At One Life we have many qualified psychotherapists that you can choose from. We believe that therapy is a process and journey between therapist and client and that trust in that relationship is the biggest factor in being able to do the inner work needed for anxiety counselling to work best.
The goal of psychotherapy is always better health, whether that is mental, emotional or spiritual health. The process usually follows a 50min or 80min time frame once a week or bi-weekly and is the professional relationship between a specialist and their client.
It is vital that the relationship between the therapist and client be professional and therapeutic. Which means that the relationship between the psychotherapist and client be only for the purpose of working on self-development and well-being.
Why this is so important is because having a therapeutic relationship means the client does not have to worry about their information being shared and everything is kept strictly confidential. Having the ability to be that honest with your psychotherapist is very helpful. It means you can be 100% yourself and totally honest about your feelings. This means you do not have to worry about offending, pleasing or looking a certain way to anyone else.
The good specialist will disclose a little about themselves to their clients, but if they are truly doing this in the most therapeutic way, they will always be thinking this is going to be helpful for the client to hear on their journey.
Our psychotherapists use a variety of different therapies to help their clients and there are many different styles of psychotherapy to choose from. Each style has a different set of benefits and treatment depends on the symptoms.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) This type of psychotherapy counselling helps people change thinking patterns that are destructive or not helping the client and helps them replace those thoughts with more positive thinking patterns. This usually helps old behaviors that were previously destructive as well. CBT is very well researched and majority of the psychotherapists in Calgary that work on the One Life team are trained in this modality
Psychodynamic & Humanistic Therapy is grounded in the premise that many of our behaviors and thoughts are habits and come from our past influences. The role of the psychotherapist is to use this approach to help clients navigate their pasts and undo old patterns with new awareness and feel more in control of their life.
Interpersonal & Relational Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that is used to create a therapeutic relationship to help the clients learn more about their emotions and thoughts through the way they show up in the therapy room. This Interpersonal Therapy often draws on the present moment and mindfulness to help facilitate that growth.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is very close to cognitive behavior therapy and differs in focusing attention on helping clients regulate their emotions. This approach is especially helpful with clients who have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder or have trauma and PTSD in their lives.
Somatic Therapy is a psychotherapy counselling is a powerful process of helping the client develop greater awareness of their emotions, their body and understanding how their nervous system works. This approach can be very effective with trauma, anxiety and depression.
Gestalt Therapy, as defined by Gary Yontef and Lyanne Jacobs, is a therapy that focuses on the here and now. It is based on creating self awareness and new possibilities for each client. Gestalt therapy uses mindfulness to help clients grow greater confidence and self esteem within themselves.
Psychoanalysis is a process that is used to explore a client's thoughts through deep introspection and analytical thinking. It is usually a more expensive option as it can be 2-3 times a week over the course of several months.
How can it help me?
The investment of choosing psychotherapy for yourself is that you are going to give yourself the gift of understanding your thinking and behaviors at a greater level. Old age wisdom tells us that if we are not aware, we cannot change.
They have done research and found that the same brain images that change from mental health medication also changes from doing long term psychotherapy. Which means that psychotherapy is a very good choice in investing for your mental and emotional well being.
How does the whole process go?
The very first step is contacting our One Life team to get set up with the specialist. Our intake coordinator will reach out to you and set up an appointment for you.
Your first appointment is a discovery session where you talk about your goals, your challenges and you ask us any questions you might have about the process. Our psychotherapists will then let you know the course of treatment that they plan to take in therapy and coaching with you.
How can you prepare for the meeting?
We encourage you to bring a journal with any questions and thoughts for your first appointment.
We welcome you to bring a snack or drinks to your appointments and we will certainly offer you a warm cup of tea, coffee or water when you arrive.
Your first session
In the very beginning it is about getting to know you. Whether that is as an individual or couple, we want to know how we can best help your situation. Usually the conversation starts with your goals and key points that will help us understand you better. Our therapy is not a one size fits all approach and so there is no right or wrong answer for what you should share or ask in your sessions.
We believe that One Life counseling and coaching is a great space for you to share and address all your thoughts and feelings in a way that works best for you. Most people, once they feel comfortable share their feelings and thoughts more easily. We take pride in fostering an approach that walks a path of being beside our clients and we like to empower people with an approach that works best for their learning style and unique personality.
Is it possible to have an online session?
Our psychotherapists offer very convenient online counselling options for our clients. If you want to meet from the convenience of your home or office, we have secure internet video conferencing for our clients that cannot make it into the office.
Is it possible to achieve career goals with your help?
Our psychotherapy mixed with the combination of coaching is a great resource for achieving career goals and enhancing your performance at work. We believe that if you have someone supporting you that you can achieve great things for your life and that many of your goals will become real possibilities.
How often should I be coming in for psychotherapy and individual counselling?
Our psychotherapists will give you an idea after meeting with you how often you should be coming in for individual counselling therapy. We believe that success comes from investing in the beginning of therapy and starting off strong to get positive momentum.
Is psychotherapy covered by my insurance provider?
Majority of our sessions are covered by insurance, we always like to encourage our clients to check with their providers before coming in. So you need to ask your provider if your coverage includes psychotherapists at first.
