Meet Dr. Norann Richard

I am a registered psychologist with the Nova Scotia Regulators in Psychology (R0862).

I completed my Masters and PhD in Clinical Psychology from Simon Fraser University.

As part of my doctorate in Clinical Psychology, I completed a one year internship with the Alberta Health Service. My major rotations focused on Health Psychology, including treatment of individuals with HIV and neurological disorders, and Adult Mental Health, focused on assessment and treatment of variety of mental health concerns, particular anxiety and mood disorders.

After I received my PhD, I completed a one year postdoctoral fellowship with the University of Wisconsin Hospital. This fellowship focused predominantly on health psychology, wherein I worked with in inpatient medical units, providing bedside counselling to patients in the hospital for a variety of health concerns. I worked extensively with multidisciplinary teams in units such as Burn, Trauma, and Rehabilitation.

After completing my postdoctoral fellowship, I worked for several years at the University of Wisconsin Pain clinic. This involved collaboration with a multidisciplinary team to help individuals cope with chronic pain and headaches. This frequently involved treatment of associated depression, anxiety, interpersonal challenges, and trauma. I was also involved in developing and co-leading a number of psychology groups to assist with coping with medical conditions, and evaluating people for suitability for interventions and surgical procedures.

From 2017 to 2026, I worked with CBI Health in Halifax, NS. This job involved multidisciplinary collaboration to assist people coping with physical or psychological injuries/trauma suffered at work or in motor vehicle accidents, including first responders. I also provided individual psychological treatment for difficulties such as anxiety, depression, managing chronic medical conditions, and managing family stressors, as well as doing diagnostic assessments for WCB and Veterans Affairs.

I consider myself an integrative practitioner, with some caveats. What does this look like as a client? I use techniques from a variety of empirically based approaches, meaning that I prefer to use treatments that have been supported by research. Having a PhD in clinical psychology has given me the skill set to conduct and evaluate research on psychological treatment, so I can be sure that what I am offering is what has been shown to help. But I don’t simply pick at random from the techniques that I have been trained in or do a one sized fits all approach. I base my approach on case conceptualization- namely, what is my understanding of what has brought you into treatment with me, what factors have led to your current struggles, what strengths you have, how you see your problem(s), and what you are hoping to achieve in treatment.

I am trained in a variety of approaches, including cognitive-behavioural therapy, mindfulness based approaches, acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive processing therapy, clinical hypnosis, and prolonged exposure. I also use techniques from biopsychosocial approaches, interpersonal therapy, and psychoeducational approaches. Above all, what I do is grounded in the relationship— the biggest predictor of success in psychotherapy is the strength of our relationship, so rapport and comfort are not just nice, they are crucial.

It means that our work is collaborative. We are going to work together on goals and what you want to change in your life, or what you feel like you need support around. While I often have ideas on what I think would be a good direction, you ultimately get to decide if what I suggest feels like a good fit for you. I don’t do one size fits all therapy- I want what we work on to feel tailored to your strengths, your goals, and our understanding of what brought you to therapy.

It also means that I want you to ask questions of me. I love to nerd out and explain the rationale behind my suggestions and strategies.

It means that there will be work outside of our sessions. Change can’t happen in only an hour once every week or month. What this work will be depends on you and my understanding of you. For some people, this involves weekly goals. For others, it involves writing. Other prefer to have something to look out for and observe. It sometimes involves practicing new coping skills. Some people love worksheets, some people hate them. I aim to adapt this to what works for you.

I aim to make psychotherapy accessible and take away some of the misunderstandings about what change looks like. I want to translate things into the language of your everyday life, so that what we discuss fits with how you understand yourself and your struggles. l often use humour in my visits, and I also use a lot of examples and analogies. I like to think I am able to navigate being compassionate, caring, and present, while also being able to push back in a kind way when you are falling into old patterns or getting in your own way.

While the bulk of what I do in the day to day of being a psychologist is psychotherapy, I am excited to get back to some of the other areas of passion in this new practice. I have done a considerable amount of talks and outreach to other professionals about topics such as managing pain in a medical context or correcting misperceptions about PTSD, and would love to be able to return to some of this work of making psychology more accessible to the public and other professionals. I have enjoyed supervising practicum students and new psychologists in the past, and would love to hear from candidate register psychologists who think that I would be a good fit for their supervision. I am also joining the Nova Scotia Regulators in Psychology’s Professional Conduct Committee this summer, and look forward to helping ensure psychologists in Nova Scotia are practicing in the most ethical way possible. I also have published chapters and articles on a variety of topics, from intergroup relations to the psychology of pain to online misogyny (find my Google Scholar here.)

I decided to become a psychologist as a teenager after taking a career aptitude test in high school. We were asked to write a report about the career choice we were deemed well-suited for and the education it required. I was sour that my career test did not deem me suitable to become an actress, but after some honest self-reflection, I realized that psychologist was actually both well suited to my personality and interests, and probably a lot more of a reliable career field.

Thankfully, my career aptitude test did pick up on something, and I never looked back after my first psychology course at the age of 17. I love what I do, and am honoured that my clients trust me with their struggles and their successes. I also love that my job is never boring and that I am constantly learning from my clients. It is a true joy to learn about people’s aspirations, backgrounds, and desire for change.

I am thrilled to be transitioning to my own private practice, which has been my goal for much of my career. I cherish being able to do my work in a value-driven way, focusing on providing ethically, compassionate, and personalized care.

Outside of my professional life, I have slowly made my way from West to East, growing up in BC, with a few stopovers in Alberta and Wisconsin, before settling in Halifax in 2017. I enjoy time with my family, yoga, cooking, reading, podcasts, long walks, and exploring new towns and neighbourhoods.