Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

We typically seek counselling or psychotherapy when our old ways lead to problems and starts affecting us and the relationships we are into.

In conventional therapy, you may spend one or two hours per week developing new skills and exploring alternative perspectives. Once you leave my office, I hope you will incorporate the work you did into your daily life. Sometimes I will assign you “homework” that reinforces the concepts addressed in your session. You might choose to journal or simply think about what you learned to make better sense of it and to uncover new insights for your next appointment.

This consistent attention to your therapy leads to continuity, the unbroken thread that ties together your revelations from week to week. This is the key to lasting change. You and I plant the seeds for change in your session, and then your independent efforts allow them to take root and grow into the foundation for an improved life.

If your needs are minimal, or you just need someone to listen and give you quick fix solutions , this pattern could work for you. However, if your goals revolve around healing deep-seated hurts, improving relationships, or breaking lifelong habits, this pattern needs a lot of hard work. Without consistent effort between sessions, your therapy may feel disconnected from or even irrelevant to your daily life. If you don’t complete the tasks assigned to you each week, you miss the opportunity to practice new skills that contribute to the goals you set for yourself.

Your decision may create more peace in your life and/or lead to the end of important relationships. Your decision may leave you stuck in an untenable situation and/or open your eyes to the positive aspects of your life that you previously ignored. Whatever you do, make sure your choice not to change is the one that feels right for you.

When I ask you to practice a new behaviour, it is expected that you will feel uncomfortable and may stumble on your new path. I want you to challenge your status quo and take small, calculated risks that result in an incremental change.

Changing your life requires work. Weekly therapy sessions are just the beginning. The real work happens between sessions when you actively engage in the creation of change and commit to making it last.