Treatment Types & Modalities
Our therapists are trained in a variety of evidence-based therapeutic modalities and often utilize an integrative approach, tailoring interventions to the individual needs of each client. If you are interested in a specific approach or feel one may be particularly suited to you, our therapists honor those preferences and work collaboratively to find the best fit.
We encourage you to reach out and book a complimentary 15-minute consultation to learn more about how we can support you.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
What it involves:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is based on the understanding that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are interconnected, meaning the way we think about situations can shape how we feel and act. In therapy, clients learn to identify and challenge unhelpful thought patterns, build awareness of emotional triggers, and develop healthier coping strategies that support long-term emotional well-being. This approach is active and collaborative, often involving practical tools, mindfulness techniques, and between-session exercises to reinforce change.
Who it may benefit:
CBT has been extensively researched and proven effective in addressing a range of mental health concerns, including anxiety disorders, depression, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), insomnia, eating disorders, addiction, and chronic stress. This structured, skillsfocused approach is ideal for clients who value a collaborative and action-oriented form of therapy.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
What it involves:
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) integrates cognitive-behavioural strategies with mindfulness and acceptance practices. It focuses on helping individuals understand and manage intense emotions, reduce self-destructive behaviours, and improve relationships. The term dialectical reflects the balance between acceptance and change, acknowledging one’s experiences while actively working toward growth. In therapy, clients learn skills across four main areas: mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal skills. This structured, skills-based model emphasizes real-world application and encourages ongoing practice between sessions to build emotional resilience and stability.
Who it may benefit:
DBT is effective for individuals who experience heightened emotional sensitivity, impulsivity, or struggle with maintaining healthy relationships. It has strong research support for treating Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), suicidal thoughts, self-harm behaviours, substance use, eating disorders, and trauma-related challenges. This approach is ideal for clients who want practical tools to manage intense emotions and build greater emotional balance in their daily lives.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
What it involves:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a therapeutic approach that combines mindfulness, acceptance strategies, and values-based action to help clients live a meaningful and fulfilling life. ACT encourages individuals to accept internal experiences, clarify personal values and commit to behaviours that align with their values. Therapy involves developing psychological flexibility, learning to observe thoughts without judgment, and taking purposeful action toward ones goals. ACT supports clients in building resilience, increasing emotional awareness, and creating a life guided by what matters most to them.
Who it may benefit:
ACT can help individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, chronic pain, or life transitions, as well as those struggling with avoidance, low motivation, or persistent selfcriticism. It can also support individuals seeking a values-driven approach to personal growth and emotional well-being. This approach is ideal for clients who want to cultivate acceptance, mindfulness, and purposeful action while learning to navigate difficult thoughts and emotions with flexibility and clarity.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)
What it involves:
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a goal-oriented approach that emphasizes identifying solutions and building on clients existing strengths rather than focusing extensively on problems or past difficulties. In therapy, clients work collaboratively with the therapist to clarify desired outcomes, find resources and skills they already possess, and take practical steps toward change. SFBT uses techniques such as scaling questions, exception-finding, and goal-setting to help clients envision and create concrete solutions. This approach is brief, structured, and action-focused, making it an efficient way to address specific concerns.
Who it may benefit:
SFBT can help individuals, couples, or families dealing with anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, stress, or life transitions. It is also beneficial for clients seeking a practical, goaloriented approach that emphasizes empowerment, self-efficacy, and problem-solving. This approach is ideal for clients who want to focus on solutions, build on their strengths, and create positive change in a structured and collaborative way.
Psychodynamic Therapy
What it involves:
Psychodynamic Therapy focuses on increasing self-awareness and understanding how past experiences, relationships, and unconscious patterns influence present thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. Through exploration of recurring themes, early attachments, and internal conflicts, clients gain insight into the underlying causes of emotional distress. The therapeutic relationship serves as a valuable space for reflection, helping clients recognize patterns that may play out in their daily lives and relationships. Over time, this process fosters greater emotional insight, self-acceptance, and lasting change.
Who it may benefit:
Psychodynamic Therapy can help individuals or couples struggling with depression, anxiety, relationship challenges, self-esteem issues, or unresolved childhood experiences. It can also support those who want to better understand the emotional roots of their difficulties rather than focus solely on symptom reduction. This approach is ideal for clients seeking deeper self-understanding, personal growth, and meaningful change through insight and reflection.
Person-Centred Therapy
What it involves:
Person-Centred Therapy, also known as Client-Centred Therapy, is an approach that focuses on creating a safe, non-judgmental, and supportive therapeutic environment. It emphasizes the client’s capacity for self-understanding, personal growth, and self-directed change. In therapy, the counsellor provides empathy, unconditional positive regard, and presence, helping clients explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences at their own pace. This approach encourages self-exploration, self-acceptance, and the development of greater insight, empowering clients to make meaningful choices and navigate life challenges with confidence.
Who it may benefit:
Person-Centred Therapy can help individuals, couples, or families and is suitable for a wide range of concerns. It is particularly beneficial for those seeking a non-directive approach that encourages self-exploration, personal growth, and self-acceptance. This approach is ideal for clients who want a collaborative and compassionate space to explore their emotions, build self-awareness, and develop greater confidence in their ability to make positive changes.
Existential Therapy
What it involves:
Existential Therapy is a reflective and philosophical approach that helps clients explore the deeper questions of life, meaning, and personal responsibility. It focuses on understanding how individuals make sense of their experiences, confront freedom and choice, and navigate issues such as isolation, mortality, and the search for purpose. In therapy, clients are encouraged to examine their values, beliefs, and life goals, fostering greater self-awareness, authenticity, and personal responsibility. This approach emphasizes exploring the human experience in a thoughtful and supportive environment, helping clients find meaning and direction in their lives.
Who it may benefit:
Existential Therapy can help individuals who are seeking clarity, purpose, or direction in life, or who are grappling with significant life transitions, grief, or feelings of existential anxiety. It can also support those who want to explore personal values, make authentic choices, and take responsibility for shaping their lives. This approach is ideal for clients who are open to deep reflection, personal exploration, and a collaborative process of discovering meaning and fulfillment.
Narrative Therapy
What it involves:
Narrative Therapy is based on the idea that people make meaning of their lives through the stories they tell about themselves and their experiences. This approach helps clients separate themselves from their problems by viewing issues as external rather than as defining parts of who they are. In therapy, clients are invited to explore and re-author their personal narratives, identifying strengths, values, and skills that support resilience and empowerment. Through reflective conversation and curiosity, Narrative Therapy helps individuals gain new perspectives and reclaim agency over their lives.
Who it may benefit:
Narrative Therapy can help individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, identity challenges, or relationship concerns. It can also support those who feel stuck in unhelpful patterns or limited by negative self-beliefs. This approach is ideal for clients who want to explore new ways of understanding their experiences, strengthen their sense of identity, and create more empowering and compassionate stories about themselves and their lives.
Somatic Therapy
What it involves:
Somatic Therapy is a holistic approach that integrates body awareness into the therapeutic process, recognizing the deep connection between mind and body. It is based on the understanding that emotional experiences are not only stored in the mind but also in the body
through sensations, posture, and tension patterns. In therapy, clients learn to notice physical sensations, regulate their nervous system, and release stress or trauma held in the body. Techniques may include breath work, gentle movement, grounding exercises, and mindfulness to help restore a sense of safety, presence, and connection within the body.
Who it may benefit:
Somatic Therapy can help individuals who have experienced trauma, anxiety, chronic stress, dissociation, or physical symptoms related to emotional distress. It can also support those who feel disconnected from their bodies or find traditional talk therapy less effective in addressing deeply rooted emotional experiences. This approach is ideal for clients who want to heal through a deeper connection to their body, build nervous system awareness, and cultivate a greater sense of calm, safety, and balance.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
What it involves:
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a structured approach that focuses on understanding and reshaping emotional experiences and attachment patterns in relationships. EFT helps clients identify underlying emotions that drive conflicts, improve emotional responsiveness, and create secure and supportive bonds. In therapy, individuals or couples explore interaction patterns, uncover core emotional needs, and learn ways to express themselves constructively. This approach emphasizes building emotional awareness, fostering empathy, and strengthening connection, supporting meaningful change in how clients relate to themselves and others.
Who it may benefit:
EFT is particularly effective for couples experiencing relationship distress, emotional disconnection, repeated conflict cycles, or trust issues. It can also support individuals looking to improve emotional awareness, attachment security, and relational patterns. This approach is ideal for clients who want to deepen connection, resolve conflicts, and strengthen the quality of their relationships.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
What it involves:
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a therapeutic approach that views the mind as composed of multiple “parts,” each with its own thoughts, feelings, and motivations, along with a core Self that embodies clarity, compassion, and calm. In therapy, clients learn to identify and understand these parts and develop a trusting relationship with their core Self. IFS helps individuals heal internal conflicts, reduce self-criticism, and integrate their emotional experiences, fostering greater self-awareness, balance, and inner harmony.
Who it may benefit:
IFS can help individuals experiencing complex trauma, chronic anxiety, depression, shame, or internal conflict. It can also support those who feel fragmented, struggle with self-criticism, or feel disconnected from their true selves. This approach is ideal for clients who are interested in exploring their inner world, fostering self-compassion, and achieving greater emotional balance and self-awareness.
Expressive Arts and Play Therapy
What it involves:
Expressive Arts and Play Therapy use creative expression as a pathway to explore emotions, experiences, and personal stories that may be difficult to communicate through words alone. Through modalities such as art, music, movement, sand tray, storytelling, and play, clients are encouraged to engage their imagination and creativity in a supportive and non-judgmental environment. These approaches help access deeper emotional layers, foster self-discovery, and promote healing through the creative process. Therapy sessions are tailored to each client’s developmental stage and comfort level, allowing expression to unfold naturally.
Who it may benefit:
Expressive Arts and Play Therapy can help children, youth, and adults who find it challenging to verbalize their thoughts or emotions. They can also support individuals coping with anxiety, trauma, grief, behavioural challenges, or emotional regulation difficulties. This approach is ideal for clients who benefit from experiential and creative forms of expression and who wish to explore their inner world through art, play, and imagination as part of the healing process.
Family Systems Therapy
What it involves:
Family Systems Therapy views the family as an interconnected system where each member’s behaviour and emotions affect the whole unit. This approach focuses on patterns of interaction, communication styles, roles, and boundaries within the family, helping to identify and shift dynamics that contribute to conflict or distress. Therapy sessions may include the whole family or selected members and aim to foster healthier communication, stronger relationships, and a more balanced and supportive family environment. By addressing relational patterns rather than individual symptoms alone, Family Systems Therapy promotes lasting change for both individuals and the family as a whole.
Who it may benefit:
Family Systems Therapy can help families navigating conflict, blended family challenges, adolescent behavioural issues, life transitions, or intergenerational patterns of stress or trauma. It can also support individuals whose difficulties are closely tied to family dynamics. This approach is ideal for clients who want to improve family communication, strengthen relationships, and create a healthier, more cohesive family system.
The Gottman Method Couples Therapy
What it involves:
The Gottman Method is a structured, research-based approach to couples therapy that focuses on strengthening relationships through effective communication, emotional connection, and conflict management. Therapy involves assessing the couple’s relationship dynamics, identifying patterns that contribute to conflict or disconnection, and teaching practical skills to enhance intimacy and partnership. Core components include increasing positive interactions, managing conflict constructively, building shared meaning, and fostering trust and friendship between partners. The approach combines assessment, structured exercises, and skill-building to help couples create lasting, healthy relational patterns.
Who it may benefit:
The Gottman Method can help couples experiencing relationship distress, communication challenges, recurring conflict, emotional disconnection, or trust issues. It can also support couples seeking to strengthen their bond, deepen intimacy, and create a more resilient partnership. This approach is ideal for couples who want a structured, skills-focused, and research-informed path to improving their relationship and building long-term emotional connection.