Ottawa Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy, or counselling, is the right step when life difficulties come. For professional Ottawa counselling services, contact intake today.

Mental difficulties do not have to be a long-term problem. With the help of psychotherapy, you can move past your personal issues and build the strength to take them on again, should they return.

Counsellors Specializing in Ottawa Psychotherapy

Choosing the Right Ottawa Psychotherapist

It’s important to find a psychotherapist that fits you. Capital Choice Counselling has over 40 Ottawa-based counsellors, so finding the right psychotherapist is just a matter of browsing our directoryor contacting us directly.

While all of our psychotherapists are excellent, you should be on the lookout for one that meets your specific needs. Whether you live in Ottawa, Nepean, Gatineau, Orleans or Kanata, we have many psychotherapists located conveniently close by.

When you find the right psychotherapist, you’ll know. You want a therapist who is able to connect with you, who listens, understands and offers you valuable feedback. We have the psychotherapy therapists you’re looking for.

Talk to our intake counsellor so we can match you with the best counsellor for you.

Collaborative Environment

Individual counselling is a two-person project. It relies not only on the skill of the therapist, but also on your willingness to participate in the therapy.

At Capital Choice Counselling in Kanata, Nepean, Ottawa & Orleans, our therapists work to create an environment of collaboration. A therapy session involves a give and take between you and the therapist. It involves hard work, yes – but the benefits for you are enormous.

What You Can Accomplish with Psychotherapy

What can you accomplish by seeing a psychotherapist in Ottawa? Our counsellors treat patients with a variety of issues, needs and goals. Depression and anxiety are two of the more common conditions that prompt people to seek psychotherapy. We also have experts in trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), abuse, chronic illness and pain, post-partum depression and much more.

The first and most important step in the process is to recognize that you’re suffering, and that you can get better by seeking help. That’s the next step, making the call to get help, and both are courageous ones. Whom you select and how you go about addressing the issues and finding solutions are what happens after that. It’s a process, not an overnight ‘cure,’ but your time and effort are an investment in yourself.

Types of Individual Psychotherapy

Our Ottawa-based counsellors are trained in most kinds of psychotherapy and will use an eclectic approach dependent on the client’s needs and the presenting counselling issue. We are trained in client-centred therapy, emotion focused therapy, psycho-biological approaches to therapy, existential therapy, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy and many more. One of the most commonly employed techniques is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or “CBT” for short.

CBT works by helping you address your problematic thinking. Where possible, CBT therapists help you contradict and challenge thoughts that are illogical and destructive, what we like to call our “stinking thinking.”

By changing your thoughts, you can change your behavior. By changing your behavior, you can change how you feel. For more about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, our page here.

At Capital Choice Counselling, our therapists utilise several types of therapy. The preference of the patient and the issue determines the choice of therapy. To meet th needs of the patient, serval types of approaches to psychotherapy might be employed.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) enables patients to recognise harmful or unproductive thought and behaviour patterns and replace them with more accurate and functional ones. CBT can be used to treat someone who is depressed by identifying and altering their negative thought patterns or behaviours.

Interpersonal therapy (IPT) is a short-term form of treatment. It aids patients in comprehending troubling underlying interpersonal difficulties, such as unresolved grief, changes in social or professional responsibilities, disputes with close relationships, and issues with relating to others.

Dialectical behaviour therapy is a type of CBT that helps to regulate emotions. People with borderline personality disorder, eating disorders, and PTSD are among the conditions it is frequently used to treat. It imparts new skills to enable individuals to take personal responsibility for altering undesirable or disruptive behaviour. This type of CBT is traditionally used to treat high-risk cases. Generally, it aims to help individuals live more in the present moment, cope better with stress, and help them regulate their emotions.

Psychodynamic therapy: The foundation of psychodynamic therapy is the premise that inappropriate, repetitive, unconscious childhood experiences have an impact on behaviour and mental health. Together with the therapist, a person strives to increase self-awareness and transform ingrained behaviours to better take control of their lives.

Other forms of psychotherapy include psychoanalysis, supportive therapy, etc.

Finding Psychotherapy Services: How Capital Choice Counselling Can Help

We are your guide. Let our Ottawa therapists coach you through the challenges of your life, expanding your horizons and helping you grow stronger and more capable.

We have therapists that are trained to deal with a broad range of personal issues, including:

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the goals of psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy treatments have five primary goals:

To gain a better understanding of yourself.
To relieve yourself of emotional pain or confusion.
To help you gain a full understanding of your psychological issues.
To help you develop better and healthier coping mechanisms.
To give you a more accurate understanding of your past and your aspirations for the future.

Through our psychotherapy treatment process, you will work to achieve these goals which will lead to a more enriched life that isn’t as heavily burdened by your mental health.

How long do psychotherapy sessions last?

Individual sessions usually last between 40 and 60 minutes but can run longer to meet the needs of the patient. Group therapy sessions usually run around 90 minutes. Ultimately, though, the length of a psychotherapy session will depend on the type of mental health treatment that is needed for the patient.

What happens in a psychotherapy session?

At its core, a psychotherapy session is more or less a problem-solving session. The patient will talk about situations in their life, and how they feel about it. Then the therapist will use their expertise to help the patient resolve the problem so they can move on and progress towards having the life that they want.

What should you tell your therapist at your first appointment?

During your first session, you may find yourself feeling a little uncomfortable and unsure of what to talk about. If you keep these points in mind, you will find yourself well on the way to developing a good relationship with your therapist and they will be more able to help you.

Talk about why you sought therapy. It was probably a particular issue or situation that brought you to a therapist. Talking about it will help the therapist understand the surface problems.
Talk about your personal history and current life situation. Your therapist will ask questions to get a better understanding which will help them identify deeper issues that need to be addressed.
Talk about your current symptoms. What parts of your life are being affected by your issues? Your therapist will use this information the help make an official diagnosis.

How can I get the most out of my psychotherapy sessions?

If you follow these three tips, you will find your therapy sessions to be extremely productive and beneficial:

Be open and honest when answering your therapist’s questions, and while talking about your feelings on any subject. They can’t help you if you lie to them about your feelings and issues.
Be prepared before arriving at the session by knowing how to describe the problems you’re having and how your feel about them.
Ask questions to get a better understanding of how counseling works. This will help you feel more comfortable when talking to your therapist about your issues.