Quitting Smoking Through Psychotherapy

One of the hardest addictions to kick is smoking.

It is also one of the biggest killers out there.

At DFpsych, we use a CBT method to help patients wean themselves off cigarettes by identifying the immediate here and now reasons that you smoke. By breaking down the components of desire, it is possible to isolate individual triggers that cause you to light up.

With our help, we can help you to quit smoking once and for all, without gums, patches, drugs, acupuncture or hypnosis. Psychotherapy has a lasting effect, and it is a completely natural and effective way to stop addictive behavior once and for all.

For more information on how you can quit smoking with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, click here: Toronto psychologist link.

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

At DFPsych we primarily utilize a Cognitive Behavioural (CBT) model. CBT can help you to change what you do, or your behavior, and how you think, or cognitive process. With positive reinforcement, you can grow to enjoy greater well-being and a healthier outlook on life. Unlike some other treatments, CBT focuses on immediate problems and chalenges. Causes of your distress or symptoms in the past take a backseat as we look for ways to improve your state of mind HERE and NOW.
CBT can help you to make sense of overwhelming problems by breaking them down into smaller parts. When laid out in a logical way, it becomes easier to see how issues are connected and how they affect you.

At DFpsych we use CBT to treat the following:

Post-traumatic Stress
Anxiety Disorders (Social Anxiety, Panic Disorders, and General Anxiety Disorders)
Social-skills Training
Depression
Anger Management
Self-esteem
Substance Use and Gambling Addictions
Psychological Testing and Assessments
Stress Management
WSIB including: Return-to-Work Planning, Mid-life Crisis, File Reviews,
Couples and Families such as: Martial Discomfort, Assessments, Trust Issues, Grief.

For more information about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, click this link: Toronto psychologist link.

Treating Gambling Addictions

Toronto Psychologist Donna Ferguson has used strength-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to address gambling addictions in the past.

Other psychologists in Toronto use other methods such as psychoanalysis to get to the root of the problem, or perhaps even prescribe drugs to treat impulsiveness.

CBT attempts to get to the logical foundation of the behavioral pattern, to assess the motivations and compulsions that drive one to gamble in the first place. Through thorough analysis, it is possible to identify the core, intrinsic mental patterns that lead to problem gambling and isolate them so that they can be addressed specifically.

To find out more about how Donna Ferguson can treat this dangerous addiction, please visit: Toronto psychologist link.

E-therapy for Insomniacs?

Insomnia, characterized by persistent difficulty to fall asleep or staying asleep, is a symptom that almost everyone in the world has suffered through at one point or another whether it is the occasional night of tossing and turning or years upon years of sleeplessness.

Those who experience chronic insomnia that occurs nightly for a minimum of one month are considered to have a sleep disorder. Recognizing not only that chronic insomnia is a major health problem with significant psychological, health, and economic consequences but also that cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective treatment for chronic insomnia, researchers at University of Virginia Health System have devised an online program that offers cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to patients with chronic insomnia. The online program (internet intervention) is based on CBT that incorporates stimulus control, sleep hygiene, cognitive restructuring, and relapse prevention.

To test this online CBT program, the group of researchers led by Dr. Lee M. Ritterband recruited 44 participants who had a history of sleep difficulties longer than 10 years on average and randomly assigned them to either the control group or the internet intervention group.

The result? The Internet intervention group showed significant improvements on the Insomnia Severity Index, decreases in waking up during sleep, and increases in sleep efficiency compared to the control group. Moreover, the group that received online-CBT maintained their improvements 6 months post-treatment which is good news for those of us sick of counting sheep.

Source:
Toronto Psychologist link

DFPsych – Who Are We?

DFPsych is made up of a small but highly skilled team of Psychologists, Therapists and Psychology Interns. We provide highly specified psychological treatment within Toronto and the surrounding areas.

DF Psychological Services is owned and operated by a licensed psychologist who provides counseling, consultations and assessments.

We operate both on a referral basis from health care institutions and through self-referrals.


Other posts:
The Strength Based Philosophy
About Donna Ferguson
A Resource for Toronto Psychologists
Toronto Psychologist Blog Topics
Toronto Psychologist Blog Diversity
Can Cognitive Therapy Help Breast Cancer Patients?
Welcome to the Toronto Psychologist Blog

Choosing a Psychologist in Toronto

As a Toronto psychologist, Donna Ferguson understands the overwhelming options for treatment that abound in Toronto today. There are many psychologists in Canada, however, when choosing a psychologist in Toronto it is essential to choose a psychologist that best suits your needs. Deciding on a psychologist is a very personal choice. It often entails finding a psychologist that connects with you on a personal level, and while there are many psychologists in Toronto, perhaps only a few of them bridge that connection.

If you are looking for a Toronto psychologist that has both the experience and the ability to maintain a relationship of trust and respect, then you should look no further than Donna Ferguson. Also known by her business of DFPsych, Donna is a Toronto psychologist with over ten years of experience and a professional background.




Other posts:
The Strength Based Philosophy
About Donna Ferguson
A Resource for Toronto Psychologists
Toronto Psychologist Blog Topics
Toronto Psychologist Blog Diversity
Can Cognitive Therapy Help Breast Cancer Patients?
Welcome to the Toronto Psychologist Blog

About Donna Ferguson

This is my profile - with hyperlinks for easy reference.

Donna Ferguson is a Toronto psychologist registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. She provides psychological assessments and treatments, specifically Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy focused, in the area of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and other Anxiety Disorders.

Dr. Ferguson also works at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health at the Psychological Trama Program, Work Stress and Health Program.

Her clinical research interests and areas of specialty include concurrent disorders in anxiety disorders and/or co-morbid depressive disorders with gambling pathology (in areas of assessment and intervention).

Dr. Ferguson has published research in problem gambling and has worked with clients in the area of gambling addiction. She has also published articles in the area of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.

Dr. Ferguson is a graduate of the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, Illinois. She is a member of the Ontario Psychology Association and the Canadian Psychology Association. Dr. Ferguson is also listed with the Canadian Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology.



Other posts:
A Resource for Toronto Psychologists
Toronto Psychologist Blog Topics
Toronto Psychologist Blog Diversity
Can Cognitive Therapy Help Breast Cancer Patients?
Welcome to the Toronto Psychologist Blog

Toronto Psychologist

Toronto Psychologist

Psychologists in Toronto - A Resource

Toronto Psychologist blog is a resource for clients (prospective or otherwise) to learn more about cognitive behavioral therapy, psychology, therapy and psychology in Toronto.

Donna Ferguson, of DFPsych, makes the Toronto Psychology blog as complete as possible. She also strives to answer any questions you may have as we move along.

The Toronto Psychology blog is an organic experience so it is meant to evolve as time goes on.

The best psychologists in Toronto, as well as the best psychologist in the Toronto Area will agree that cognitive behavioral therapy (or CBT) is an effective, and less invasive means of treating patients.

Toronto psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, hypnotherapists, physicians, psychiatric nurses and mental health professionals can all use the Toronto Psychologist blog as a resource and, hopefully, a watering hole for new ideas and breakthroughs in the field of psychology.



Other posts:
Toronto Psychologist Blog Topics
Toronto Psychologist Blog Diversity
Can Cognitive Therapy Help Breast Cancer Patients?
Welcome to the Toronto Psychologist Blog