There are several therapeutic methods used by both psychologists, psychiatrists and other counsellors. This practice restricts approaches to those that are considered to be "evidence based". That means they have been validated as effective by extensive research. Another criteria is that our therapeutic methods are of the shorter-term variety, meaning about eight to ten weeks. This fits the coverage provided by many insurance companies and Employee and Family Assistance Programs. Finally, we offer both individual and group processes.
Our therapeutic approaches include Cognitive / Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT). A description of CBT is found at Wikipedia: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
If you require more information, please contact us by telephone.
We provide initial telephone consultations at no charge, or you can arrange a fifteen minute in-person appointment, also at no charge.
Our psychologists are trained in these areas and other methods and, in addition, we introduce other tools into the therapy process as needed.
Clinical Issues
The clinical issues we treat include:
Anxiety
Depression
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Attentional Difficulties
Addictions
Pain
Marital/Relationship problems
Anger
General Stress
Treatment Processes
In the context of the evidence based practice models described above, we use the following tools:
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a treatment technique in which people are trained to improve their health by using signals from their own bodies. It is totally painless and safe.
Sensors are attached to your skin in the same way that physicians attach sensors to diagnose heart problems (electro-cardiograms), in fact the process is exactly the same. The equipment we use can measure, and the measurements are displayed on the computer monitor, or more often, projected onto a screen, so you can lie back and monitor yourself while learning to control, for example:
heart rate
muscle tension
temperature
skin conductance (conductance changes when you perspire),
breathing rate.
We use biofeedback in the treatment of the following disorders:
Anxiety - sometimes accompanied by Virtual Reality Therapy
Postraumatic Stress Disorder
Pain, including headaches
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Stress
Virtual Reality Therapy
Virtual reality treatment consists of custom virtual environments that have been carefully designed to support exposure therapy of anxiety disorders. The treatment involves exposing the patient to a virtual environment containing the feared situation rather than taking the patient into the actual environment or having the patient imagine the stimulus.
The virtual environment is controlled by the therapist through a computer keyboard ensuring full control of the exposure to the programmed situations. Virtual reality exposure treatment allows the therapist to manipulate situations to best suit the individual patient during a standard therapy hour (usually 45-50 minutes) and within the confines of the therapist's office.
We are pleased to have acquired VRT modules to assist in the treatment of the following disorders:
Fear of flying
Fear of heights
Fear of bridges
Fear of elevators
Fear of classrooms
Fear of public speaking
Fear of storms
Fear of interview situations
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in military personell and veterans using Virtual Iraq and Virtual Afghanistan- see video below
The Virtually Better web site, developers of our system, provides information on our VRT treatment services.
Neurofeedback
We are pleased to have developed neurofeedback as a therapy option. As described by Wikipedia, neurofeedback is a type of biofeedback that uses electroencephalography to provide a signal that can be used by a person to receive feedback about brain activity.
Like other forms of biofeedback, neurofeedback uses monitoring devices to provide moment-to-moment information to an individual on the state of their physiological functioning. The characteristic that distinguishes neurofeedback from other biofeedback, often termed surface biofeedback, is a focus on the central nervous system and the brain. Neurofeedback training has its foundations in basic and applied neuroscience as well as data-based clinical practice. It takes into account behavioural, cognitive, and subjective aspects as well as brain activity.
During training, sensors are placed on the scalp and then connected to sensitive electronics and computer software that detect, amplify, and record specific brain activity. Resulting information is fed back to the trainee virtually instantaneously with the conceptual understanding that changes in the feedback signal indicate whether or not the trainee's brain activity is within the designated range. Based on this feedback, with practitioner guidance, changes in brain patterns occur and are associated with positive changes in physical, emotional, and cognitive states. Often the trainee is not consciously aware of the mechanisms by which such changes are accomplished although people routinely acquire a "felt sense" of these positive changes and often are able to access these states outside the feedback session.
Neurofeedback does not involve either surgery or medication and is neither painful nor embarrassing. When provided by a licensed professional with appropriate training, it is very rare that there are negative side-effects. Typically trainees find neurofeedback to be an interesting experience. Neurofeedback operates at a brain functional level and transcends the need to classify using existing diagnostic categories. It modulates the brain activity at the level of the neuronal dynamics of excitation and inhibition which underlie the characteristic effects that are reported.
Rigorous research has demonstrated that neurofeedback is an effective intervention for ADHD and Epilepsy. Ongoing research is investigating the effectiveness of neurofeedback for other disorders such as Autism, learning disorders, headaches, insomnia, anxiety, substance abuse, traumatic brain injury, and pain disorders. While controlled studies have not been completed in these areas, case studies have demonstrated effectiveness.
We typically use the full 19 channel option and therapy is preceded by an assessment known as quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG). EEG data is recorded from 19 sites and computer analyzed. This analysis provides brain maps that identify areas of functioning that deviate from a normative data base. This does not necessarily mean that something is wrong, because to a certain extent we are all different. However, if the deviation is consistent with reported symptoms, then it is possible to use neurofeedback to train the brain back into the normative range. We believe it is essential to obtain the qEEG assessment and match the results to symptoms.
A word of caution. There are untrained practitioners in the community who are offering neurofeedback services. Many are not trained or qualified, and are not using the described important diagnostic process (qEEG) before engaging in neurofeedback training. Qualified practitioners in neurofeedback and biofeedback have received indepth training followed by a written examination. The Biofeedback Certification International Alliance is the body that governs the qualification process. Its function may be seen at www.bcia.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1/
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
For details, visit the EMDR Institute web site, which contains full information on this innovative treatment method.
Our therapeutic approaches include Cognitive / Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT). A description of CBT is found at