• Overview
• Who do we see?
• What is CBT?
• What does therapy look like?
• How much does it cost?
• How do I get started?

• Information for physicians and clinicians
• Information for insurers
• Making a referral

• Staff
• Contact information
• Office location

• Ontario organizations
• Resources in London
• Anxiety links
• Depression links
• OCD links
• OC spectrum links
• CBT links
• Video clips

How long does it take?

The answer depends on a number of variables: the nature of the problem, financial limitations, your availability, your own preferences about the pace of the work, and your therapy goals.  Using these variables, we can tailor a CBT program specific to your needs.  Typically we see individuals anywhere from 4 to 20 sessions. 

For most therapists, appointments are 45-50 minutes long.  We usually refer to the appointment as “an hour”, with the final 10-15 mins used for the therapist to write his or her notes and copy materials that will be useful for the individual’s subsequent sessions.

What can I expect from the first appointment?         

Therapy always starts with an assessment.  This may last between 1-3 sessions.  We need to have a clear understanding of what your difficulties are before we can make any treatment recommendations.  The goals of the assessment, from the point of view of the therapist, are to:

• Discuss confidentiality
• Gather relevant background information (e.g. family of origin, past history of difficulties)
• Hear a description of the difficulties in your own words (especially important if you have been referred by a doctor or family member)
• Determine if your presenting difficulties fit within the therapist’s scope of practice (if not, a referral will be made to another clinician or clinic)
• Set some preliminary treatment goals
• Explain CBT and how it applies to your specific difficulties
• Answer any concerns you have about the therapy process

The assessment phase is a little more structured than subsequent therapy sessions. It is the clinician’s role to guide you through it, so you do not need to worry about what to say or “where am I going to start?”  You may not feel that you directly benefit from the assessment itself as typically your therapist will not make many recommendations during this phase. 

What can I expect from CBT sessions?

If you and your therapist agree to work together, then CBT can begin.  The direction of treatment will largely depend upon the difficulties you are having.  In CBT we will focus on how you think (cognitions) and what you do (behaviours).  Although therapy sessions are far less structured than the assessment phase, sessions may feel somewhat structured in that each one will attempt to address the following:

• Review of homework (e.g. questionnaires, monitoring forms, behavioural exposures etc.)
• Check-in to see if any major new developments have occurred (e.g. significant stressors, or major changes)
• General discussion of the issues on which you have been working on
• Introduction of new material/strategies
• Plan of action (collaborative discussion of homework for the week)