Kate MacDonald

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps you change your relationship with your thinking. You won't have to 'get rid' of certain thoughts, but instead learn how to lessen the impact these thoughts have on you. You will also get to learn more about your value system and finding ways to do more of what matters to you. You can expect to learn new knowledge and skills, practice experiential exercises in session and between sessions, and reflect on the meaning you make of life.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, usually called CBT, is a classic approach to mental health. It involves understanding more about our thinking style and learning specific skills to change or challenge our automatic thoughts. You will also get to focus on the behavioural component by setting goals to help you achieve the life you want to be living. You can expect to learn new information about how we think, take active steps on goals to address your reason for coming to counselling, and start feeling better as we change your core beliefs and behaviour patterns.

If you have ever had something that you 'know' shouldn't bother you anymore....and yet somehow it does....EMDR can be a great treatment approach. Diving a little deeper into your history, EMDR takes a phased approach to treatment to understand long-standing thoughts, memories, beliefs about yourself, and internalized body sensations to help you heal from old wounds. You can expect to take a deep look at potential sources of trauma and challenge in your life, develop resources for emotional regulation, and begin processing work to help release the stuck points you are experiencing and move towards greater, deeper healing.

Emotion Focused Therapy highlights our emotions as a critical part of who we are. I use this approach as a primary modality when working with couples, but also individually. You can expect to have a greater understanding of your attachment history, learning more about expressing your emotions and hearing the emotions of others, and healing from the hurts that can arise in relationships or elsewhere in our lives. You can expect the chance to really feel heard and seen in these sessions, a chance to really dive deep into your emotions, feel validated, and understand more about how your emotions impact how you respond to the world around you.