OUR APPROACH - ADULTS
Your #1 Resource to Find an Adult Therapist in Oakville
Here at Whiteboard we use an integrative approach to therapy. What that means is we don’t use a single set of therapy techniques for every client. Instead we draw from a variety of approaches based upon the specific needs of the client.
Some of these therapies include: Narrative Therapy; Person-Centred Therapy; Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT); Solution-Focused Therapy; Existential Therapy; Family Systems Therapy; Multimodal Therapy; and Motivational Interviewing.
To understand more about our approach to client work here at Whiteboard, please check out the video below.
The Whiteboard Counselling Approach
NARRATIVE THERAPY
Narrative Therapy is a form of psychotherapy which arose in the 1980s as the result of the work of social scientists Michael White and David Epston. As the name suggests, Narrative Therapy helps clients identify the dominant narratives which shape what they believe about their past, their future, and ultimately, themselves. Far from being mere ‘stories,’ these narratives have been shown to have a tremendous impact on a client’s mental, emotional, and even physical health.
Take the hypothetical case of Ahmed for example. Ahmed is a divorced, 38 year-old, father of two looking for an adult therapist in Oakville. He is employed as a mechanical engineer and works long hours, often travelling for work. Ahmed has recently begun experiencing panicky feelings and can’t pinpoint a direct cause.
In working with Ahmed using a narrative approach, our team at Whiteboard might start by helping him understand the narratives which form his identity.
- For instance, if Ahmed possesses a narrative where he sees himself a ‘loving husband’, then how might his divorce be confusing that belief?
- Perhaps Ahmed expresses true fatherly love by being a ‘hands-on father’, and now, with the hours he is forced to spend at work, he may feel like he is falling short of living out that value.
- Maybe a look into Ahmed’s family history will reveal that his family have traditionally seen themselves as ‘overachievers,’ and now as Ahmed examines his career trajectory he may not see himself fulfilling that role anymore.
By using a narrative approach, therapists can help clients like Ahmed identify dominant narratives, then support them as they reauthor those narratives in more healthy ways. This counselling process is creative, ever-changing, and can be deeply empowering for clients as they seek an adult therapist in Oakville.
