Proven Approaches to Counselling 

The Cause of Our Pain

As humans, I believe that we are inherently good. Those of us who seek therapy do so because we’ve been hurt in some way. Often, it is damaging events from childhood that impact us the most.

However, our problems can also stem from events that happen later in life. For example, a car accident, a physical or sexual assault, a death in the family, chronic illness, or the ending of a relationship. These can all be the source of long-term struggles.

When you become stuck in chronic relationship problems, depression, or anxiety and are unable to get relief, therapy can help when you don’t know where else to turn.

How Therapy Helps

Everyone has the potential to heal and to have a fulfilling life. There is an innate drive within us to love and be loved. Both individual and couples therapy can help heal the pain of what happened to you and reconnect you to your feelings of love for yourself and others.

The first step on the path to healing is wanting to change.

In order for therapy to be beneficial, you must be motivated and committed to doing what it takes to heal.

Sometimes the path to healing can be bumpy, so you need to be prepared to stay the course in order to reap the benefits of therapy.

You must also attend counselling sessions regularly and practice the research-based techniques that I will show you.

Results in therapy are achieved through:

• My knowledge, skills, compassion, and thorough understanding of your problems. This helps me choose the most beneficial approaches that will help you heal.
• Your commitment to the counselling process and willingness to follow through with what you need to do in order to improve your life.

My Role as a Therapist

My role as a therapist is to approach each of my clients with empathy and a sense of curiosity. This helps me understand the uniqueness of your personal experiences and helps ensure that you feel validated. This then enables you to move deeper into yourself where real change can occur.

My goal is to establish an honest, trusting and collaborative relationship with you. I consider you to be the expert regarding your problems and needs.

I will utilize research-based therapeutic approaches (see below) that treat your specific difficulties. I will continuously ensure that the approaches we are using are effective for you.

If for any reason, the interventions are not working as well as they should be, I will modify them in order to ensure you experience the most beneficial outcome.

The Therapy Process

First Session:

My approach to counselling is pragmatic and results-oriented from the very first session. I aim to help you feel hopeful and to know that you are moving towards a more satisfying life.

In individual therapy, whether it’s depression, anxiety, a relationship problem, or trauma or PTSD you want help with, we begin by talking about your current situation, your problems and their history, as well as your goals. I will start with a comprehensive assessment that will determine the path of our sessions in order to best help you.

In couples therapy, we also begin by completing an assessment in the first session. We will explore your relationship problems and their history, as well as, you and your partner’s individual issues and personal histories. This will help us have a better understanding of the cause of your relationship struggles and determine the best course of treatment.

By the end of the first session, we will have established a beginning treatment plan together that we can proceed with during subsequent counselling sessions. I may also give you homework, which may involve practicing a particular therapeutic technique.

Subsequent Sessions:

I continue to gather information from you in the second session, some of which is based on the homework that you have completed. Then we develop a therapeutic plan with goals, and we plan graduated steps to reach your goals.

As our work evolves, you will develop new skills for diminishing or resolving your distress, which you will integrate into your new way of being in the world.

You will be encouraged to monitor your progress as we move ahead in therapy. Over time, you will experience a gradual reduction in symptoms and an increase in your sense of empowerment and enjoyment in your life.

Treatment Approaches

The three main therapy approaches I use are:

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

CBT techniques involve focusing on the “here and now” to help you change your thinking, behaviour, and emotions. CBT is one of the most common methods of therapy with a solid research base (i.e. E.B. Foa, D.D. Burns, A.T. Beck, K.S. Dobson, R.L. Leahy and A.J. Rush).

CBT has been shown to be extremely effective for panic attacks, health anxiety, generalized anxiety, depression, and relationship difficulties.

As your therapist, I utilize proven methods of therapy like CBT and then customize them to fit your unique situation.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapy technique used in conjunction with talk therapy. It is based on the latest research on the brain and how it deals with difficult and traumatic life experiences.

It is a well-researched technique that is proven to help people suffering from any type of stress or trauma. After EMDR counselling, clients often experience a reduction in stressful or traumatic memories and associated feelings.

EMDR is a brain/body based therapy that effectively processes, and releases traumatic memories. This intervention involves targeting the specific traumatic event, holding an image of the incident in the mind, re-experiencing the emotion of that time, and noticing where the emotions are experienced in the body as physical sensations. Bilateral stimulation is applied in intervals.

Through this process, the image fades, disturbing emotions disappear, and the physical discomfort leaves the body. The memory becomes like a picture on a wall, to which you no longer feel any emotional response. When blockages to processing arise strategies to overcome them are incorporated into therapy. At times the memories are overwhelming and may re-traumatize the individual. In these situations, a more graduated therapeutic process is initiated.

EMDR is a well-researched tool used to alleviate symptoms of depression, anxiety, trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). To find out more about the benefits of EMDR, click here.

As your therapist, I utilize proven methods of therapy like EMDR and then customize them to fit your unique situation. I am a certified EMDR therapist based in Winnipeg.

Treatment Outcome

The outcome of therapy will be a reduction or resolution of your personal distress and relationship problems. You will also acquire the skills necessary to help you manage and overcome future problems when they arise.

You will feel stronger, more confident and better about yourself, your relationships, and your life.

If you want to achieve results like those above, please contact me for a free, 10-minute phone consultation.

We’ll briefly discuss your concerns, and determine whether my therapeutic approach can meet your needs.

If we decide we’re a good fit, we can meet via video conference.

I look forward to speaking with you.

 

*Testimonials appearing on this site are actual testimonials received from clients. They are individual experiences, reflecting real life experiences of those who have used my services. However, they are individual results and results do vary. The testimonials are not necessarily representative of all of those who will use our products and/or services. These testimonials are not intended to make claims that these products can be used to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease.