The Full Story

The Therapy Link Philosophy

Hello and welcome!

If you have found yourself on our website you are likely looking for some support and healing. Wherever you are at in your journey, we like any other care group, are here to help. On this page you will find an overview of Therapy Link's philosophy, treatment approach, personal values and beliefs that guide my counselling practice.

If our approach speaks to you, please reach out to us at connect@therapylinkcare.com and we will determine if working together will be the right fit for you.

Therapeutic Approach

Eclectic Therapy

Our approach to counselling is truly tailored to you as our client. No individual person will have the same life experiences as the person next to them, and even before we experience life, no two brains are created the same in utero. Due to this, in our practice we take an eclectic approach to care to really focus on the relationship at the forefront of how we will collaborate to personalize your treatment and care journey exactly to your needs.

An eclectic approach is an integrative one, and it means that we are skilled in multiple types of therapy models and will work to find which one or combination of one’s work best for you. Your care needs may change over time or depending on your circumstances, and using an eclectic model will allow us to be flexible and meet you where you are at through each moment of our sessions.

Most importantly, we will be working on developing a foundation of trust and collaboration. This will work to create a safe space for you to unburden your thoughts and feelings, your past, your present, and what you hope to see in your future.

Why Eclectic?

Eclectic approaches are taught and used globally for a very important reason: we as Psychologists cannot predict before meeting you what treatment approach will be successful for you as the client. In the Counselling field there are many different perspectives around what is best and what works for sustainable care while ensuring we are making the highest impact possible. All of our colleagues in the field have respectable and evidence based positions on how they navigate their own practices, and we am not here to tell you otherwise.

Those of us who practice eclectic, integrative approaches do so because we don’t want to limit you as our client in what treatment we will use to support your healing and growth. Eclectic, is essentially a technical term for being proficient in multiple therapy models (like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Adlerian Therapy, Mindfulness Based Therapy etc.) and integrative denotes that aspects of each therapy can be combined into a unique formula for healing tailored to you.

A significant body of research shows that eclectic approaches combined with the development of a strong therapeutic relationship demonstrate consistent success in psychological care. It is also one of the best ways to ensure that we as your therapists and therapy linkers can make sure we are being considerate of your history, culture, preferences and needs.

The Why & How

The Framework

Our practice being eclectic, integrative and focused on the therapeutic alliance is based on a framework of the following assumptions:

Every person is as unique as their fingerprints and should receive care that has the person at the center not the therapeutic model at the center.
Every person has the right to psychotherapeutic tools and a safe environment to heal in based on their individual needs and cultural background.
Every person if given the opportunities and supported within their communities and external systems can experience healthful living.

It is our firm belief that when using an eclectic approach we begin to redefine how we see a person. Instead of asking you, our client, to fit inside of a specific box, we create a box specific to you. It is human nature to need a holistic approach to healing both as an individual and in our communities, and that is what eclectic therapy offers.

What’s Up, Doc?

What's going on in your life right now? What experiences are causing you to feel off, low, overwhelmed or not yourself? Do you think your problems are coming from outside of you? Inside of you? Both?

Eclectic therapy allows us to explore any and all roots of the concerns you are currently facing and allows us to treat you as a whole, multifaceted person while also acknowledging that your environment and our society also influence your experiences.

While we can’t fix or change the external forces in your life, we can acknowledge them, and help you learn how to contribute to what you cannot control and work towards increasing your quality of life. The problems you are facing could be largely due to where you currently live, where you currently work, traumas from your past, traumas in your present, and/or the systems that surround you and make it difficult for you to change your circumstances. Whatever it may be, we can explore it together and face it one step at a time all the while learning how to navigate your emotional, psychological, and social needs.

A Theory of Everything

We obviously can’t change the whole world during our sessions, or change what happened to you in your past. So what can we change? Experiencing a positive change towards your betterment and quality of life is a marathon not a sprint. Each session contributes to this marathon, and counts as a step, or a few steps towards the direction of healing we are working towards. Change doesn’t happen overnight, and new patterns or tools aren’t learned after one try. It takes repetition, collaboration and dedication to the end goal.

Being an eclectic practicing group allows us to use as many theories as necessary in order to support you in effective and sustainable change. In its essence, eclectic therapy is a theory of everything, and whatever tools we need to use to get you to the life you want, we will.

Ultimately, change and healing isn’t linear, and sometimes during our process together you may find that your original goals have evolved. This is all part of the process, and we am here to support you through the entire journey.

The Evidence

Fact or Fiction

Psychotherapy outcome research favours focusing on the treatment of the individual instead of the illness. One of the most reliable forms of treating an individual according to randomized controlled trials, case studies and meta-analyses is through an eclectic model approach combined with a common factors approach. Common factors include aspects such as the therapeutic alliance that we’ve talked about earlier on this page.

Treatment of the illness instead of the individual was used historically because it was thought to be more effective than the inverse approach. We know now after countless studies, that this is incorrect. One of the most important aspects of successful treatment is the relationships between your practitioner and yourself being one that you can trust and rely on. Another is fitting the therapy model(s) used to the client to ensure the highest impact of care that lasts even outside of the session.

Psychotherapy, much like medicine, is always evolving, and as such we must evolve with it. Therapy Link's personal vow is to keep up with the most recent literature as much as we can to ensure that we are focusing our care on you as our client first and foremost.

The Influence of Integration

Being an eclectic practicing group, we are a huge proponent of psychotherapy integration. In our sessions we will reach for and utilize every tool in our therapeutic toolbox that fits your needs. We will work to consider your global needs and what therapeutic methods we will employ overtime to help you reach your goals, as well as on a smaller scale for what you need at the moment in a particular session. In the literature on integration, this is considered technical eclecticism.

Another type of psychotherapy integration involves the combining of common factors approaches like the therapeutic alliance. When in session with one of us, or when seeking our support in your healing journey, you will find that we believe in the use of common factors as the foundation to basic care, and so we also work to integrate this into our approach.

If you reach out to us with the intention of choosing us as your one stop shop for all your therapeutic needs, our first session will be focused on if I am the right fit for you and your needs, and that will help us determine if we move forward or if we support you in a referral to a colleague that is better suited to you. In working with us, you as the client come first, no matter what.

If you need support, and think our approach will fit your needs, we hope to hear from you soon!