Our Services

Psychotherapy and Counselling:

Sometimes referred to as "the talking cure", both psychotherapy and counselling are dialogues between the client and psychologist. That is, psychotherapy and counselling are collaborative endeavours between the psychologist and the client in which the client discusses his/ her difficulties, concerns, challenges, needs, conflicts and feelings in a non-judgemental climate of acceptance and support.

The psychologist offers the client clarifications, interpretations, empathy, information and an objective sounding board in a relationship which puts the needs of the client first. The processes of psychotherapy are designed to help the client remove troublesome symptoms, change self-defeating or problematic behaviour and promote personal growth and development. Psychotherapy is usually considered to work on deeper problems which may have their root in the individual's childhood.

Counselling tends to be more here-and-now focused, and the psychologist uses a more instructive, active approach than is typical of some psychotherapies. At Gilmour Psychological Services, the psychologists stay with mainstream, scientifically developed and proven therapeutic approaches. Our psychologists are well trained in a variety of psychotherapy and counselling approaches for a wide spectrum of problems and age ranges.

Psychological Testing and Assessment:

Psychological testing involves the use of reliable and valid paper and pencil questionnaires and the hands on manipulation of materials to help uncover the individual's personality, psychological problems, intelligence level and aptitudes, vocational interests and so on. Psychological assessment is usually done through interviewing the client over one or two sessions to determine the nature of his or her problems and a treatment plan. Testing and assessments help the psychologist and client determine together what the nature and extent of his or her strengths and weaknesses are and what the best course of action would be.

Consultation:

Consultation is the brief, one or two session, discussions between psychologist and client or psychologist and another professional (another health care provider, employee assistance counsellor, or lawyer, for example) in which the psychologist is presented with a relatively brief synopsis of a problem and asked for his or her advice and recommendations. The psychologist depends on his or her education, training, experience and reading of the scientific literature to give advice in this context, rather than his or her direct experience of the client.

In some situations, consultation may also refer to the process of psychological testing or assessment, because the psychologist produces an expert opinion and the process is complete, as a "package", separate from ongoing psychotherapy or counselling.

GPS Psychologists:

All our psychologists use mainstream psychological treatments grounded in the science of psychology. They combine technical expertise, continually updated knowledge, years of experience and compassionate support. As well as psychotherapy and counseling, they offer psychological testing and consultation. Treatment is tailored to the needs of the client and services are offered in both English and French.

All partners and associates are fully qualified professional psychologists, all have PhDs, and are registered as psychologists with the Province of Ontario. All have membership in the Canadian Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. Maintaining the highest professional standards is always a priority. While psychological services are not covered by OHIP, all Extended Health Care Plans provide some reimbursement for psychological service fees.

"It takes people to make people sick, and it takes people to make people well again."
-Harry Stack Sullivan

Comprehensive Group Therapy

Led by Dr. Doreen Gough, C. Psych.

Group therapy is an effective and economical way to obtain psychotherapy, either as an alternative or in conjunction with individual therapy. The interaction among members provides a wealth of information and support. From this the therapist and the members may see patterns, draw conclusions and make corrections more precisely and quickly than in individual therapy. Thus, many people find group therapy to be very helpful and useful.There are many problems that may be dealt with in group therapy including depression, anxiety, stress, phobia, self-esteem, panic attacks, job burnout, eating disorders, to name a few.

For people who experience problems in their relationships or in their communications patterns or who find it hard to make and keep friends, group therapy provides an excellent opportunity to develop relationships and skills with others. Then, if complications arise, as they do in almost all relationships, the group provides a forum in which to work out and repair those difficulties and misunderstandings. Compared with individual therapy, group therapy is more like the reality of the workplace, school, or family setting. It is also an opportunity to develop several relationships at the same time.

In a group, you join with others to establish a safe, confidential environment in which there are opportunities to:

  • develop a sense of acceptance and belonging
  • develop understanding and insight
  • learn how you are perceived by others
  • address causes and effects of maladaptive or negative behaviour
  • learn and practice new behaviours and communications skills
  • test reality
  • identify with others and learn from them
  • help others

Topics
Various subjects are talked about in group, including thoughts and feelings about events or relationships that occur both inside and outside the group. Group members are encouraged to be verbally active, open, and introspective. It is up to members to talk about what concerns them and to interact with each other during the session. It takes courage to talk honestly to another person about feelings towards him or her. However, most people wish to have opportunities to be honest about their thoughts and feelings and to receive honest feedback in return. Such discussions lead to enormous benefits.

Format
Groups meet weekly for 1½ hours, and usually around 7 members. The open-ended groups continue indefinitely and have no pre-set topic for each session. Members are asked to commit for at least four months with most staying for longer periods. When members do terminate, they will be replaced by new members.

Attendance
Continuity is important to group functioning. Members are expected to arrange other commitments so they do not clash with the group meeting time and to attend whether or not they are feeling as well as usual Regular and consistent attendance is necessary in order to reap the most benefits from therapy. Infrequent attendance or premature drop out has a negative effect on both the individual and the group. Members are encouraged to stay with the group and discuss feelings rather than drop out. Members who are honest about negative feelings are often pleasantly surprised by the response they receive from other group members.

Confidentiality
Confidentiality is of the utmost importance in all forms of therapy. Individuals will not reveal intimate aspects of themselves if they cannot trust that their identity will remain protected from people outside the therapy setting. Therefore, it is essential that members refrain from disclosing to others outside the group those thoughts and feelings that have been entrusted to them by other members within the group. The names and identities of other group members must also be strictly protected.

Socializing With Members Outside Therapy
Socializing with members outside group is counterproductive and strongly discouraged while the individuals are in group therapy. Members who meet outside of therapy lose objectivity with respect to each other and the therapeutic progress is hampered. Members who do meet outside group, whether accidentally or on purpose, are asked to discuss at the next group session the important aspects or meaning of their meeting.

Dr. Doreen Gough, can be reached at 613-230-4709 ext.23


What can I expect when I see a Psychologist?

First Contact
When you first call for information one of our psychologists will explain the initial process of assessing what your difficulties and therapeutic needs are. Before you ever come in, you will be told about our fees, how payment is made, where our offices are located and even where the waiting rooms are. Questions about the psychologist's training and experience can be answered over the phone as well.

First Visit
During your first visit our psychologist will ask you about what your current difficulties are, about your current life style, your physical health and your childhood and life experiences. This process usually takes two sessions, after which the psychologist is in a better position to make recommendations, explain whether she or he sees a role for her/him to help you and, if so, how therapy will proceed and the approximate time frame.

This assessment process allows you to assess the psychologist too, to ask questions and to see if the rapport between the two of you is sufficient for this type of work. At the end of the first session, you will be given a general information hand out that informs you of the philosophy of psychological services, how payment works, what to do if you have an emergency and a bit of a resumé about the psychologist you are seeing. Each psychologist has developed her/his own information handout, so that treatment can proceed after you have been fully informed and are comfortable that you know to what you are making a commitment.

Couples
For couples, the assessment procedure is a bit different. First the couple is seen together to determine the nature of the couple's problems and the history of the relationship. Then each member of the couple comes in for his/her own individual session as described above. Then the couple is seen together again for a fourth appointment in which the psychologist explains what she/he has determined to be the relationship's strengths and weaknesses, if the psychologist feels he/she can be of use to the client and if so how he/she will work with the client and the time frame. Family therapy involves most or all members of the family, seen as a group, with some or all members also assessed individually.

Click here to see "Why should I pay more to see a Psychologist?"