Types of Counselling

Narrative Therapy

A counselling tool that is used for individuals and community work that shows respect in a non-blaming approach. As the client, you are the ‘expert’ in your own life as well as, have the skills, competencies, beliefs, values, commitments and abilities that will guide you to reduce the influence of problems being discussed. The sessions are considered to be interactive and collaborative as it will be a way to learn and understand your journey (past, present, future) and what path you ultimately want to take.                                                      

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)

CBT is a type of therapy, where activities, conversations and goal-oriented approach is being used to help you as the client become aware of your negative thoughts, and change it to a more effective and clear way. The main object of CBT is to reshape the negative or inaccurate thinking through conversations which may be full of challenges about what is based on fact or an inaccurate perception.  For many, being challenged about the thoughts that have become behavior patterns can be difficult to work through, but the ultimate goal is to ‘crush’ the negative thought to a more realistic and positive mindset on a particular issue or concern. 

Culture Sensitive & Spirituality

Culturally sensitive therapy can be used in all areas of life and is included with other forms of therapy.  The therapist’s object is to have an understanding of the client’s background, ethnicity, and belief system, as well as respect differences in opinions, values, and attitudes of various cultures.  As a social worker, it is our job to first recognize and understand our own culture to have the ability to respond to the culture you recognize. The need for this understanding may be based on characteristics such as age, beliefs, ethnicity, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status.

Spiritual therapy is a type of counselling that looks at your mind, body and soul by talking about an individual's belief systems and their faith in the higher power to help understand or to navigate through difficult times.  Often, spirituality is associated with religion, however Spiritual Therapy is simply awareness of one’s connection to the universe and their desire to be in harmony within themselves and the higher being (however that feels right for the individual). It is most often NOT associated or linked to religion but can be more in relation to mindfulness theory.                                                                      

Emotion Focused Therapy

The idea of Emotion Focused Therapy is to allow the person to interpret their emotional experience. Through Narrative Therapy, both the therapist and you will work together to actively process what emotion is being experienced, due to proven scientific studies of human emotions, that acknowledging the emotion will help understand human behavior, as well as how emotions are linked to thought and behavior.             

Strength Based/Solution Focused Therapy

Strengths-Based Therapy is considered to be ‘positive psychology’, as the main focus is to enhance and remind you as the client of your existing resources, resilience, and positive qualities to help improve the problem or concern at hand.  By using your strengths, it will show and bring empowerment in a way that will create the desire to change and show personal growth. Strength Based Therapy is often used in conjunction with Narrative Therapy, Motivational Counseling and Cognitive Behavior Therapy.

One thing we are all certain about is that change is constant.  Through Solution Focused Therapy, the main object is to emphasize on what you as the client will feel is changeable and possible. Sessions will be focused on goals that are created by you and ensure they are plausible in order to ensure you are engaged and accountable for what is desired.