Psychotherapy Services
BFHT Psychotherapy provides publicly funded mental health supports through an outpatient Psychotherapy Clinic. This team provides short term, skills-based interventions to the Burlington community (18yrs +), to promote the use of coping skills and enhance resilience in daily life.
Benefits of Group Psychotherapy:
Many clients are unsure about engaging in group psychotherapy. Treatment in this format provides a number of benefits, beyond what the treatment intends:
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Sense of community and belonging (you’re not alone)
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A chance to develop communication and social skills
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An opportunity to give and receive support
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Sense of safety among others
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Shared learning
Risks in group psychotherapy are low, beyond feeling emotionally comfortable at times. Skilled clinicians work hard to ensure the comfort and safety of every client in every group .
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To learn more about how to access services and supports, connect with your family doctor who can make a referral.
Below are the main treatment modalities in our clinic
*Upon receiving a referral, our clinic books an individual assessment with each client to determine needs and next steps within our organization. The treatment decision will be a collaborative one between you and the clinician.
Cognitive behavioural therapy: CBT is a treatment addressing how clients think, feel, and what clients do (behaviours). It is oriented to the here and now, and gives clients practical strategies they can utilize daily, to support mood and anxiety management. In our clinic we have broken the treatment into modules (3 weeks, 5 weeks), so clients can get what they need most out of treatment. CBT treatment gives clients an opportunity to become their own therapist in some ways, and we see results as early as the second week in treatment with clients who are reading our materials, doing the home practice, and implementing the various strategies.
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Watch this video to understand more about one of our 5 week modules (focused on learning more about negative automatic thoughts): Cognitive Therapy
Mindfulness: Our clinic has adapted an approach and provides a 5 week program to support patients in managing their mental health. Through this experiential treatment patients can begin to cultivate awareness of their automatic patterns, and then how they react in turn (behaviours). Clients will learn various foundational practices to support them in building the capacity to pay attention to the present moment, on purpose, in a nonjudgmental way.
IPT: Clients have an opportunity to build effectiveness in relationships in the here and now, for improved mental health outcomes and healthier relationships. There are four main areas we can work on: relationships conflicts; life changes and transitions; grief/loss; and isolation/lack of relationships.
CPT for PTSD (Cognitive Processing Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder): Clients will address the symptoms they are experiencing, related to a myriad of traumatic events, such as child abuse, combat, rape and natural disasters. “You can learn how to move beyond the pain, and regain control of your life again”. 3 main goals: Reflect and understand PTSD and the impact trauma has had on your thoughts and feelings; Redefine, evaluate thinking and consider alternatives; AND Recover, reduce distress related to memories, reduce anxiety, anger, guilt, shame so that you can improve daily living.
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Watch this video to understand more about CPT and what you can expect: CPT
CBT for PTSD involves helping the client confront the reminders of the trauma in a therapeutic manner so that the distress decreases.
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CBT for PTSD:
Some techniques used by therapists when administering CBT include:
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Modifying cognitive distortions (e.g., overgeneralizing bad situations or having negative expectations) and supporting the development of more balanced and beneficial ways of thinking.
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Exposing clients to reminders of the trauma, in a controlled manner, to enable them to confront, rather than avoid, their distress.
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Educating the client about common reactions to trauma, planning for potential crises, and teaching them to manage stress and promote relaxation.
These methods and techniques are intended to help the client with PTSD gain a more objective understanding of their traumatic experience, return their sense of control and self-confidence, and improve their ability to cope and reduce avoidance behaviours.