Psychotherapy & Assessment

Individual and couples psychotherapy for adults struggling with:

• Trauma, grief, and loss

• Anxiety or panic, worry, and stress

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

• Schizophrenia and psychosis

• Coping with chronic illness or disability

• Stress-related physical conditions

• Substance abuse and addiction

• Family support

• Depression

• Coping with chronic illness or disability

• Relationship issues

Recent estimates suggest that one out of every 10 Canadians may experience an event traumatic enough to result in a diagnosis of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). While we know that one must experience a traumatic event for PTSD to develop, traumatic events do not always result in this diagnosis. In short, one can be traumatized without developing PTSD; however, it is a common experience for PTSD to occur after a traumatic event.

After a traumatic event occurs, the majority of people will experience some combination of the following:

• Nightmares

• Trouble sleeping

• Not wanting to think about, or talk about what happened

• Feeling on edge and jumpy

• Unpleasant physical sensations, like shaking, sweating

• Feeling detached or disconnected from others

Wayfound Trauma Treatment

Our psychologists are trained to provide a range of empirically-supported treatments for PTSD, anxiety disorders, and mood conditions. Regarding treatment of PTSD specifically, there are three main treatments we employ:

• Prolonged exposure (PE): This is a cognitive-behavioural therapy used to treat PTSD. PE employs cognitive and behavioural methods to support the individual to confront trauma-related memories and reminders in a safe fashion. This therapy is highly collaborative in nature, and through rigorous study has been found to be a highly effective treatment for PTSD.

• Cognitive processing therapy (CPT): This is also a manualized, exposure-based treatment for PTSD. CPT supports individuals to confront erroneous beliefs that develop following a traumatic event. In doing so, this approach facilitates effective processing of the cognitive and emotional consequences of trauma. CPT can be employed in individual or group formats.

• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR uses bilateral sensory stimuli to support processing of distressing memories associated with traumatic events. While developed as a treatment for PTSD, EMDR has been found to be effective in the treatment of a range of other mental health conditions.

For individuals seeking treatment for other mental health problems, such as depression, many of our psychologists employ cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as a first line of intervention. Beyond CBT, there are a multitude of other empirically-validated therapeutic approaches to mental health difficulties. For information on the treatments we have available, or to find out how we can best help you or your family, please contact us today.

We offer individual and family psychotherapy for children and adolescents struggling with:

• Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• Anxiety and panic disorders (e.g. generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and separation anxiety)

• Phobias (e.g. insects, needles)

• Mood disorders

• Difficulties with coping skills and emotional regulation

• Behavioural difficulties (e.g. non-compliance)

• Grief

• Adjustment to difficult circumstances (e.g. chronic illness or injury to self or family members)

• Gender identity and sexuality

Wayfound Trauma Treatment for Children and Adolescents

• Trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT): an exposure-based treatment for PTSD and trauma. This therapy is an evidence-based technique for children and adolescents suffering from trauma symptoms. TF-CBT includes the following components (when appropriate):

• Psycho-education: providing factual information to help correct common misconceptions about emotions, trauma, and the outcomes of traumatic experiences (e.g. ensuring the understanding that the traumatic event is not the victim’s fault)

• Emotional identification, regulation, and coping

• Cognitive processing and coping

• Trauma narrative: creating a detailed description of the traumatic event(s) to help process and reintegrate information

• Behavioural support: techniques to help parents and children manage possible disruptive behaviours

• Parent-child sessions: parent involvement is often an important component to help children feel accepted and reduce shame

Click here to go to our Wayfound Assessment Clinic