About
Olivia Smith, ND, MA, RP(Q)
Therapist: Sports Therapy, individual therapy (Ages 10+) and Couples Therapy.
Specializing in anxiety, stress management, trauma, and sports performance. I like to approach each client as a unique individual and use a holistic, client centered approach. While working together we will collaborate to design a personal plan to address your needs.
Hi everyone!
My name is Olivia and I am the newest therapist at Simply Connected Therapy. Before learning anything else about me there are two things you need to know; 1) I love working with people and 2) I love my job, I truly can’t imagine doing anything else.
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I specialize in anxiety, stress management, trauma, and sports performance. If you are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, like you want to be better and you have no idea where to start you are exactly the type of person I work with. Through encouragement and non-judgmental support, you can access your own strength, skills, and personal expertise to achieve personal empowerment and wellness. As a therapist I foster connections with clients to create a supportive, warm, and strength-based environment to help you reach your fullest potential. My goal is to help you reach your goals!
I have a unique educational background; I recently finished my Master of Arts Counselling Psychology program through Yorkville University in Fredericton, New Brunswick. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Adventure Therapy and a certificate in Leadership and Environmental Sustainability from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia. I also hold a diploma in Outdoor Adventure Guiding from Algonquin College in Pembroke, Ontario as well as a certificate in Mental Health and Addiction Studies from Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto, Ontario. I believe in lifelong learning in all capacities, and I am continuing my studies at the Toronto Metropolitan University by working towards a certificate in Indigenous Knowledges and Experiences.
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I like to approach each client as a unique individual and use a holistic, client centered approach. While working together we will collaborate to design a personal plan to address your needs. You are worthy and deserving of a personalized therapeutic experience. Therefore, I incorporate multiple approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy, EMDR, mindfulness, integrative somatic therapy, dialectical behavioural therapy, breath work and the Gottman method into practice to ensure that we can create the right approach to optimize your wellbeing.
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If you are interested in working together, book a FREE TELEPHONE CONSULTATION with me!
During this time, we will explore if we are a good fit for one another and how we can work together to help you reach your goals.
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*I provide services to Ontario, Newfoundland and British Columbia residents*
Olivia Smith -
Learn more about my sport’s journey!
It takes an athlete to know an athlete. Becoming and being an elite athlete isn’t just a hobby, it’s a lifestyle. As someone who has been an athlete my entire life, I have a deeper understanding of how hard you work, the effort you put in and how much time it takes to reach your goals.
​I began my athletic career, like most people, in recreational sports. I ran my first cross country race at 7 years old and ran for my school team every year until my second year of university. It was when I was 16 that I became an elite athlete. A poster recruiting athletes for the 2013 Canada Games Triathlon team was posted on my locker at school. This was my introduction to triathlons which quickly became my lifestyle and an obsession.
Shortly after seeing that poster I joined the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Triathlon Team. In many ways I felt in over my head, going from being a recreational runner and competitive swimmer to becoming a triathlete who trained like it was their full-time job, it was a BIG adjustment not just for me but my family as well. I needed to compete in races where some of my competition had been doing triathlons their entire lives which was intimidating. Some of my first races were part of Triathlon Canada’s Junior Elite race series which gave me the opportunity to race across the country and in the 2013 Canada Summer Games. In these races I was in the back of the pack trying my best to finish. However, finishing in the back made me more motivated than ever; I wanted to succeed like I wanted to breath.​
Due to living in Newfoundland and being in a more uncommon sport at a young age my training plan needed to be creative and holistic. I had a brilliant coach who worked with me virtually while he lived in New Brunswick who had a huge influence on my life. I spent much of my time training alone and when not training alone I was on a variety of teams to help support me socially but also support my training plan.
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The next season I had the opportunity to train at the National Training Centre in Florida as well as take part in my first international race. The extra training paid off and that season I qualified to compete for age group team Canada at the following ITU World Triathlon Championships while racing at the Canadian National Championships as well as completing my first 70.3 iron distance (half Ironman) triathlon. At the end of the summer, I was ranked the top female triathlete in Newfoundland and Labrador. It was one heck of a race season! The following summer I had the privilege of racing at the World Triathlon Championships in Chicago, Illinois.
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The next year, 2016, rocked my world when I stepped back from triathlons to focus on adventure sports. I enrolled at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia with the goal of becoming a professional adventure guide. A required part of my program was mountaineering. Needless to say, growing up at sea level in Newfoundland did not prepare me for altitudes. On my first (and second) mountaineering trip I got altitude sickness and learned that mountaineering wasn't a viable career path for me. I was unable to stay in this program because of my physical limitations which really challenged my identity and how I viewed myself as an athlete and as a person. This was extremely stressful, it was my first time living away from home, I was no longer training as a triathlete nor was I succeeding in my education, it felt like my life had taken a turn into the unknown in the worst possible way.
However, it did lead me to discovering Adventure Therapy as well as going to a mental health therapist for the first time. These two new things coupled my love of education, sports, adventure, and a newfound passion for mental health advocacy in a way I had never considered before, and I LOVED IT! This was when I decided to become a therapist.
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After my undergraduate I knew I was going to be a therapist, but it was still important to me to become an adventure guide. So, I moved to Pembroke Ontario to attended the outdoor adventure guiding program at Algonquin College. Here I studied a variety of sports such as white-water rafting, rock climbing, ice climbing, Nordic skiing, alpine skiing, sea kayaking, mountain biking, bike touring, canoeing and so much more! Throughout my schooling I had the opportunity to work as a sea kayaking guide, a backpacking guide, and an outdoor instructor. I spent much of my time advocating for the benefits of the outdoors on mental health and how it can be used to support therapeutic treatment. Then after graduating in 2020, I returned to Newfoundland.
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Once home I was eager to enter the world of elite athletics again and volunteered as the assistant coach for the Provincial Road Cycling Team and Canada Games Road Cycling team. Becoming a coach gave me a whole new perspective on what it means to be an athlete. Being a great athlete is not only about being the best version of yourself while competing, but also about learning to be the best version of yourself in general. Unfortunately, I had to step back from my coaching position to pursue graduate school. But that coaching philosophy has stayed with me and has influenced how I work with each of my clients. Sports therapy for me is about ensuring each client reaches their goals in the unique way that is best for them and that it benefits them not only in competition but throughout every aspect of their life.
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Since finishing graduate school, I am pleased to say I am slowly making my way back to the sport I love and competed in my first triathlon since 2018 this past August. In my off time during the summer you can almost always find me outside, running with my dog, kayaking, swimming, hiking, or riding my bike. In the winter you will find me cross country skiing, downhill skiing, snow shoeing, at swim practice, reading or attempting to quilt.
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I hope after reading my long-winded background that you enjoyed it, connected with it, or maybe even noticed a bit of yourself in it. Ultimately, I hope it makes you feel like you have a better understanding of who I am, where I come from and if I am someone you would like to have as your therapist. If so, I hope to meet you in a consultation so we can see if we would be a good fit for one another and explore how I can help you achieve your goals.
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Wishing you all the best,
Olivia Smith