BASED IN EDMONTON, AB & AVAILABLE ACROSS AB, NB, NS, NU & QC
TEAM-CBT pour les femmes
The Gold Standard of psychological treatments... Drastically Improved!
You’re tired of feeling anxious, depressed and down on yourself. On top of all this, you have been noticing that the trauma you went through has been on your mind much more than it used to.
You’re thinking therapy might help, but what if you invest yourself in it and it doesn’t?
When I reached a point where I could no longer deny that I needed therapy for myself 6 years ago, I had that same question.
Although this was six years after I had completed my graduate program and had started working as a Psychologist, I was still leaning towards the idea that nothing could possibly help.
I remembered my former Clinical supervisor sharing that he felt that TEAM-CBT was the only approach that encompassed all the components that help make therapy successful. That sounded too good to be true, but I had nothing to lose and decided to do a deep dive into it.
This was the first approach I had come across that did not limit itself to providing a set of techniques to address mental health issues (the TEAM-CBT framework actually accommodates methods from every possible modality out there), but actually went into the nitty-gritty of how to create a safe, empathetic and supportive environment for clients and help them overcome not only their mental health struggles, but also the blocks that may show up on their therapy journey.
I had to try it for myself as a client: I did, and it worked! Shortly after, I was certified in TEAM-CBT, and that is the framework that I have been using ever since.
What is TEAM-CBT?
TEAM-CBT is an effective approach that combines customized therapy – which allows for rapid, in-depth and lasting recovery – with a warm, empathetic and non-judgmental environment where you can feel safe being yourself thoroughly. TEAM-CBT places you at the centre of the process; you determine whether therapy is helping, and we will track your progress at every appointment, as well as course-correct to meet your needs.
TEAM-CBT was created by Dr. David Burns, MD.
Famed neuroscientist, Dr. Mark Noble, from the University of Rochester, refers to TEAM-CBT as “The New Micro-neurosurgery“. He speaks to how the rapid recovery observed with the TEAM-CBT approach is highly consistent with the most up-to-date neuroscience understanding of how the human brain functions.
You may be familiar with the expression “neurons that fire together, wire together”. What this means in practice is that when we experience anxiety and depression, for instance, over long periods, the neuronal pathways that underlie anxious and depressive thoughts – and therefore anxious and depressive feelings, as well as related behaviour – become quite solidified; because this specific set of neurons have fired together for so long, the connections between them are quite strong.
Using the TEAM-CBT approach, I will help you to zero in on a very specific moment when you felt anxious or depressed, for example, and identify the exact thoughts that crossed your mind during that particular fraction of a second. It may sound limiting to focus on a specific moment when you were struggling, but by putting that instant under a ‘surgical microscope’ so to speak, we will be able to:
#1 analyze your unpleasant thoughts in-depth, which will then give us an in-depth understanding of the issue we are working on;
#2 find the dysfunctional thoughts – while honouring those that accurately reflect your reality;
#3 identify the exact tools and techniques that will help dispute the thoughts that don’t serve you – thereby disrupting the underlying brain circuits;
#4 replace these thoughts with thoughts that are both more positive and realistic, thereby creating new brain circuits;
#5 give you homework exercises that will help strengthen these new brain circuits.
The new brain circuits and the positive, realistic thoughts they will give rise to, will result in pleasant emotional experiences that will permeate all future moments in your life, leading to recovery, peace and happiness.
Interested in rewiring your mind?
TEAM-CBT is available online to women in edmonton, ab & across Alberta, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Nunavut and Quebec
What is the difference between TEAM-CBT and CBT?
CBT (Cognitive Behavioural therapy) is listed as the modality of choice for most mental health issues by the American Psychological Association.
CBT recognizes the interconnectedness of thoughts, bodily sensations, emotions and behaviour.
A core principle of CBT is that psychological issues are due in part to unhelpful ways of thinking and unhelpful behavioural patterns.
TEAM-CBT is as an elevated version of CBT (Cognitive Behavioral therapy) and unlike CBT, it is not just a modality, but a complete approach to therapy and counselling. It also recognizes the role of social phenomena such as discrimination and oppression in mental health suffering.
The acronym TEAM, in TEAM-CBT, stands for Testing, Empathy, Assessment of motivation, and Methods. I specialized in ‘traditional’ CBT during my graduate program in Clinical Psychology and practised this form of CBT for several years before undergoing TEAM-CBT therapy as a client and subsequently seeking and obtaining certification in TEAM-the approach. I have found that each of TEAM-CBT’s components is uniquely important, and gives TEAM-CBT an edge over ‘traditional’ CBT:
T (Testing)
While ‘traditional’ CBT also emphasizes the importance of Testing or gathering data to assess clients’ difficulties before treatment starts, as well as to evaluate progress, TEAM-CBT goes the extra length by ensuring that every therapy session that you attend is beneficial to you by briefly assessing your emotional state, before and after each appointment. This helps to promptly identify ways to personalize your therapy course so that it adequately meets your needs.
The after-session survey will also allow you to assess me as your therapist according to different important criteria, such as how warm, trustworthy, caring, and respectful I was, and whether I did a good job of listening and understanding how you felt inside. While this may feel nerve-racking at first (I’ve been there when I had to evaluate my own therapist), your honest feedback is invaluable since your perceptions and feelings are what truly determine whether I am successfully creating a safe space for you. Moreover, I will check in with you during our sessions as well, to ask about your level of comfort, and whether you are feeling heard, seen and understood. I will also strive to help you feel as comfortable as possible to discuss any score which is less than perfect (as you deserve to feel perfectly safe at all times), so I may course-correct as needed.
We will also begin the therapy process with an informal assessment, which will consist of gathering information about your current struggles, personal history, identities, relationships, and goals in a supportive environment. This will give us the solid foundation we need for the rest of our work together.
E (Empathy)
As illustrated in the ‘testing’ section, TEAM-CBT places necessary emphasis on Empathy as an essential ingredient to recovery; TEAM-CBT recognizes that helping you effectively starts with having a thorough and genuine understanding of what it’s like to be in your shoes, to create an environment that always feels entirely safe and to make therapy a personalized experience that will get you to your goals rapidly.
A (Assessment of motivation)
The ‘A’ part of TEAM-CBT, Assessment of Motivation, deepens this understanding of what it’s been like to walk in your shoes by helping to identify the factors that have contributed to and maintained your challenges, and aims to (quite literally) bring out the fighter in you. Intriguing, I know.
M (Methods)
In the Methods part of TEAM-CBT, I will choose from over 100 evidence-based methods, to find the one(s) that will be most effective in helping you overcome your challenges. Unlike ‘traditional’ CBT, TEAM-CBT is not limited to the use of CBT techniques but can involve drawing from methods from every existing modality; this helps to ensure that therapy is truly taylored to you.
I personally include techniques from the following modalities as I am trained in them: CBT, ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), PE (Prolonged Exposure therapy), ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention), Mindfulness, Solution-focused therapy, and elements of Somatic work & Psychodynamic therapy. CBT, PE, ERP and Mindfulness, are some of the very few treatment modalities that have strong research support, according to the American Psychological Association. Moreover, I use a version of TEAM-CBT that is Islamically centred for clients who want this type of approach. You may learn more about the latter on my Islamic Therapy page.
In TEAM-CBT, the philosophy when selecting tools and techniques is ‘failing as fast as we can’; it is the idea that as we take a few minutes to test a method that does not end up working for you, we are getting closer to the one(s) that will get you to that aha-moment. Finding the right method – or combination of methods – for you may take a single session to a few sessions, within the ‘M’ phase of therapy.
with a TEAM-CBT certified Psychologist
Available online to women in edmonton, ab & across Alberta, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Nunavut and Quebec
FAQS
Frequently asked questions about TEAM-CBT
The timeline can vary based on your unique goals & personal history. Clients who fully engage in the process and complete their therapy homework – which consists of readings, written exercises and practising techniques I will teach you in session – experience relief after about five sessions.
The entire therapy course averages 12 to 24 sessions.
Mes honoraires sont de 235 $ par séance de 50 minutes. Des séances plus longues sont disponibles au même tarif.
Étant en pratique privée, mes honoraires ne sont not couverts par l'assurance maladie publique financée par le gouvernement, comme le régime d'assurance maladie de l'Alberta, le programme d'assurance maladie du Nouveau-Brunswick, le programme d'assurance maladie de la Nouvelle-Écosse, le régime d'assurance maladie du Nunavut et la Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec.
Cependant, étant donné que je suis psychologue agréé, si votre private régime d'assurance comprend une couverture pour la santé mentale, les séances de thérapie avec moi seront généralement prises en charge.
You may contact your insurance provider to find out how much coverage you have per year.
It may also be beneficial to ask whether you have a health spending account that may be used toward therapy sessions.
While I do not direct bill insurance companies, I will provide you with a receipt after every therapy session so may you be reimbursed by your insurance company. You will be charged the session fee on the credit card that you will provide when you enrol into treatment.
My fees may be claimed under tax deductible health care expenses on your income tax return.
If you are eligible for these programs, please note that I also have an agreement to provide services under:
- the NIHB (Non-Insured Health Benefits) program which provides eligible First Nations and Inuit clients with coverage for various benefits, including mental health counselling. Through this program, eligible clients can receive up to 22 hours of counselling a year.
- the Bigstone Health benefits program which provides benefits to members of Bigstone Cree nation. Through this program, clients can receive up to 22 hours of counselling every 12 months.
- federal programs such as the Interim Federal Health program (IFHP) administered under Immigration, Regufees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC); this program provides limited, temporary coverage of health care benefits for specific groups of people who don’t have provincial, territorial, or private health care coverage. I also direct-bill federal programs such as programs for members of the Canadian armed forces (CAF), Royal Canadian Mounted police (RCMP), and Veteran Affairs Canada (VAC).
I also have a partnership with Sisters Dialogue that allows Muslim women residing in Alberta to see me free of charge, for 5 sessions with the possiblity to extend coverage.
You may email me at audrey@overanxietypsych.com or schedule a free 15-minute consultation here.
