Jessica Armstrong, RP

Registered Psychotherapist

Hi, I’m Jessica! I am a Registered Psychotherapist with extensive training supporting individuals during the perinatal period, including pregnancy and postpartum. As a mother of two young children, I understand how this stage of life can drastically shift the way we see ourselves, our relationships, and the world around us. My work is dedicated to helping mothers navigate these profound changes with compassion, insight, and practical tools to support their wellbeing. My intention is to help my clients feel more grounded, confident, and secure in their role, and better able to manage the day-to-day challenges and chaos of parenting.

Why Work With Me?

Motherhood brings both joy and challenges. My goal is to help you integrate new understandings of yourself, not only as a mother, but as a whole person in relationship to both yourself and others. I take a biopsychosocial approach, considering physical needs, relational dynamics, social supports, and familial history, helping you build confidence, connection, and trust during this transformative period.

My Approach

I provide a warm, client-centred environment where you can safely explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. My approach draws from:

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

  • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)

  • Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT)

  • Attachment-Based Therapy

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS)

  • Relational Therapy

My goal is to help you feel empowered, supported, and more balanced in your role and identity, so that you can show up in parenthood with greater ease and confidence. I often explore early attachment patterns, unmet needs, as well as how past coping strategies such as perfectionism or hyper-independence, may show up in motherhood.

Education

  • Master’s in Counselling Psychology, Yorkville University

  • Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University

Certifications & Training

  • ACT Bootcamp

  • ACT as a Process-Based Therapy — Presented by Steven Hayes (May 1–2, 2019)

  • ACT for Couples — Presented by Benjamin Schoendorff & Kathryn Palmer (June 21–22, 2019)

  • Canadian Certified Perinatal Mental Health (PMH) Training

  • Certificate for Grief Treatment: Current Evidence-Based Approaches to Care Across the Lifespan

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Eating Disorders: Core Components for Adults (The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre)

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Trauma

  • Foundations of Narrative Therapy Certificate Training

  • IFS + Postpartum Anxiety Workshop (with Christine Cunningham and Kelley Hassanpour)

  • Perinatal Mental Health Conference, 3-day Conference (2024)

Professional Memberships

  • College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO)

  • Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA)

Research & Publications

  • McDonald, K. P., Armstrong, J., Vincent, M., Williams, T., & Westmacott, R. (2017, June). Specific language and attention difficulties following childhood basal ganglia stroke. Poster submitted for presentation at the Canadian Psychological Association, Toronto, Ontario.

  • Blichowski, M., Shephard, A., Armstrong, J., Shen, L., Cortez, M. A., Eubanks, J. H., Snead, O. C. (2015, May). The GIRK2 subunit is involved in IS-like seizures induced by GABAB receptor agonists. Epilepsia, 56(7), 1081–1087.