clients develop boundaries, practice healthier communication styles, and learn to manage difficult emotions and thoughts. Whether mental health problems are new to you or something you know quite well, they can be difficult to manage on your own. However, if you are willing to reach out for help, you won’t be alone. We will work through things together.

In my sessions, I want clients to feel truly listened to. Therapy, in my view, is a space for a c... Read More

Krista Murray is a registered massage therapist from Nova Scotia, with more than 20 years of experience helping clients of all ages and stages of their wellness journeys.

She graduated in 2002 from the Canadian College of Natural Medicine and is trained in a variety of techniques, including Craniosacral Therapy, General Swedish Massage, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, Deep Tissue Techniques, Trigger Point Therapy, Myofascial Techniques, Active/Passive Stretching Techniques, Somatic-Emotional Release, and Cupping.

Krista Murray takes a whole-body approach to healing, whether she’s helping athletes recover, relieving chronic pain, or simply melting away the stress of daily life. Her treatment room is a welcoming, inclusive space where safety and comfort come first.

Krista Murray is a registered massage therapist from Nova Scotia, with more than 20 years of expe... Read More

Read More

Dr. Robin Roeslen, ND

Dr. Robin Roeslen ND (she/her) has been a fully licensed and registered Naturopathic Doctor since 2011. She received her BSc Honours in Biochemistry from Mount Allison University prior to graduating from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto, Ont. Dr. Robin highly values the principle of “doctor as teacher” and is passionate in supporting her patients at any stage of their wellness journey. She is passionate about respecting that each person is an individual with different stories, lifestyles and health goals. She was drawn to Naturopathic Medicine because it combines naturally derived therapies with current empirical scientific evidence to create individualized, effective and empowering treatment plans. Dr. Robin has a general Naturopathic practice with special interests in fatigue, women’s health and preventative medicine, and can help address other aspects of your health and wellbeing.

Dr. Robin Roeslen, ND Dr. Robin Roeslen ND (she/her) has been a fully licensed and registered N... Read More