Natalie Bergman,
MA, RPsych, CPT
DIRECTOR, KIDS RECONNECT
Child Psychologist
Certified Play Therapist
QUALITIES
Natalie Bergman is a child psychologist
and Certified Play Therapist in Calgary
who uses her caring heart Superpowers to connect with children
through play and healing heart-to-heart conversations.
Natalie’s Superhero Story
Attention Parents
Before your first session, you can share this story
with your child. Parents can also scroll below
to read about Natalie’s specialized
child psychologist expertise and experience
in her professional bio.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl called Natalie. This is her Superpower story (it’s about healing and believing in yourself) and she wants to share it with you.
Natalie had wonderful parents, a family, and all kinds of friends, too. Natalie’s parents believed in her. Her family also believed in her, and so did her friends. She had a Superpower, and they all knew.
“You are a caring, kind little girl,” they would say. “Always believe in yourself, Natalie. You are smart and special; your smile lights up the room.”
That’s how Natalie discovered her Special Superpower: a caring, kind heart. With it, she could tell when someone’s heart hurt. If they were sad and had run out of smiles, she would give them a smile of delight. It had the healing power of kindness—a warm, happy might to make hearts feel all right.
One day, a group of boys and girls told Natalie that her smile was silly and that she was not special. Then she felt a dark cloud of doubt creep into her heart. Her Superpowers were still up and about, but she couldn’t see them, under the dark cloud of doubt. Natalie did not want to smile anymore. She forgot she had Superpowers, and what they were for.
Her Superpowers stayed hidden for a long time.
Until one day…
… while eating a slice of birthday cake, another kind little girl gave Natalie a smile of delight. In a flash, Natalie remembered the healing happiness that her smile could make. The dark cloud of doubt fizzled away. Her sparkly smile was back, and it was here to stay, like a rainbow in her heart
What did Natalie do when she grew up?
As she grew up, Natalie learned to listen to her inner self. She started exploring her feelings, what she liked to do, what adventures she wanted to have, how, and with whom. She went to university and became a psychologist, specializing in play therapy.
These days, in her spare time, Natalie enjoys painting, baking, and candlestick-making. Her work is helping little girls and boys to believe in themselves and to be themselves. That’s her passion—it’s what she most likes to do. That is why Natalie, her friend Marcella, and other child therapists have formed the Kids Reconnect team in EmPOWERland.
Natalie Bergman is a Certified Play Therapist
Natalie’s Professional Bio
Natalie Bergman is a child psychologist and Certified Play Therapist based in Calgary. She specializes in helping kids using play therapy and in helping parents to find a new way of understanding their child’s behaviour and a new way of responding to it. Natalie is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists, a Certified Play Therapist (CPT) with the Canadian Association for Play Therapy (CAPT™), a Registered Play Therapist™ (RPT) with the Association for Play Therapy (APT), and a co-founder and director of Kids Reconnect in Calgary. She has also completed additional training with the League of Extraordinary Adlerian Play Therapists, Learn to Play Therapy Events, and Frank Anderson’s Internal Family Systems Trauma Treatment.
By creating an environment where trust thrives and where all needs are respected, Natalie empowers children to discover their potential. She helps parents learn how to influence their child’s life, working with parents and kids to achieve the positive changes parents would like to see. She loves creating child counselling experiences at Kids Reconnect that feel adventurous, joyful, and fun for kids.
Natalie is passionate about working with children and families and has many years of experience with play-based therapy, which is a natural way for children to communicate. Using her caring heart to emotionally connect with children, Natalie helps them to heal using play and heart-to-heart conversations.
Using her profound insights into the world of children, Natalie helps parents to understand and connect with their child. She also supports couples to achieve closeness and connection as a couples therapist at Couples Reconnect. In the couples therapy realm, she has completed an Externship in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy® and Core Skills Training in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy® with the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT).
Professional Memberships and Languages
Natalie is a member of the Canadian Association for Play Therapy (CAPT), the Association for Play Therapy (USA), the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta (PAA), and the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT).
She is bilingual in Russian and English.
Natalie is a Director at Kids Reconnect
With her friend Marcella Galizia, Natalie co-founded Calgary Reconnect Counselling Group (CRCG), assembling a team of therapists with two specialized branches: Kids Reconnect and Couples Reconnect.
