THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES

When working with me, you have the right to change, modify, or stop any intervention that you don’t find useful or don’t like. I value your feedback so we can find an approach that will help you with your goals for change.

Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy is a fascinating intervention for treating a variety of concerns including phobias, anxiety/fears, the effects of trauma and PTSD, reducing sensations of chronic pain, and more. EMDR can also be used to enhance performance (e.g., sports psychology), and strengthen resiliency/competency.

I use the American version of EMDR (attachment based) and continue to receive advanced consultation.

Observed & Experiential Integration (OEI) developed out of EMDR and can be used for similar purposes with different techniques to help slow the process down.

Lifespan Integration (LI) is a gentle approach to healing that incorporates your entire lifespan, helping the parts of your brain that can get “stuck” in past events to move forward into the present day.

Transactional analysis can give people insight into their patterns of behaviour, including the games they play to get their needs met. It is an ego-state therapy which allows people to decide who they want "driving their car". This approach can be very effective for those interested in personal growth as well as those wishing to heal from effects from trauma. It’s very interactive, promotes reflection and analysis, and invites change. More here

Narrative Therapy works to create a sense of distance from a problem so that its power can be reduced, thereby allowing for greater perspective and strategies to defeat the problem. More here

Creative-Expressive Approaches help us look at a problem from different perspectives without necessarily having to talk about them at length. This can be especially helpful when the problem is too overwhelming to talk about, or when it’s difficult to describe. I tend to use sand tray, art, and writing activities most commonly. More here

Gestalt Therapy puts emphasis on gaining awareness in the present moment and resolving past issues in the moment. Creative expression and the empty-chair exercise are some of the interventions I like to use from this approach. More here

Somatic (body-based) Therapy emphasizes that problems don’t just exist in our mind, our body is impacted too. This therapy focuses on building connection between our thoughts and emotions AND our physical body, which can help us work through past events and current problems. More here

Ego State Therapies (including Internal Family Systems) can offer a rich opportunity to gain in-depth insight into our inner world, which can lead to long-lasting change. More about IFS here

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) seeks to stop avoiding our internal discomfort and face it, accepting that sometimes these emotions are appropriate responses to events that have happened and that we can still move forward in our lives. I especially like to explore your personal values and see where areas of your life may or may not be aligning with them. More here

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) seeks to identify unhealthy automatic patterns of thinking (i.e., “distorted thoughts”) and to change those patterns into healthier, more positive thoughts that are based on reality. More here

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) was adapted out of CBT. It focuses on building skills to help you take better control of your emotions, thoughts, and relationships. More here

*Parts of this page have been gratefully adapted from the work of Dawn McBride, Ph.D., from Dawn Psychological Services, Corp.