Meet Your Therapist

Kari Bragg

RCT-C | CCC | RN

Hi, I’m Kari!

Before becoming a therapist:

• I was a nurse for 20 years (and I still am).

• I spent most of my nursing career in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, but have also worked in my home province of Nova Scotia.

• I’ve worked in many areas as a nurse including oncology, orthopedics, addictions, corrections, home care, and as a sexual assault nurse examiner, just to name a few.

So why did I become a therapist?

I felt that people with chronic pain, people with addictions, (people with both chronic pain and addiction), and caregivers of those facing health challenges weren’t getting enough support. I wanted to find a way to be able to better support those of you going through isolating experiences like addiction, chronic pain, and caregiving.

My own journey shaped me too.

I’ve navigated many struggles myself and they’ve taught me the value of having someone to can walk alongside me in the hard times. Not to “fix” me - but to help me feel seen, heard, and understood.

What will we do in therapy?

It depends on what you need. Everyone is unique. You and I will collaborate and come up with a plan together based on your unique goals and needs. It could be talk therapy to help you work out a problem you’re not sure how to navigate, you might just need some support or help learning coping strategies for what you’re going through, or it could look like coaching sessions where I support you to achieve your goals. Maybe you want to explore feelings or relationships or something else altogether. Identity, Isolation, loneliness, and overwhelm are all common topics for many of the people I work with.

If you choose to join a Pain Reprocessing Therapy Group for chronic pain, you will be in a group with a maximum of 8 people where you will learn about pain, and how to retrain your brain to experience pain in a less threatening way that has been shown to decrease and even cure chronic pain in many people. Read more about that here. Pain Reprocessing Therapy is also available as individual sessions if groups aren’t your thing.

How many sessions will I need?

That’s up to you and depends on what you hope to get out of our work together. Some people want regular weekly sessions. If you’re going through a difficult time, we might need a couple times a week until you’re feeling like you’re in a better place. Some people just want/need two or three sessions , or a one off session to help them get back on track. Often I will see people regularly for a while (6 weeks, a couple months) and then they’ll take a break and just book a session here and there (every month or two), or come back to regular sessions again in the future when they have something else they need help with or want to work on. Groups are generally 6 or 8 weeks depending on which group you sign up for.

If you’re a nurse, can you give me medical advice?

I don’t give medical advice - but I can help you navigate your medical/health journey. This might look like helping you understand your medical condition, or coaching you if you’re struggling to make changes suggested by your doctor or nurse practitioner. It’s common to get home from your doctors appointment and realize that although you understood what you were told, you’re not quite sure how to start making changes or what it is that you’re supposed to do exactly. I’ve also learned that sometimes people aren’t sure what they should be asking their doctor about, or how to ask their doctor certain questions. Coaching is often just 2 or 3 sessions, or even a one off.