Therapy for individuals

 

Do you want and need individual attention? Do you have a problem that you would like to work on Are you ready to get specific and take steps to change things?

My job as a cognitive therapist is to help you learn more about your thinking, and to understand how it affects your feelings and behaviour.

Are you ready to make a change?

You already have many skills and tools that we can build upon to help you work through challenges and problems. I can help you to stretch and grow in a safe and confidential environment. I will share practical information with you about how to make life improvements and give you personal choices about how to use this information. Your input and feedback is always an important part of the process.

Here are issues I commonly work with:

  • Depression

  • Anxiety: panic, phobia, trauma

  • Distress

  • Grief and loss

  • Stress management

  • Relationships and couples therapy

  • Work issues and stress

  • Insomnia and sleep disorders

  • Lifestyle change: smoking, diet and exercise

  • Self esteem and confidence building

  • Coping with health problems

  • Symptom management: pain, nausea, fatigue

What is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy?

Practical and goal-oriented therapy.

 

CBT is a practical and goal-oriented therapy that helps you deal with problems by looking at them from a different perspective. It’s a problem-focused therapy that tackles issues by asking you to build awareness of and make changes in the way you think, feel and behave.

A fundamental idea in CBT is that you respond to the world in line with the thoughts that you have about what is happening. So it’s important to first notice the types of thoughts your mind is producing.

In therapy sessions I will help you change the way you think and talk about problems by changing your thinking. We will accomplish this by challenging core beliefs, modifying unhelpful thinking habits and altering meta-cognitions (thoughts about thinking). New ways of thinking can bring about changes in your mood, your feelings and your behaviour.

How will CBT Help you?

 

  • CBT will help you learn about more about your brain — your thoughts, feelings, behaviours and physiological responses.

  • You will learn about different levels of thinking and how to manage them.

  • You will learn about emotions, emotional reactions and how to manage them.

You will understand more about your immediate reactions to events and people.

  • You will understand more about others’ actions and their responses.

  • You will learn skills, tools and strategies that will help you manage your thoughts and feelings.

In CBT we will work together, building your skill levels and understanding so that eventually you can be your own therapist.

Learn more about Cognitive Behaviour Therapy at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Self-Help Resources.

What is acceptance and comitment therapy?

It's about shifting perspectives.

 

ACT is a therapy that asks you to shift your perspective about how you deal with your problems and to try out new (and sometimes counter-intuitive) solutions. In ACT we ask you to use mindfulness-based approaches that emphasise your ability to be present, focused and in the Now. A mindful approach to your experience means you are gently curious, open to what might happen next and able to easily adapt to the world around you.

When you are being mindful you are building an awareness of your experience in the moment, and this awareness exists without judgment, evaluation or analysis. Think of this awareness as your brain noticing in a gentle, caring manner all the thoughts that are going through your head and all the ideas and stories that your brain likes to revisit. Think of this awareness as noticing in a gentle, caring manner all the feelings that your body is experiencing — all without making judgments or evaluations of any kind.

When we use ACT in therapy we also focus on the things that are important to you. We want to know what truly matters to you so your life can become meaningful and fulfilling. To help us do this, we may work with your values in the session and translate important values into goals and activities that you can build into your day-to-day living.

Learn more about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy at the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science.

Need help? Reach out

Email or phone are the best ways to contact me. I’ll try to return your email or call within 24 hours.