The Mind Garden Mission: to support, educate, and empower each person I work with, and when they choose, those who walk beside them. My goal is to nurture overall well-being and encourage meaningful growth in mind, body, and soul.

I believe in meeting people where they are, using a person-centred approach that honours your unique story and pace. Together, we can explore ways to create balance and wellness in everyday life through awareness, connection, and compassionate self-care. Through education, skill-building, and supportive guidance, I strive to create a safe space for healing and growth. My work is rooted in professionalism, evidence-based practice, and a genuine belief in the power of doing the inner work and staying open to change.



Hello, my name is Kate Hovey, and I’m truly grateful you’re here.


 I am a licensed Canadian Registered Social Worker with over a decade of experience in the social services field, based in my hometown of Fredericton, NB. Along with personal experience, throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working in both frontline, leadership, and management roles across community and clinical settings. These experiences have given me a deep understanding of the systemic gaps that impact individuals and families, gaps that I’ve seen firsthand affect our communities.


I am passionate about improving access to mental health support and education, both for individuals seeking care and for the loved ones who support them. This has led me to take an inclusive, holistic approach to therapy, where clients may involve trusted supports when it feels appropriate. I also recognize the demands of everyday life and strive to offer flexible services, including evening and alternative session times, to make therapy more accessible and manageable.

Our mind is much like a garden. When nurtured, it can flourish with clarity, resilience, and purpose. When left unattended, it can become overgrown with stress, unhelpful thoughts, or emotions that feel difficult to navigate. Just as a garden needs sunlight, soil, pruning, and care, our mental and emotional well-being requires attention from many angles, self-awareness, healthy habits, emotional regulation, and meaningful connections. Tending to our inner world isn’t always easy. Some days feel like planting seeds of new habits; others feel like pulling the deep roots of long-held beliefs. And sometimes, it’s simply learning to sit with what is growing. But with the right support, each step becomes part of a larger process of growth. This belief is why I chose the name   The Mind Garden for my therapy practice. It reflects the idea that with guidance, intention, and compassion, every person can cultivate a healthier, more vibrant inner landscape. My goal is to help you nurture that growth, one thoughtful step at a time.


At The Mind Garden, healing happens in a supportive environment where trust, respect, and collaboration are at the heart of the therapeutic process. I believe in working therapeutically and taking the time to do the proper work. Sometimes traditional talk therapy isn’t effective for everyone, so I like to incorporate alternative approaches into our sessions. These may include art-based activities, educational work/ workbooks. and various mindfulness or grounding techniques. Together, we’ll work toward cultivating insight, resilience, and positive change, one step at a time.


 I approach therapy as both a supportive and goal-oriented process. While emotional expression is important, I believe that integrating therapeutic dialogue with psychosocial education, skill-building, and evidence-based practices can foster lasting change. Sessions may include structured workshops or interventions tailored to your strengths, needs, and long-term goals. 


My practice is grounded in compassionate, client-focused care and guided by an understanding of how life experiences and challenges can shape each individual’s journey. I also draw on anti-oppressive values to ensure a safe, respectful, and collaborative space where clients can explore their experiences, build resilience, and work toward meaningful, sustainable change.

2SLGBTQIA+ and Two-Spirit ally.

Approaches

Theraputic

  • Individual therapy for children, youth, adults and seniors
  • Mental health and addiction therapy and education
  • Support for navigating life transitions and identity
  • Crisis intervention and stabilization planning
  • Psychosocial education and skill-building
  • System navigation and advocacy


Practice Approaches

I draw on a multi-modal theoretical foundations, integrating:

  • Person-Centered Therapies
  • Trauma-Informed Practices
  • Systems Theory 
  • Relationship-Based Approaches
  • Cognitive, Behavioral, and Narrative Techniques
  • Strengths-Based and Anti-Oppressive Frameworks


Professional Experience

  • Crisis Counselling
  • Sexual Assault and Domestic Abuse Crisis Intervention
  • Spectrum and Neurodivergences
  • Mood disorders, including BD, BPD, Bipolar type 1 & 2
  • Schizophrenia and psychosis- spectrum conditions
  • Anxiety and Generalized Anxiety Disorder
  • OCD
  • Depression and suicide (safety plans)
  • Hoarding
  • Gambling
  • Emotion regulations, boundaries
  • Grief, bereavement, and loss.
  • Substance use, addiction, and co-occurring disorders
  • Relationships and family dynamics
  • Complex traumas, including childhood trauma and PTSD
  • Workplace: Burnout, compassion fatigue, workplace trauma exposures


Therapy Techniques

  1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  2. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
  3. Narrative Therapy (Includes Talk therapy, Play-based therapy, Expressive therapies, Art therapies, etc.)
  4. Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
  5. Behavioural Activation & Exposure Therapy
  6. Emotionally focused therapy (EFT), the Gottman Method is used with couples and relationship dynamics.
  7. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) COMING SOON




How does it work?

1. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Definition:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a structured, evidence-based form of psychotherapy that helps individuals identify and change unhelpful patterns of thinking (cognitions) and behaviour.

What it Does:
CBT teaches clients to recognize negative or distorted thought patterns, challenge them with evidence, and replace them with more balanced and constructive thoughts. It also incorporates behavioural strategies, such as exposure or activity scheduling, to promote healthier behaviours.

Used For:

  • Anxiety disorders
  • Depression
  • PTSD
  • OCD
  • Insomnia
  • Phobias

Example in Practice:
A person with social anxiety may believe, “Everyone will think I’m stupid if I speak up.” CBT would help them examine this belief, gather evidence against it, and practice new coping skills (like assertiveness) in social settings.


Exposure Therapy:  A cognitive-behavioral technique used to help clients gradually face and reduce fear and avoidance related to specific thoughts, memories, objects, or situations.


Behavioral Activation:  A core CBT-based treatment for depression that focuses on increasing engagement in meaningful, rewarding, or value-driven activities to counteract withdrawal, isolation, and inactivity.


2. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

Definition:
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy is a form of cognitive-behavioural treatment that emphasizes the balance between acceptance and change. It was originally developed to treat individuals with borderline personality disorder, but is now used more broadly.

What it Does:
DBT focuses on teaching skills in four core areas:

  • Mindfulness (being present in the moment)
  • Distress Tolerance (managing crisis situations without making them worse)
  • Emotion Regulation (understanding and managing intense emotions)
  • Interpersonal Effectiveness (navigating relationships in a healthy way)

Used For:

  • Emotion dysregulation
  • Borderline personality disorder
  • Self-harm and suicidal behaviours
  • Eating disorders
  • PTSD and substance use (in some adaptations)

Example in Practice:
A client learning DBT might be taught a distress tolerance skill like “TIPP” (temperature, intense exercise, paced breathing, progressive muscle relaxation) to use during a panic attack.


3. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Definition:
EMDR is a trauma-focused therapy that uses bilateral stimulation (such as guided eye movements) to help clients process and reduce the emotional impact of distressing or traumatic memories.

What it Does:
EMDR allows clients to access and reprocess traumatic memories in a way that is less emotionally overwhelming. The process helps the brain “digest” the trauma so it no longer feels as present or intrusive.

Used For:

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Complex trauma
  • Anxiety, phobias
  • Grief, panic disorders
  • Addiction and chronic pain (in adapted formats)

Example in Practice:
A client might recall a traumatic memory while following the therapist’s fingers with their eyes. During the bilateral stimulation, the distress often lessens, and new, healthier beliefs (e.g., “I’m safe now”) are integrated.


4. Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)

Definition:

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is a brief, evidence-based form of psychotherapy used to help people process and resolve distressing memories, trauma, and emotional challenges. ART is especially effective for trauma-related concerns, anxiety, depression, grief, and other stress-based issues.

What it does:

ART uses guided eye movements (similar to REM sleep) while the therapist helps the client recall difficult experiences in a safe and controlled way. These eye movements help the brain reprocess memories so they no longer trigger intense emotional or physical reactions.


During an ART session:

  • The therapist guides the client through slow, rhythmic eye movements
  • The client briefly focuses on a distressing memory or issue
  • The brain naturally reprocesses the memory, reducing emotional distress
  • Clients are then guided to replace distressing images with more positive or neutral ones


Importantly, clients do not need to share detailed descriptions of the trauma aloud, making ART a less verbally demanding and often more comfortable approach.


Used For:

ART has been shown to help with:

  • Post-traumatic stress (PTSD)
  • Anxiety and panic
  • Depression
  • Grief and loss
  • Phobias
  • Relationship stress
  • Chronic stress and emotional regulation difficulties


Many clients experience relief in fewer sessions compared to traditional talk therapy.


  • Non-invasive and gentle
  • Client-controlled pace
  • Does not require reliving trauma in detail
  • Often produces rapid results
  • Empowers clients to feel calm and in control


Example in Practice:

Clients often report:

  • Reduced emotional intensity when recalling difficult events
  • Improved sleep and mood
  • Greater sense of calm and clarity
  • Increased ability to cope with stressors


Each session is collaborative and tailored to the client’s comfort level and goals.


 5. Narrative Therapy

Definition:
Narrative Therapy is a collaborative and non-pathologizing approach to counselling that centers on the stories people tell about their lives. It is grounded in the belief that identity is shaped by these stories, and that people are not defined by their problems.

What it Does:
Narrative Therapy helps clients “separate” themselves from their problems (externalization), explore how those problems developed within broader social or cultural contexts, and re-author their stories to align with their values, strengths, and preferred identities.

Core Principles:

  • Externalizing the problem: The problem is the problem, not the person.
  • Deconstructing dominant narratives: Examining social, cultural, and systemic influences.
  • Re-authoring conversations: Creating new, empowering stories of self.

Used For:

  • Identity exploration
  • Trauma and grief
  • Depression and anxiety
  • Eating disorders
  • Relationship issues
  • Marginalized populations (especially helpful with LGBTQIA+, Indigenous, and culturally diverse clients)

Example in Practice:
A client struggling with depression might be guided to externalize the issue by referring to it as “The Fog” that visits them. Together, the therapist and client explore times when the client resisted “The Fog” and draw out themes of strength and resilience, helping to build a preferred story of agency and hope.

Narrative Therapy is especially effective for those who have been defined by stigmatizing labels or oppressive experiences. It supports the idea that people are the authors of their own lives, capable of change, redefinition, and meaning-making.

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