Counselling and Psychotherapy Services for Youth, Adults, Couples, and Families

Psychotherapy is a complex of interventions that allow clients to realize the underlying issues of their mental health problems and undertake necessary changes for their improvement.

The therapist will create a safe and compassionate atmosphere in the sessions to make your teenager feel safe, accepted and able to express their feelings and thoughts. Using creative strategies, a therapist will facilitate change by guiding your teenager through their challenges. Your teen will learn to communicate their feelings and needs and use coping strategies to manage uncomfortable emotional states like anxiety, anger, etc.

In the couples’ sessions, a therapist will assess the main factors contributing to marriage unwellness. Based on this assessment and the presented couples’ requests, a therapist will offer specific interventions in collaboration with clients that would allow them to improve their relationships. As a result, partners develop better communication, conflict resolution, and emotional regulation skills, and enhance overall relationship dynamics.

In cases of infidelity between spouses, the work focus is on processing the betrayal, trust-building, overcoming a crisis, and transforming relationships to prevent relapse.

During family therapy, you examine your family’s ability to resolve issues and express thoughts and feelings in a healthy and effective manner. You explore family roles, rules, behaviour patterns, and family dynamics that contribute to problems. Your therapist will help you to work through these issues and restore harmony in the family.

Psychotherapy is a unique professional relationship with a therapist, through which the therapist applies a complex of specific therapeutic interventions. In cooperation with a client, these interventions promote clients’ improvement of dysfunctional psychological conditions, behavioural issues, and painful emotional states such as trauma, grief, depression, anxiety, etc.

Using various modalities, psychotherapists use specific techniques to resolve practical emotional, cognitive, or behavioural issues of their clients. On the other hand, psychologists are mainly focused on the theoretical and scientific side of psychological science.

Can a psychotherapist diagnose mental illness?

No, RPs cannot diagnose clients. It’s out of our competency scope. Only a psychiatrist or general practitioner (GP) can diagnose. Sometimes psychologists work with psychiatrists and they participate in assessment.

Extract from

https://www.autismontario.com/sites/default/files/2021-07/6%20Psychotherapist%20-%20What%20to%20Expect.pdf

Psychotherapist: This is an umbrella term for any professional who is trained in the assessment and treatment of cognitive, emotional or behavioural disturbances by psychotherapeutic means, delivered through a therapeutic relationship based primarily on verbal or non-verbal communication. Psychotherapists cannot provide diagnoses or prescribe medication. They also cannot use the Doctor or Dr. Title in a clinical setting. In Ontario, psychotherapists must be registered with the College of Registered Psychotherapists in Ontario.

Psychologist: This professional has a PhD in psychology. In addition to performing talk therapy, they have training in psychological testing and diagnostic assessments. Their fees are not covered by OHIP, and they cannot prescribe medication. In Ontario, psychologists must be registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario.

Psychiatrist: This professional group has a medical degree and specialty training in psychiatry and, unlike most psychotherapists, can prescribe medication. While psychiatrists are trained in psychotherapy, their focus is on the biological aspects of mental health. They typically see patients for diagnostic assessment and treatment recommendations. As medical doctors, they are OHIP-covered”

Psychotherapists are usually trained to assess and treat their clients’ cognitive, emotional and behavioural issues through therapeutic relationship and methods. However, they cannot diagnose or prescribe medications.

Psychologists with PhD in Psychology, together with training in psychotherapy, are usually trained to perform testing and diagnostic assessments, but they cannot prescribe medication to their clients.

Psychiatrists with a medical degree have specific training in diagnostic assessment and treatment of mental health disorders. These professionals can diagnose and prescribe medications to their clients.

A variety of psychological problems can be treated with psychotherapy, such as individual emotional, cognitive, and behavioural concerns in adults and children; marital relationship dysfunction; family dynamics issues; addictions, and many more.

There is no need for a referral to book an appointment with a psychotherapist in Ontario.

1. To have a safe and not judgmental space and a professional companion to talk about your emotional concerns and needs.
2. To gain awareness about the underlying reasons for your emotional, cognitive and behavioural issues.
3. To obtain knowledge about coping strategies you can use to deal with your psychological concerns.
4. To receive therapeutic interventions that would promote a resolution of your psychological problems
5. To gain skills to prevent similar dysfunctions in future.

In general, private therapy in Ontario can cost up to $300 per session. Reach out to us to learn about the rates in our clinic.