Paige Abbott

She/Her

MSc

Registered Psychologist

English

Background

I've been a Registered Psychologist since 2009 and have specialized in addiction psychology since that time. Working with addiction means supporting people in changing their relationship with substances and behaviours like food, sex, work, spending, screentime, smoking, codependency and relationships. Alongside this, it means helping people get to know themselves again and work on improving health, relationships, esteem, boundaries, and more. I value practicality and connection in therapy, which many people I've worked with also seem to appreciate. Each session will be a blend of sharing, information, and strategies that help you live the life you deserve.

Your therapeutic experience with me

Our sessions will be a conversation where we explore the issues, stumbling blocks and successes that you are experiencing to identify where new learning, tools and strategies may be relevant. I value a grounded, practical approach to counselling which includes offering suggestions for steps outside of counselling to support yourself. I've been told that I'm a good listener, easy to talk to, practical, and that I surprise people when I swear or speak more realistically rather than a 'therapist.' After all, I'm a person too!

Areas of expertise

These are the areas I commonly work with, and they form a big part of the support I offer in my practice:

Addiction?

Codependency?

Alcohol Use?

Sex Addiction?

I also support you in these additional areas and welcome you to reach out if any of them speak to what you are going through:

Gambling Addiction?

Perfectionism?

Eating Issues

Therapeutic approaches

These are the approaches at the heart of my work, and I use them often because they help create meaningful change:

Motivational Interviewing

This helps identify where people are, where they would like to be, and the realistic next steps to get there

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

This helps people explore the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviours

Narrative Therapy

This helps build a stronger relationship with self, lessen shame, and find freedom from the stories that hold us back

I also draw on other evidence based approaches that can gently support you when they align with what you need:

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy

Solution-focused Therapy

Focused populations and cultural backgrounds

These are the communities and cultural backgrounds I focus on, and I bring a sincere commitment to supporting you in a way that feels respectful and genuine: