Services

My Therapy Approach

I use treatment strategies that have proven to be effective.

 You have made a big decision by considering therapy and your time and effort is very valuable. I want to ensure that the treatment strategies I use have been well studied and proven to work. This is what is called ‘evidence-based’ or ‘empirically validated’ treatment. It means that the therapy has been supported by many years of scientific research and has a proven track record to be effective in helping people feel better and make positive changes in their lives.

The therapy is tailored to best suit you and your needs.

Everyone is different and treatment will differ according to what appeals to you the most and what is most likely to be effective given the problems you are experiencing. All of the treatment strategies I use are based on a holistic view of each individual. This involves understanding the patterns between what an individual is thinking, feeling, and behaving so that how difficulties are being maintained or amplified over time can be discovered.

CBT helps you develop an effective ‘toolkit’ so that you can feel confident facing life’s challenges.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has the longest and strongest evidence base behind it. It has been found to be effective in the treatment of a wide range of problems, including anxiety, coping with stress, depression, and chronic pain. The cognitive side of CBT would focus on learning about how your thinking may be helping or hindering you and helping you develop different perspectives on yourself and your situation. The behavioural side of CBT would include developing and strengthening your coping strategies so you are more prepared for life’s difficulties and resilient.

The aim is to make CBT as short a term as possible.  It is a practical treatment and focuses on the here and now; what you can do right now to improve your life situation and start feeling better.  It is also very collaborative; we will work as a team to help you make positive changes.

Mindfulness, acceptance, and value-based strategies can help channel your energies into meaningful life experiences.

There are many new and exciting treatment approaches that have developed from standard CBT.  I integrate these therapy strategies from these approaches into my practice as each offers additional effective avenues for change.

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on how to let go of distressing thoughts and re-engage with what is really important in life.

• Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) fosters the development of compassion towards the self and towards others.  It is particularly useful for those struggling with shame and self-criticism.

• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) includes a powerful family of strategies that helps people better regulate their emotions and be able to deal with even very strong negative emotions.

• Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for Depression is particularly valuable for learning techniques that can help protect from future depressive episodes.

• Motivational Interviewing (MI) offers strategies specifically designed to help people feel more able to make difficult changes.

• Positive Psychology focuses on increasing the positive and developing more energy and a sense of vigour. It is based research base that investigated what really predicts happiness.

Who I see

I commonly see individuals suffering from the following issues:

Panic attacks
Excessive Worry
Social Anxiety
Fears
Depression
Stress
Perinatal Anxiety
Dealing with life changes (such as returning to work or ending a relationship)
Parenting
Coping with Chronic Illness
Coping with Chronic Pain
Dissatisfaction with life
Sleep difficulties
Academic stress
Trauma

Some people may be more familiar with the DSM-V terminology of Panic Disorder with or without Agoraphobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Avoidant Personality Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Brief Reactive Stress Disorder, Adjustment Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, and Dysthymic Disorder.

I want people to have effective therapy.   This includes ensuring that my training and the treatment strategies I use are a good fit for the problem areas of people who come to see me.  If not, I will always recommend services that are more likely to be helpful.

Consulting and Teaching

Consulting services: Providing professional expertise on psychological issues

I currently work as a consultant for CBT Connections Ltd. I lead workshops for other health care professionals educating them on the use of cognitive behaviour therapy for the treatment of anxiety and emotional issues in children, youth, and adults. In addition, I give detailed one-on-one feedback on clinician’s actual therapy sessions to help them improve their CBT therapy skills.

I have also worked as a consultant with Anxiety Canada, a non-profit society providing self-help information and programs for individuals suffering from anxiety as well as education and resources for health care providers and caregivers. This included writing web content for the websites Moms-to-be and New Moms. I was also featured on videos discussing anxiety. I have also written health promotional materials on issues such as helping children in the back to school process and workshops on effective treatments for anxiety and helping caregivers care for children with anxiety.

In addition, I co-developed a Perinatal Anxiety Factsheet for the Canadian Psychological Association. In addition, I wrote informational material on CBT for Bipolar Disorder.

I have also worked as a consultant to human resources companies, HRD Technologies Ltd. and HR Decisions Ltd, interviewing prospective management candidates, analyzing psychometric testing, and giving feedback information to employers.

I also am contacted by the media for my clinical expertise on psychological health, such as Depression & Perfectionism: Feeling good about 'good enough'.

Teaching

I taught a third year Health Psychology class at the University of British Columbia, which focused on issues such as stress and pain management, psychoneuroimmunology, coping with chronic illness, disordered eating, and health promotion. I also taught an Introductory Psychology Class at Douglas College.

My consulting work also allows me to continue my interest in teaching as I lead workshops teaching other therapists about cognitive behavioural therapy. I have also led workshops for the general public on parenting babies and young children.