Our Treatment Approaches
Each client at the Canadian Centre for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy receives a personalized treatment plan, meticulously designed to address their unique challenges and promote resilience, growth, and a more adaptive outlook on life.
At the Canadian Centre for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, the cornerstone of therapeutic intervention centers around cognitive therapies, reflecting the clinic's commitment to evidence-based practices known for their efficacy in treating a wide array of mental health disorders.
This approach is grounded in the principle that thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are interconnected, and that identifying and modifying negative thought patterns can lead to significant improvements in emotional well-being and behaviour.
The clinic offers a range of cognitive therapeutic approaches. Select any of the titles below to learn more about that approach:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment that has been validated in thousands of clinical trials for the treatment of a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, trauma, personality disorders, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
Evidence-based treatment
Collaborative approach
Practical skills for change
Structured and time-limited
A Collaborative Approach
CBT is a collaborative therapy in which you will work with your therapist to understand the issues that you are having. CBT explores the interconnections between the ways we think, how we feel, and the things that we do in order to understand your problems and help you develop more adaptive ways of being for yourself.
Thoughts
Understanding these connections leads to a positive change.
Feelings
Behaviours
Typical Duration of CBT:
50-minute sessions
1x per week
12-20 weeks
Structured & Time-Limited
CBT is a structured and time-limited therapy, which means that each session is designed to be as effective and efficient as possible to help you with your problems.
In order to help you get the most out of your sessions, a CBT therapist will work with you to set an agenda at the beginning of session so that you can prioritize topics that are most important to you.
CBT is time-limited because most people will not need ongoing therapy and will be able to maintain their improvements on their own once therapy is over.
What to Expect:
CBT usually involves a 50 minute session once per week for 12 – 20 weeks (some conditions, such as bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, or personality disorders may require a longer duration of treatment).
One session per week is not a great deal of time when there are 168 total hours in a week. Thus, in CBT it is helpful to do therapy work in between sessions as well.
Your therapist will work with you to set-up an action plan to work on in between sessions that is linked to what you found most helpful about the session. These action plans are individualized so that you are always working on something that is meaningful to you.
Between Sessions:
In between sessions, you will work on an individualized action plan. This may include practicing new skills, tracking patterms, testing perspectives, or gradually approaching challenges.
CBT is Effective for a Variety of Experiences
Mood & Anxiety
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Depression
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Anxiety
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Panic Disorder
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Social Anxiety
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Agoraphobia
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Specific phobias
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Health Anxiety
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Seasonal Affective Disorder
Trauma
& Stress
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
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Stress Disorders
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Adjustment Disorders
OCD &
Related
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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
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Tic-Related Disorders
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Body Focused Repetitive Behaviours
Personality Disorders
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Borderline Personality Disorder
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Avoidant Personality Disorder
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Dependent Personality Disorder
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Histrionic Personality Disorder
Mood &
Psychosis
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Bipolar Disorder
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Schizophrenia
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Psychosis
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Hallucinations
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Somatic Symptom Disorders
Life &
Functioning
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Interpersonal Difficulties
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Life Transitions
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Work Achievement
Cognitive Remediation
Retrain neural pathways. Strengthen cognitive abilities. Improve daily function.
Cognitive Remediation is a treatment that focuses on retraining your brain’s neural pathways to improve abilities such as attention, memory, and problem-solving. It is based on neuroscientific findings about how the brain processes information and is specifically designed to enhance neural connections to improve cognition.
How Cognitive Remediation Works:
A Brain Gym for Cognitive Skills
Your brain is just like any other muscle in your body and if you do not exercise it then it will start to weaken.
In cognitive remediation we want to exercise your brain by practicing a variety of cognitive training tasks that are specially designed to exercise different cognitive abilities.
1. Set meaningful goals
Your therapist will help you develop goals that are linked to your ability to perform tasks in your everyday life
2. Tailored approach
Treatment is specifically tailored to help you achieve those goals
3. Computerized cognitive training
You will have access to computerized excersises designed to train the brain
4. Brain Gym
Your brain is like a muscle- it benefits from regular excersise. The training tasks exercise different cognitive abilities
5. Develop strategies
Cognitive remediation also helps you develop new cognitive strategies for doing these tasks and using them in everyday life
6. Practice between sessions
Cognitive exercise is best done several times per week, and computerized exercises are available between therapy sessions to continue the workout
Supported by Research
Cognitive remediation is supported by a large body of research to improve cognitive abilities in the following conditions:
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Depression
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Bipolar Disorder
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Psychotic Disorders
Why it Matters
Cognitive impairments often do not respond to other forms of treatment and can cause significant issues with your ability to perform everyday activities.
Cognitive remediation can provide an opportunity to regain these abilities
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a therapeutic approach developed to effectively treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It integrates principles of cognitive therapy with techniques aimed at addressing and restructuring maladaptive thoughts and beliefs associated with traumatic experiences.
How CPT Works:
1. Education about PTSD
The therapy begins with an educational phase where clients learn about PTSD, its symptoms, and how trauma affects thoughts and emotions. This phase lays the groundwork for understanding the rationale behind CPT and prepares clients for the treatment process.
4. Behavioural Experiments
Behavioural experiments are also a key component of CPT, allowing clients to test the validity of their new beliefs in real-life situations. These experiments reinforce the revised cognitive schema and provide opportunities for clients to experience positive outcomes that contradict their initial negative beliefs.
5. Emotional Processing
Throughout therapy, there is a focus on emotional processing, helping clients integrate their emotional experiences with the new cognitive insights gained from therapy.
2. Identifying Stuck Points
Clients then engage in a structured process of reviewing and recounting the traumatic event(s). This step, known as the 'stuck point', helps identify specific thoughts and beliefs contributing to distressing emotions.
3. Cognitive Restructuring
Central to CPT is cognitive restructuring. Clients learn to identify and challenge maladaptive thoughts and beliefs associated with the trauma. Therapists use techniques such as Socratic questioning to help clients examine the evidence for and against their beliefs. Clients will gain a more balanced and accurate perspective on the traumatic experience.
6. Relapse Prevention
As therapy progresses, therapists work with clients to consolidate gains and develop strategies for relapse prevention. This may involve creating a plan for managing future stressors and maintaining progress achieved in therapy.
A Proven Approach to PTSD Recovery
Research consistently demonstrates the efficacy of Cognitive Processing Therapy in reducing PTSD symptoms and improving overall functioning.
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Studies indicate that CPT produces significant and lasting improvements, often comparable to or better than other evidence-based treatments for PTSD.
Prolonged Exposure (PE)
Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) is a highly effective, evidence-based treatment for individuals experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and and other trauma-related disorders. PE helps people gradually confront trauma-related memories, feelings, and situations that they have been avoiding—allowing them to process the trauma and reduce its emotional grip.
The core idea behind PE is that avoidance of trauma reminders keeps distress and fear alive. By safely and repeatedly engaging with those memories and triggers in a controlled therapeutic environment, individuals can begin to desensitize their emotional response and regain a sense of control over their lives.
Prolonged Exposure typically involves two key components:
1. Imaginal Exposure
Revisiting and recounting the traumatic memory in detail during sessions to help process it fully and reduce its intensity over time.
2. In Vivo Exposure
Gradually facing real-life situations or places that are safe but have been avoided due to trauma-related fear.
PE empowers individuals to shift from surviving to living—reducing symptoms of PTSD, increasing emotional regulation, and restoring a sense of safety, confidence, and freedom.
PE for Military and First Responders:
Military personnel and first responders often face repeated exposure to life-threatening events, loss, and human suffering—experiences that can accumulate and lead to trauma-related symptoms or PTSD.
Prolonged Exposure offers an evidence-based path to recovery by helping them process specific incidents, reduce emotional reactivity, and reclaim control in their personal and professional lives.
PE is particularly well-suited for military members and first responders because it respects their strength and resilience while addressing the psychological toll of their service, supporting long-term emotional well-being and career sustainability.
PE for Perinatal Trauma:
Prolonged Exposure can be a powerful tool for mothers who have experienced birth trauma, emergency deliveries, pregnancy loss, or other distressing perinatal events. These experiences can leave lasting emotional wounds and a sense of fear, guilt, or hypervigilance that interferes with bonding, parenting, or daily functioning.
PE provides a structured, compassionate approach to help mothers safely process traumatic memories, reduce intrusive thoughts, and regain a sense of trust in their bodies and the world around them—fostering healing during a deeply vulnerable time.
Written Exposure Therapy (WET)
Written Exposure Therapy (WET) is a brief, evidence-based treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trauma-related symptoms. It involves structured, therapist-guided writing sessions that help individuals process traumatic experiences by putting their thoughts and emotions into words.
Unlike some therapies, WET does not require in-session retelling or repeated review of the trauma with the therapist, which can feel more manageable for those who are hesitant to speak about their experience out loud.
Brief Treatment
Short-term and effective. Typically completed in just 5 sessions
Therapist-Guided Writing
Structure writing sessions with support
Evidence-Based
Backed by research for PTSD and trauma-related symptoms
Accessible Apporoach
Less intensive than traditional trauma therapies
Research and Benefits:
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Reduces PTSD symptoms
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Improves emotional regulation
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Offers respectful, empowering way to process trauma at one's own pace, with the support of a trained clinician guiding the process.
How WET works:
1. Write about the traumatic event in detail.
2. Focus on what happened, how it felt, and how it continues to affect you.
3. Confront and make sense of the trauma, reducing avoidance and emotional distress over time.
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is an evidence-based approach that combines the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with mindfulness practices such as meditation, breathing exercises, and body awareness.
It was originally developed to prevent the recurrence of depression, but is now widely used to help individuals manage a range of mental health challenges, including anxiety, stress, chronic pain, and mood disorders.
How MBCT Helps:
1. Notice thoughts
2. Observe without judgment
3. Break the cycle
MBCT helps individuals become more aware of their thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations in the present moment—without judgment. By learning to observe negative thought patterns rather than automatically reacting to them, clients can break the cycle of rumination and emotional distress that often fuels depression and anxiety.
Benefits of MBCT:
Through structured group or individual sessions, MBCT teaches practical skills to:
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Increase emotional resilience
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Improve self-regulation,
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Cultivate a greater sense of calm and clarity
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Beneficial for those who struggle with recurrent episodes of depression or feel overwhelmed by persistent worry and stress.
Mindful Self-Compassion Therapy (MSCT)
Mindful Self-Compassion Therapy (MSCT) is designed to help individuals cultivate emotional resilience, inner strength, and greater well-being through the practice of mindfulness and self-compassion.
MSCT teaches clients how to treat themselves with the same kindness, care, and understanding they would offer a close friend in times of difficulty.
Core Idea Behind MSCT:
MSCT focuses on building awareness of one’s emotional experiences in the present moment—mindfulness—while also responding to those experiences with warmth, support, and non-judgment—self-compassion.
This approach helps reduce self-criticism, shame, and feelings of unworthiness, which are often at the root of depression, anxiety, and other emotional challenges.
How MSCT Helps:
Guided Excercises
Meditations
Reflective Practices
Soothe & Support
During stress or suffering
Break Cycles
Of self-judgement or avoidance
Empower Healing
Balance & lasting well-being
MSCT empowers individuals to build a more caring relationship with themselves, promoting healing, balance, and lasting emotional well-being. This is achieved through:
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a highly effective, evidence-based treatment for individuals experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related disorders.
EMDR helps people process distressing memories that have become "stuck" in the brain, allowing them to integrate these experiences in a healthier way so they no longer trigger overwhelming emotional or physical reactions.
Core Idea Behind EMDR:
The core idea behind EMDR is that traumatic experiences can overwhelm the brain's natural ability to process information, leaving memories stored in a fragmented, emotionally charged form.
Through a structured approach that incorporates bilateral stimulation (such as guided eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones) while recalling aspects of the traumatic experience, the brain is able to reprocess these memories so they become less distressing and more adaptive.
EMDR therapy typically involves these key components:
1. History and
Treatment Planning
Identifying treatment goals, traumatic experiences, and current challenges while building coping skills to ensure emotional safety.
2. Memory Reprocessing
Focusing on specific traumatic memories while engaging in bilateral stimulation to reduce emotional distress and strengthen more adaptive beliefs.
3. Integration and Future Preparation
Reinforcing positive beliefs and preparing to respond effectively to future situations that may have previously triggered trauma-related distress.
EMDR empowers individuals to move beyond the emotional impact of trauma by reducing PTSD symptoms, improving emotional regulation, decreasing distressing memories, and strengthening confidence, resilience, and a renewed sense of safety.
EMDR for Military and First Responders:
Military personnel and first responders are routinely exposed to life-threatening events, critical incidents, and repeated human suffering. These experiences can overwhelm the brain's natural processing system, resulting in persistent trauma symptoms or PTSD.
EMDR provides an evidence-based approach that helps service members and first responders process these experiences without requiring them to recount every detail of the trauma repeatedly.
By reducing the emotional intensity of traumatic memories and strengthening adaptive beliefs, EMDR supports recovery while respecting the courage, resilience, and unique experiences of those who serve. It can help individuals return to their personal and professional lives with greater confidence, emotional flexibility, and overall psychological well-being.
