Counselling Services in Alberta

Therapy involves developing a safe environment and trusting relationship with a therapist so you can work together with the overall aim of improving your mental health and well-being. Sessions can be individual, couples, families, or groups. Together you will work with your therapist to make positive changes in your mood, thinking, relationships, and behaviours.

The length of treatment varies from one person to another and will depend on your goals and history. In your first sessions, you and your therapist will begin these discussions and have an idea of what the treatment length may be. Research suggests that the majority of individuals will remain in therapy for approximately 12-20 sessions to achieve their goals. Some may need less sessions, especially if the therapy is for a specific shorter-term problem while others want more sessions if they have more than one condition or are looking to understand and make changes to life-long patterns.

In couple therapy, the client is the relationship between two partners. This relationship has become “stuck” in a negative pattern that, after a while, destroys trust and affection. In effective couple therapy, the therapist provides a safe place – an opportunity to talk to your partner in new ways that can de-escalate conflict and help both partners to reconnect. The couple therapist is not interested in assigning blame but in helping partners see the dance they are caught in and changing that dance. The therapist is a consultant to your relationship and can help you make sense of your relationship problems and the strong emotions that all distressed partners feel.

We are trained in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy – an intervention that has demonstrated excellent outcomes in research studies and is accepted by the American Psychological Association as an empirically validated intervention of proven effectiveness. In the past 15 years, Couples Therapy has grown enormously and EFT has been part of that growth. We now understand many of the ways that relationships go awry and in EFT research studies we have mapped the steps in the pathway from distress to satisfaction.

We know, for example, that emotional distance and a loss of responsiveness predicts divorce better than the number of fights a couple has. We know that “master” couples can reach for each other and soothe each other emotionally. We know that in EFT how engaged you become on the process is a better predictor of your satisfaction at the end of therapy than your initial level of relationship distress.

A positive relationship is associated with better physical and mental health, the ability to deal with stress and a more positive sense of self. When a couple improves their relationship they create a vital resource that helps both of them face the difficulties of life with more resilience and confidence. A strong couple bond is also the basis of a strong and stable family life. We believe, and research supports this belief, that your love relationship is your greatest resource. Effective couples therapy helps you understand and care for this precious resource.

EFT is used with many different kinds of couples and in diverse cultural contexts. Kimberly has helped both traditional and non-traditional couples including gay and lesbian partners.

In Family Therapy provides a safe haven where family members can clarify relationship problems and understand the patterns of communication that prevent a satisfying resolution.

Family Therapy helps family members to talk to each other in new ways that help them to connect and care for each other. A positive outcome study on the EFT approach to improving family relationships is based on a well-researched perspective on parent-child relationships.

With EFT family members create often more secure emotional bonds that help them deal effectively with family crises, transitions, and problems. Positive secure family connections help children develop a positive sense of self, psychological resilience, and coping skills.

Family Therapy can help parents deal with anxiety and depression in their children and adolescents as well as the general problems that arise in family transitions.

Typically a first session includes both partners. One individual session for each partner is arranged following the initial session. All further sessions include both partners. Families are typically seen as a group for the first session and following sessions usually include various family pairings, including mother and child, the parents, the father, and child etc.