Dr. Lisa Bradford, Registered Clinical and Counselling Psychologist
FOUNDER and CLINICAL DIRECTOR
Therapy and Assessment Areas: anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), grief, trauma, relationship difficulties, couples therapy, sexual orientation/gender issues, sleep difficulties, eating disorders, personality issues, low self-esteem, paranoia, psychosis, cognitive difficulties, and self-enhancement
I provide assessment and psychotherapy for individual adults and couples. In individual therapy, I help people work through and resolve a wide variety of presenting problems and symptoms, including anxiety/panic, fears and phobias, depression, mood swings, mood dysregulation, trauma, dissociation (e.g., feeling like one is outside of one’s body, watching oneself), grief, guilt, shame, insomnia, nightmares, problems forming and/or maintaining relationships, uncommon sensory experiences (e.g., seeing or hearing things that other people cannot perceive), obsessions, cognitive difficulties (e.g., memory and attention deficits, disorientation), sexual feelings and behaviours that activate shame, sexual orientation issues (e.g., "coming out," internalized homophobia and self-loathing), eating issues (e.g., bingeing, deprivation, eating non-food items), and identity and self-esteem issues (e.g., "Who am I?"; "How do I feel about myself?").
I conduct couples therapy with individuals of any sexual orientation or gender identity and in any type of relationship (e.g., open marriage, one partner is monogamous while the other is seeing several people, one partner is significantly older than the other). A major focus of the therapy is on how the two individuals communicate with one another during the session. I will help you both explore any maladaptive communication patterns and misunderstandings that are contributing to ongoing relationship difficulties. Through therapy, couples can re-build trust and re-establish emotional and physical intimacy after an infidelity, other betrayal (e.g., lying about finances), or any painful experience that causes a relationship rupture (e.g., partner is not there when you need them the most). Couples can find solutions to seemingly irreconcilable differences (i.e., "fighting over the same old thing again and again") and work through challenging issues such as buying a new home, retirement, managing finances, fertility treatments and difficulties getting pregnant, the adoption process, taking care of a newborn, and a variety of parenting concerns (e.g., raising a child with a disability, having a teen who acts out, parental disagreements about how to discipline the children).
I have been providing clinical services since 2000. During this time, I have worked with children, adolescents, and adults up to 95 years of age; individuals who self-identify as gay, bisexual, lesbian, queer, transgendered, two-spirit, questioning, asexual, and non-binary; and people from diverse ethnic, cultural, religious, political and socioeconomic backgrounds. I fervently believe that all human beings have equal value and should be treated with the utmost respect and dignity. Diversity should be warmly embraced and celebrated.
I have worked in a large number of private practice, hospital, community, forensic (e.g., Royal Ottawa Hospital), and university counselling settings in Toronto, Ottawa, Kingston, and Montreal over the years. I have extensive experience providing psychotherapy to individuals with almost every clinical disorder imaginable from autism (which presents at about age 2) to late-onset Alzheimer's dementia (which is diagnosed in adults 65 years and older). However, my areas of expertise are anxiety and mood disorders, psychosis (e.g., mild and transient paranoia as seen in borderline personality disorder, psychotic depression, delusions of grandeur in bipolar disorder, schizophrenia), personality disorders, and cognitive dysfunction (e.g., memory and attention problems). In addition, I was an adjunct professor at Queen's University for several years, where I taught developmental psychology and psychopathology, and was commended for my "outstanding teaching." Even though I only work with adults now, my clinical and academic experience in developmental psychology helps me approach each case from a lifespan perspective. Moreover, in order to be a professor for the psychopathology course, I had to have an in-depth knowledge of all mental disorders diagnosed in psychiatry and psychology. In sum, I have treated individuals with mental disorders from every diagnostic category and have covered every form of psychopathology in my lectures to university students.
I have a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience from Queen's University. Human beings are complicated, and all psychological problems are caused by a complex interaction of biological (e.g., genetic, neurochemical) and environmental (e.g., trauma, abuse) factors. Therefore, I use a comprehensive approach to psychotherapy and conceptualize all cases from a biopsychosocial perspective. I am proficient in a variety of evidence-based theoretical orientations, including cognitive-behavioural, dialectical behavioural, psychodynamic, emotion-focused, mindfulness, and interpersonal therapy. I also draw on the Gottman Method for my work with couples. As no one person or partnership is the same, I integrate components from multiple theoretical modalities and develop a personalized, distinctive approach for each individual or couple. I feel that this reveres and honours the uniqueness and complexity of human nature in all of its splendour. Through ongoing communication with each other, we will find and maintain the optimal psychotherapeutic environment and approach for you. I always warmly welcome your feedback and want to know how the process feels for you every step of the way; we can make any necessary changes as the therapy evolves.
I am a warm, down-to-earth, authentic, honest, and empathic person who genuinely cares about your well-being. We will work collaboratively in a non-judgemental, confidential space at a pace that is right for you. I will do my best to ensure that you always feel respected and comfortable, and that your needs are consistently being met. Please keep in mind that, although therapy should always feel "safe," even positive changes can be somewhat stressful. However, it is certainly a worthwhile endeavour as these enduring changes will enrich and enhance your life in so many wonderful ways. Therapy can also prove to be quite an enlightening and transcendental experience that clarifies your raison d'être; imbues your life with new meaning, passion and purpose; and leads to personal growth and maximization of potential in work, play, and love. Finally, with increased self-awareness comes greater compassion for yourself and others.
If you feel that we would be a good fit, please contact me for a free consultation. After this initial meeting, if you are still interested in working together, we will begin psychotherapy. In the early phases of treatment, I will ask you to describe your current difficulties (e.g., "What brings you here today?"), and we will set some treatment goals. I will also ask you to share information from your personal history. Exploring the past with a trusted therapist leads to a deeper understanding of yourself and your relationships. In informing the present, the past can shed light on current problems and pave the way for a brighter future.
I am a registered member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario and a member of the Ontario Psychological Association. I have published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals. Published topics include, but are not limited to, schizophrenia, psychosis, cognitive dysfunction, dementia, and electroneurophysiology.