Guelph psychotherapy and counselling for life’s big, tiny, and in-between moments.

ACT is a mindfulness-based behavioural therapy that encourages embracing our thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them. ACT uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies combined with behaviour-change strategies, such as values work, to increase psychological flexibility.

The goal of ACT is to create a rich and meaningful life, while accepting the pain that inevitably goes with it. ACT is about taking effective action guided by our deepest values to be fully present and engaged in our lives.

ERP is a type of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) used specifically for treating OCD. It is a structured, evidence-based therapy that helps people break the cycle of obsessions and compulsions.

Exposure involves gradually and intentionally facing feared thoughts, images, objects, or situations that trigger anxiety or distress.

Response Prevention means resisting the urge to perform compulsions, rituals, or avoidance behaviours that would normally reduce the anxiety or distress.

Over time, this process helps clients learn that the feared outcome is unlikely or manageable, anxiety/distress rises and falls without needing compulsions, and tolerance for uncertainty and discomfort increases.

ERP is considered a gold-standard treatment for OCD.

CBT is based on the understanding that our thoughts, behaviours, and physical sensations are interconnected. CBT believes that negative thoughts and feelings can trap you in a downward spiral.

The goal of CBT is to enhance our understanding of our current ways of thinking and behaving while equipping us with tools to change our unhelpful cognitive and behavioural patterns.

DBT was developed as a way to treat folks who experience high levels of emotional sensitivity and struggle with emotional and behavioural dysregulation.

DBT is a skills-oriented therapy focused on building mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness skills.

EFT is based in attachment science which sees humans as deeply relational, social, and wired for intimate bonding with others.

EFT prioritizes the emotion and emotional regulation as the key organizing agents in both individual and relationship interactions. The goal of EFT is to lead individuals and couples towards awareness, expression, regulation, and transformation of emotion to create new meaning.

This approach is often used with individuals and couples.

Narrative Therapy is grounded in the idea that we make meaning of our lives through the stories we tell about ourselves. 

Narrative Therapy is a strengths-based approach that explores how dominant stories, often shaped by culture, family, and lived experience, can narrow our sense of identity. Clients are supported in re-authoring more empowered, values-aligned narratives to make space for agency and resilience. The goal is not to fix the person, but to expand the story.

A body-oriented approach to healing from traumatic or overwhelming life situations. Somatic practices emphasize the mind-body connection, teaching individuals to come back to self-nurturing and self-soothing to support settling and containment.

Somatic practices are based in Polyvagal Theory.

Involves self-kindness, mindful acceptance and non-judgment, and recognition of our common humanity. It is not about the absence of suffering or not being accountable for ourselves. Instead, it is about treating ourselves with the same gentleness we would show others in the face of pain or suffering.

Practicing self-compassion allows us to feel affirmed and supported in order to move towards our goals.

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