Nat Roman

Founder & Clinical Director
Registered Psychotherapist
Registered Marriage & Family Therapist

Waitlist

Session Types: Online

Clients:

  • Individuals (Adults & Adolescents)

  • Couples & Families

Specialities:

  • Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) & Intimacy from the Inside Out (IFIO)

  • Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT)

  • Nonviolent Communication (NVC)

  • Mindfulness & Self-Compassion

More About Nat

Nat has training and experience with a wide range of therapeutic models and techniques, including Solution Focused Brief Therapy and Narrative Therapy, however, he prefers to work from an experiential and mindfulness-based approach, helping clients to be more in tune with their moment-by-moment experience, learn more about their inner world, and increase their capacity to self-soothe and be emotionally present to others.

Nat’s path to becoming a therapist started long before his academic and professional training; with a life long interest in psychology, philosophy and meditation; and plenty of his own therapy along the way. Nat has taught workshops on mindfulness based practices, compassionate communication and community-based restorative conflict processes in Canada and the US in community and academic settings and within the context of traditional Buddhist retreats.

Back in the Palaeolithic era, Nat worked as a professional musician and strongly believes that creativity is an essential part of life, whether one is engaged in a formal creative discipline, problem solving, or trying to get kids off to school in the morning.

In Nat’s Words

I love being a therapist. I am constantly challenged to grow, face my own demons, and become more authentically who I am in the therapy room and wherever I show up in my life. What a gift.

There is nothing sweeter than when one of my clients is able to bring a new clarity or tender-heartedness to their own struggles, or to those of their partner, and discover new possibilities in what had previously felt stuck and claustrophobic. We all need these slivers of light in our darkest times, and a path forward. I feel profoundly fortunate to have a career that lets me wade in the muck of our shared existence and learn and grow alongside of all of you.

Education

• Master of Science (MSc) in Couple & Family Therapy

• Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology

Relevant Facts

• Extensive training in mindfulness, meditation and Buddhist Psychology

• Background in Nonviolent Communication (NVC), restorative justice practices, and human rights

Irrelevant Facts

• Former professional musician

• Tries hard to not eat Doritos despite taunting by his kids

• Father of twins

Q&A

  • Couple Therapy Toronto started as my own solo private practice in 2013 but when my practice started to outgrow what one therapist could offer, I brought on a friend and it grew from there, one therapist at a time. I never planned on starting a group practice, but it has been a really amazing experience, with the exception of the period of the pandemic - that sucked.

  • I was interested in studying couple and family therapy because I truly believe that so much of our wellbeing depends on the strength of our relationships and I really wanted to understand as much I could about how to support strong and fulfilling relationships of all kinds.

    Since couple therapy is a passion of mine and most therapists are not trained in couple therapy and don’t enjoy doing it, I figured it made sense for this to be a focus of my practice. I also hoped it might help me figure out my own relationships ; )

  • I did a little bit of everything, from jazz, to traditional Irish music, but I mainly played in pop/rock bands. Most of my music is still unpublished, sitting half recorded on hard drives for the last twenty years. Other albums that I played on are somewhere out there, but nothing made a big splash so it is unlikely that you would have come across it. My first solo album can be found on some streaming sites, strangely mixed together with a Brazilian musician from the 1950’s who happens to also be named Nat Roman. I’m proud of that young guy (me from 1998) who made that album on an 8-track mainly in my closet, but I recorded a lot better music after that - I swear.

Areas of Focus

  • Academic Stress

  • ADHD / Attention Issues

  • Anger Management

  • Anxiety

  • Attachment Issues

  • Career Stress / Burnout

  • Caregiver Stress

  • Codependency

  • Communication Skills

  • Co-Parenting

  • Creativity Blocks

  • Depression

  • Disordered Eating / Emotional Eating

  • Divorce / Separation

  • Emotional Abuse

  • Empty Nest Syndrome

  • Estrangement

  • Existential Concerns

  • Family Conflict

  • Friendships / Social Issues

  • Gender Identity

  • Grief and Loss

  • Health Anxiety / Hypochondria

  • Identity & Values Clarification

  • Identity Exploration

  • Imposter Syndrome

  • Infidelity / Trust Issues

  • Intercultural Relationships

  • Jealousy / Insecurity

  • LGBTQIA+ Affirming

  • Life Transitions

  • Low Libido / Sexual Dysfunction

  • Midlife Crisis

  • Motivation / Goal Setting

  • New Parents / Postpartum Adjustment

  • Panic Attacks / Panic Disorder

  • Parent-Child Relationship

  • Parenting Challenges

  • Perfectionism

  • Polyamory / Open Relationships

  • Pornography Addiction

  • Procrastination

  • Relationship Conflict

  • Religious Trauma

  • Retirement Adjustment

  • Safety Planning

  • Self-Compassion

  • Self-Esteem / Confidence

  • Sexual Issues / Intimacy

  • Sexual Orientation

  • Shame / Guilt

  • Single Parenting

  • Social Skills

  • Spirituality & Faith Struggles

  • Suicidal Thoughts / Self-Harm

  • Systemic Oppression

  • Technology / Screen Addiction

  • Trauma

  • Transition to Adulthood

  • Workplace Harassment / Discrimination

  • Work-Life Balance

Not sure which therapist is right for you, or where to start? Check out our article on how to choose the right therapist for some quick guidance, or use our contact form and click “Match Me”.