Psychotherapy & Counselling Services
Heather Church, RP
Welcome.
Over twenty-five years, I have developed expertise serving people who have developmental and mental health challenges, as well as their loved ones, as a registered psychotherapist, registered behaviour analyst (Ontario).
My range of expertise has grown to reflect the needs of my clients and their loved ones as they have grown through the lifespan.
The people I serve include:
Children over 6 years old
Teenagers
Young adults
Adults
Individuals
Couples
Those coping with diagnoses, end-of-life of self/loved one and grief
People with developmental disorders
My work is evidence based, hopeful and focused on helping you to achieve your goals and live according to your values, no matter your stage in life.
Click the link to read this article that I authored, about the importance of incorporating advanced care planning in individual service plans for care of people with developmental disorders, alongside colleagues in an inter-university collaboration.
Click here to listen to our interview with Developmental Disabilities Network Journal Author Insights podcast.
In our work together, my goal is to help you to develop insight into your situation. I will help you to develop the tools to grasp life's patterns and untangle the daily struggles, so that you can implement your plan to live and move forward in a way which is meaningful to you.
Individual Psychotherapy (Regulated)
I offer psychotherapy and counselling online, as a Registered Psychotherapist (RP) in accordance with the standards of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). I use Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).
Psychotherapy may be helpful for individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, or other challenges that significantly impact emotional or psychological functioning.
In general, I find that rapport is beneficial to developing a strong therapeutic alliance (i.e., the relationship of trust between a client and therapist, whereby they work together as allies to achieve the client's goals). To determine if I am the right fit for you, please book a complementary initial consultation. If you prefer in-person appointments, these can be arranged. Please contact me prior to booking in order to do so.
Couples Counselling
I use EFT, CBT and ACT in couples counselling, to assist couples as they navigate challenges in and seek to strengthen their relationship. As such, this service is subsumed within the psychotherapy services that I offer. This is because we address dysfunctional relationship patterns, emotional dysregulation, attachment injuries and clinically significant distress.
Psychoeducational Counselling
Depending on what you are looking for, these services may or may not be subsumed under psychotherapy.
If you are:
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Seeking assistance adapting to an identified or diagnosed cognitive, learning or emotional difficulty of yourself or a loved one,
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Psychoeducational assessments (NB: this will NOT formulate a diagnosis) in order to identify the learner's strengths and struggles,
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Addressing distress arising from those difficulties and/or
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Working on functional impairment, this would qualify as psychotherapy.
Where it ceases to be psychotherapeutic but still valuable is when the services have a more administrative focus. For instance, I can write a report, explaining in plain language the challenges experienced by the learner and strategies to accommodate them. We can then use that information to develop learning strategies which capitalise on their strengths. A report will also be prepared and provided to the client, to share it as they choose to schools, coaches, and others involved in the learner's learning journey. I can also help you to prepare for, and if you choose, attend case conferences with you, to help inform the goals, problem resolution and priorities.
A complementary initial consultation is mandatory for this service. Additional psychoeducational services include: explaining the individual service plan (ISP), Identification, Program, Review Committee (IPRC) and navigating services and supports processes for those who have been identified within the school system as eligible for these supports.
Contact
Have a question or want to learn more? Reach out to us through the form below.