About Lisa Koole

If You Are Carrying Too Much

You are the one everyone counts on. You care for your parents, support your kids, show up at work, and keep the household running, while your own needs wait at the bottom of the list. Lately the exhaustion does not lift with a weekend off, your mind stays busy long after the day ends, and food has become one of the few things that offers relief.

Maybe you have tried to fix it on your own with a new plan, more discipline, or simply pushing harder. When that does not last, it is easy to conclude that something is wrong with you.

Nothing is wrong with you; what you are feeling often makes sense once we understand the load you have been carrying and what it has done to your nervous system. I help capable, caring adults in midlife recover from burnout, ease anxiety and emotional eating, and build steadier ground with support that respects their real lives.

My Story

My career began in Guelph, first in long-term residential addictions treatment and then in a mental health and addictions hospital, supporting people through both inpatient and outpatient care. It was meaningful work, and it was also emotionally intense. Over time, it led to my own burnout and illness, and I had to slow down and pay closer attention to my nervous system, my boundaries, and my capacity.

That experience changed how I practise. It showed me that insight alone is rarely enough, and that lasting change also needs compassion, a sense of physiological safety, and an understanding of how the body responds to stress. It is also why I trained in holistic nutrition, after seeing how often sleep, movement, and food shaped my clients' emotional wellbeing.

Outside the therapy room, I am a wife and a parent of adult children, and I understand how full and complicated midlife can be. My style is calm, warm, and non-judgmental. I listen carefully, explain what we are doing and why, and work at a pace that feels manageable for you.

How I Can Help

Help for Burnout

Burnout often shows up as exhaustion that rest does not fix, irritability, and a sense of running on empty. Together we look at what is draining you and rebuild your capacity in steps that fit your life. Learn more about burnout therapy.

Help for Anxiety

High-functioning anxiety can look like productivity on the outside and constant worry underneath. We work with both your thoughts and your nervous system, so calm becomes something you can return to. Learn more about anxiety therapy.

Help for Emotional Eating

If food has become a way to cope with stress or emotion, we explore what it is doing for you and build other sources of comfort, using a non-diet approach. Learn more about therapy for emotional eating concerns here. For nutrition-specific support, I also offer holistic nutrition services.

Help with Relationships and Boundaries

Many of my clients find it hard to ask for what they need. In individual therapy, you learn to communicate your needs, set boundaries, and step back from people-pleasing.

Help in Midlife

Perimenopause, menopause, caring for aging parents, and children leaving home can change how you feel and how you see yourself. Therapy offers space to move through these changes with more steadiness.

Learn more about therapy with Lisa.

My Approach

My practice sits at the intersection of emotional health, nervous system resiliency, and sustainable behaviour change. Rather than rigid strategies or quick fixes, our work helps you:

• understand your emotional and physiological patterns

• strengthen your internal capacity

• build realistic, supportive self-care practices

• reduce self-criticism

• respond to life with greater steadiness

I draw on evidence-based approaches, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), somatic and trauma-focused therapy, self-compassion work, and HeartMath®. The goal is not perfection, but change that feels grounded and maintainable.

Registrations and Certifications

• Registered Psychotherapist, College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario, #003928 (since 2016)

• Registered Holistic Nutrition Practitioner, Global Association for Integrative Nutrition (formerly CAIN), #1702505 (2024)

• Registered Health & Nutrition Counselor, Health Coach Alliance (2022)

• HeartMath® Certified Practitioner, HeartMath Institute (2021)

• Canadian Certified Addiction Counsellor, Canadian Addiction Counselors Certification Federation (2015 to 2023)

Education

• Advanced Holistic Nutrition, NutraPhoria School of Holistic Nutrition (2024)

• Holistic Nutrition and Health Coaching, NutraPhoria School of Holistic Nutrition (2022)

• Addiction Education Certificate, McMaster University (2017)

• Bachelor of Arts, Sociology, University of Waterloo (1995)

Advanced Clinical Training

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Beck Institute for Better Health: CBT Essentials (2018), CBT for Anxiety, CBT for Depression, CBT for Personality Disorders, CBT for Suicide Prevention, Integrating Mindfulness into CBT, and CBT for Weight Loss and Maintenance

• Self-Compassion and Emotional Resilience, Dr. Kristin Neff

• Clinical Strategies to Resolve Traumatic Memories, Peter A. Levine, PhD, PESI (2024)

• Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD, Dr. Candice Monson, PhD, C.Psych., and Dr. Kathleen M. Chard, PhD (2018)

• Emotionally Focused Therapy: EFT Attachment Science in Practice, Dr. Sue Johnson, Psychwire (2023)

• 5-Day DBT Skills Training, Dr. Andrew Eckblad, PhD, C.Psych. (2017)

• Brain Story Certification, Alberta Family Wellness Initiative

• Intensive Tobacco Cessation Counselling, University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine (2016)

• Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN) Assessment Training (2017)