Erin Thompson – Bringing Psychotherapy Services To Inverary

Jeff Green | Oct 09, 2024

Erin Thompson is starting something that is new to the basket of services at Back to Health in Inverary, and it is a relatively new practice for her as well.

She has been working for the past 17 years as a Physical Educator at Royal Military College (RMC) in Kingston, and over that time she has come across a number of students who were experiencing a variety of challenges in their lives that made it difficult for them to thrive in her classes and in other aspects of their education at the college.

“When the mind and body are under psychological stress, it can feel exhausting and draining to go to work, to think with clarity, to be active, to regulate your emotions, to sleep, to eat healthy food, to go without addictive substances, and to have the confidence and patience required to tend to important relationships,” she said.

“Although I started my career with a focus on inspiring others to become more physically active and make positive changes to their lifestyle, I quickly realised that change largely occurs in the mind if it isn’t inspired by physical action.”

She said that in order to help students in her classes who were having difficulties, she would refer them to other professionals at the college, but “I started to want to be the person the students are referred to for help. These types of problems aren’t exclusive to students. Everyone has them. Everyone could benefit from just one talk with a psychotherapist when life starts to feel overwhelming.”

While continuing to teach at RMC, Erin went back to school. She had previously obtained a Bachelor of Kinesiology at Brock, and went back to complete a Masters in Psychology at Yorkville University.

Through her studies at Yorkville, and her continuing work at RMC, she has developed a model of prioritising wellness, self-care, and some movement, before engaging in hard-core physical fitness training.

“It’s all about setting people up on a sustainable and enjoyable path to becoming well and active on their own terms and in their own way,” she said.

Erin is excited to start her new venture. She has a part-time practice at Back to Health Massage and Wellness, to offer support to community members that might not be up to going into Kingston for mental health care. She said that she “has no intention of pushing clients to start exercising, however, if clients are interested in becoming a little more physically active, I am also a clinical exercise physiologist, and can incorporate this type of programming into therapy.

“I approach psychotherapy from a place of curiosity, and use client’s unique backgrounds, sense of self, values, identity, and goals to create a safe place for clients to work through their difficulties,” she said.

“I believe that when a person takes time to gain insight about themselves and how they have come to think and behave in the ways they do, they can learn the skills required to break free of unhealthy patterns, and then engage or re-engage in their lives in meaningful and joyful ways.”

To contact Erin through Back to Health Wellness Centre, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 613-353-1109