Services
Adult Individual Therapy
The initial phase of therapy involves a thorough assessment which usually takes 2-4 sessions. During this time, I will try to form an in-depth understanding of what your needs and difficulties are and my thoughts on the most appropriate treatment. This will also give you an opportunity to get to know me, and decide if I am the right match for you as a therapist. Research tells us that the most important factor in successful therapy is the therapeutic relationship. Therefore, I aim to develop a therapeutic relationship that feels safe, empathic, and collaborative.
I offer both long- and short-term individual therapy, depending on your needs. However, I prefer to work medium to long-term as a longer time frame often results in longer lasting change. I work from an integrative psychodynamic framework, which means that, in addition to alleviating symptoms, the focus is on understanding the meaning and message of those symptoms (which is often unconscious) in the context of your history and current circumstances. Understanding repeating patterns in your life, which often develop from past experiences, can help you make new choices in future. Where indicated, I also incorporate other therapeutic modalities, including Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and mindfulness approaches.
Child and Adolescent Therapy
I offer play therapy for children, individual therapy for adolescents, and parental guidance and support. I collaborate with other team members when needed (e.g. psychiatrists, speech therapists, OTs, etc).
The initial phase of therapy involves an assessment process, where I will initially meet with the parents to get a full history. I may also contact the child’s teacher and do a school observation if indicated. The assessment phase usually lasts around 4 sessions, but this may vary. Together, we will then decide on whether the focus of treatment will be play/ individual therapy, parent work, family therapy or a combination. Because children and adolescents are embedded within a family system, I always work collaboratively with the family in treatment.
Children often struggle to express themselves verbally, and communicate their emotional struggles through their behaviour (e.g. defiant behaviour, aggression, clinginess, withdrawal, etc). Play therapy is a powerful modality through which they can process and give expression to their difficulties in a safe and containing environment.
Adolescents are in a transitional phase of development, in which they are slowly becoming more autonomous, while still being dependent on their parents. There is also often increased pressure academically, with peers, and in other spheres. This can be a challenging period for many adolescents and families. Individual therapy gives adolescents the opportunity to express their struggles and learn skills to manage them in a safe and confidential setting.
