Nōmina Integrated Health Inc.— premier mental health facilities, specializing in dual diagnosis and complex conditions

Considering how much of a role mental health plays in each aspect of one’s life, it is important to guard and improve psychological wellness using appropriate measures.

Throughout your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behavior could be affected. Nomina Integrated Health. employs innovative methods to help people with their mental health problems and regain overall well-being. Nōmina Integrated Health clinics are premiere mental health centres, across Canada. They pride themselves on the highly experienced team of professionals who have a diverse range of advanced clinical modalities. All their counsellors are master’s level practitioners, who are highly skilled in working with more treatment-resistant complex disorders.

In conversation with Lisa Klco, Clinical Director

Q. Why was Nōmina Integrated Health founded? Can you tell us the gap Nōmina fills?

Nōmina was opened in response to the gaps we had seen working with complex mental health. Even before the pandemic we observed that many humans were struggling with treatable conditions, like trauma, persistent depression, or even other chronic pain conditions, however, they were often feeling unheard or overwhelmed with where it begin in a counselling process. We were seeing success in our community work helping overcome these challenges and wanted to see this extended to more people. This is why we started to open clinics across Canada working with our approach, and with other collaborative professionals who could help accelerate healing, as it provides a safe container to explore the concerns and to realize healing is possible.

Q. Does Nōmina Integrated Health have any principles by which it functions? If so, can you share how these principles help Nomina Wellness?

One of our principles is that every human is capable of healing and is doing the best they can. We see that even in someone’s more adaptive coping response, they are trying to have their needs met. Therefore we strive to work with them to understand how their coping may be standing in their own way, and to try something different. Our collaborative therapeutic approaches coupled with our advanced trainings have been modelled after years of scientific research on lasting transformational change.

As a company, we also really believe in radical transparency. We strive to empower our clients and their families to practice being honest and transparent with their struggles, feelings, and needs, allowing healing to take place on a unique level. We also practice this as a company and will endeavour to model this as clinicians with each other. Thus we have opportunities to grow from our own experiences collaboratively and learn from each other.  

Q. What role does innovation play in Nōmina’s treatment methodology?

Innovation plays an enormous role in the work we do. For us, it is about merging existing science, with healing. Combining innovative techniques Direct NeuroFeedback (DNF), somatic work like Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), with collaborative practices such as massage, holistic nutrition, or exercise therapy allows us to mobilize a person’s change process, to accelerate healing. We are also versed in other evidenced based therapies, which are important however may be mis-understood.

For example, by taking DBT strategies such as the TIPP skills, and supporting a client to implement them in stressful times with us, we essentially override the brain’s resistance and demonstrate what is possible. This helps people see the effectiveness of the skills. Although these skills are not new, putting them all together into an actualized treatment experience is part of the innovative process.

Q. What is Healing Centred Engagement (HCE)? Tell us how Nōmina Integrated Health implements this in its services.

At Nōmina, we believe that everyone can heal from within. Our approach is different from the standard treatment centers; we believe in Healing Centred Engagement (HCE).

HCE is a paradigm shift in how we approach treatment; we do not focus on asking what is wrong with you, or what happened to you, but more so on what your strengths are and what is right with you, and how can you use these things to heal.

TWe think the underlying reason behind a mental health issue is separate from the way that issue is expressed. We help you dig under the surface to find what is at the root of a particular issue and combine it with the successes you’ve had in your life to create new behavioral patterns. Our master’s level registered psychotherapists use this information to help you make connections about how your past influences your present and perhaps even your future.

This method allows us to address a wide breadth of mental health issues.

Q. Why did you find it necessary to have multiple facilities for your clients?

One of the greatest pieces we observed is people were struggling to find trusted care, especially as standards vary across provinces. We also noted people were moving, and shifting, and needed continuity of care. We consistently read about the mental health crisis, people not knowing where to turn to find resources. Let alone groups or other services. Things felt fractured. Therefore, it was integral to our company mission that we have trusted, quality care be available to individuals and their loved ones, across Canada. Thus, we have set out to have clinics available

Q. Would you like us to highlight something important happening in your company that we may have missed asking?

Creating community is so important to us, and it is perhaps one of the greatest innovative pieces we have done as a company. Building a national chain of trusted mental health clinicians who all have extensive training and experience in mental health is unique. It allows us to offer mental health services such as our no-charge walk-in clinics, our community groups, family programs, and counseling services at all of our locations as standard. This model has created opportunities to work with community-minded collaborative professionals and share the evidence-based practices with others, further offering to heal. It makes healing more accessible and helps to decrease the need for intensive levels of care.

Help people overcome addictions and improve their mental health

Lisa Klco, CD, Ph.D. (c), MSW, MACP, RSW, RCC, is the Clinical Director and a Registered Psychotherapist at Nōmina Integrated Health. Lisa’s primary work is in addiction treatment, mental health, and sexual health. She has extensive experience working with complex conditions. She often supervises clinicians as part of her clinical work ensuring high standards of clinical care.

Daniel Klco, CD, MACP, RCC, CPA, is a Registered Psychotherapist at Nomina Integrated Health Daniel’s practice as a clinical counselor includes somatic focus work (ISTDP) on mental health experiences including depression, anxiety, pain management addictions, sexual health,and complex medically unexplained conditions.