211 Horseshoe Lake Dr, Suite 202B, Halifax, NS B3S 0B9

480 Parkland Drive, Unit 201, Halifax, NS B3S 1P9

Intentional Outcomes Counselling

What We Treat

Attention Deficit Disorders

Do you often find yourself unable to concentrate even when the task at hand is extremely important? Do you find yourself daydreaming at inappropriate moments? ADHD is a neurobehavioral disorder characterized by core symptoms of inattentiveness, distractibility, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Working to set up routines, identify academic strategies for specific needs, and learning the social skills necessary in order to form lasting friendships are some of the strategies we use to help a person struggling with ADHD. Therapy can also help by creating the language needed to explain symptoms to loved ones, the skills to develop coping mechanisms, and tools to improve social skills in order to make up for social deficits and cultivate meaningful connections.

Stress & Burnout

Unrealistic expectations, unbalanced workloads and “to-do” list overwhelm are leading to a type of burnout that is plaguing our society and affecting our personal and professional lives.
There are three main signs that your stress is leading to burnout: emotional exhaustion, reduced accomplishment, and disconnection. Therapy can help by providing a safe and supportive space to explore and understand your feelings; learn to identify the sources of your stress and develop healthier ways of responding. This may include learning stress-management techniques, such as relaxation and mindfulness, as well as setting healthy boundaries and prioritizing self-care. As a result, individuals may experience improved emotional regulation, better coping skills, and be better able to manage their stress in the future.

Anxiety & Panic

Everybody worries or gets the odd case of butterflies in the stomach. But are you missing out on opportunities and happiness because of fears and worries? Therapy can help you understand your feelings of fear, worry, and uncertainty. Together with your therapist, you can learn to identify the factors that contribute to your anxiety, and develop healthier ways of thinking and acting to improve your well-being. This may include learning coping skills, such as relaxation and mindfulness, as well as addressing any underlying issues such as past trauma or difficult life events. As a result, you may experience improved emotional regulation and better coping skills, and be better able to manage your anxiety in the future.

Gender & Sexuality

It’s impossible not to internalize the labels and epithets that are tossed at you by peers and elders. It’s healthy to have a mix of masculine and feminine traits, whether you’re a man or a woman. This means helping clients accept themselves as they are without feeling the need to conform to societal stereotypes. Psychotherapy is designed to help people achieve a deeper understanding of themselves as complex persons.

Career & Life Transitions

Starting a new job or career or retiring from work? Ending a romantic relationship or getting divorced? Becoming a parent? Grieving a loss? Starting or finishing school? Experiencing a major illness or health crisis?

Therapy can help you with life transitions by providing you with a safe and supportive space to explore and understand your thoughts and feelings about the changes happening in your life. We can help you learn to identify the factors that are contributing to your stress and anxiety, and develop healthier ways of coping with these challenges. This may include learning new skills and strategies for managing your emotions, as well as gaining insight into your values and goals, and making plans for the future. As a result, you may experience improved emotional well-being and greater confidence in your ability to handle life transitions.

Anger Issues

Anger issues can have a negative effect on all areas of your life, especially in relation to the lives of people you most care about. Therapy can be helpful by providing a safe and supportive space to explore and understand your feelings, and learn ways to identify and respond to the triggers that lead to your behaviour. With your therapist’s help, you can gain insight into the underlying causes of your anger, such as past trauma or unmet needs, and learn to address these issues in order to experience improved emotional regulation and better relationships with others.

Depression

Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, a lack of energy and motivation, changes in sleep and appetite, and difficulty concentrating and making decisions can be signs of depression. Therapy can be helpful by providing a safe and supportive space to explore and understand your feelings of sadness, and learning to identify the factors that contribute to your depression. We help you develop healthier ways of thinking and acting that can lift your mood and improve your well-being. This may include learning coping skills, such as problem-solving and positive thinking, as well as addressing any underlying issues that may be contributing to their depression, such as past trauma or difficult life events. We can help you navigate the challenges of depression and make positive changes in your life.

Trauma, Abuse, & PTSD

Trauma is a person’s emotional response to a distressing experience. Few people can go through life without encountering some kind of trauma. Unlike ordinary hardships, traumatic events tend to be sudden and unpredictable, involve a serious threat to life—like bodily injury or death—and feel beyond a person’s control. Most importantly, events are traumatic to the degree that they undermine a person’s sense of safety in the world and create a sense that catastrophe could strike at any time. Sufferers of long-term trauma may develop emotional disturbances, such as extreme anxiety, anger, sadness, survivor’s guilt, disassociation, the inability to feel pleasure or PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Treatments such as psychological debriefing are best deployed carefully and on a case-by-case basis. While everyone’s journey through trauma will be different we can help you take the steps you need to start processing your experiences and find a way forward.

Motivation & Procrastination

Do you put things off? Find yourself making excuses to get out of bothersome little duties? We’re all guilty of it from time to time, but when putting things off interferes with your life, there’s cause for concern. Increased stress and anxiety, reduced productivity and performance, conflicts and misunderstandings with others are all issues that stem from procrastination. Working with a therapist can help you explore and understand your thoughts and feelings about your goals and priorities, and identify the factors that are keeping you stuck. Therapy can help you set realistic and achievable goals, developing a more positive and proactive mindset, and creating a supportive environment that can help you stay on track. As a result, you may experience improved time management and productivity, and greater satisfaction and fulfillment in your life.

Low Self-Esteem & Confidence

Do you believe in yourself? Do you give yourself the credit you deserve? Self-esteem is an integral part of personal happiness, fulfilling relationships and achievement. In therapy, you can learn to identify the factors that contribute to your low self-esteem and lack of confidence, and develop healthier ways of thinking and acting that can improve your self-image and self-worth. This may include learning to challenge negative self-beliefs, developing a more compassionate and accepting attitude towards yourself, and setting achievable goals that can help you build your confidence. As a result, you may experience improved self-esteem and greater confidence in your abilities and worth.

Grief & Loss

Grief is often characterized as an emotional roller coaster: On some days, those who have lost a loved one feel incredibly sad and full of pain, while on other days they feel a lightness, or even a strange euphoria that comes from appreciating the person who has passed and reflecting on their own growth in the wake of the loss. What is most effective is talk therapy and exposure therapy that helps the person incorporate the death on a deep level. It’s helpful to have the patient focus on her future goals, on what she is going to do now that her loved one is gone. We can help you process the grief you are feeling so you can start the healing process.

Intentional Outcomes Counselling

Ready to get started?

Book an appointment with one of our therapists today.