Motivational Interviewing Therapists in Okotoks, AB
Sarah Perone
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
I help individuals and couples break painful relationship cycles so they can feel more connected, secure, and confident. I support concerns like recurrent conflict, relationship anxiety (and ROCD), limerence, and resentment. Using an attachment- and evidence-based approach, I offer warm, non-judgmental virtual therapy across Ontario. Book a free 15-minute consultation to get started.
Denise Mansell, MACP, RSW, RCC, CCC
Registered, Clinical Counsellor, Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist
Feeling stuck, numb or overwhelmed by the world right now? Are you facing issues like anxiety, depression, and relationship problems? I offer professional, in-person Clinical Counselling, Grief Therapy & Registered Social Work services. Contact me to arrange a brief, complimentary consultation. If you are ready to get started, I have both in-person and remote session openings available.
Tiffany Warren
Registered Psychologist
Hello, I’m Tiffany Warren, a Registered Psychologist in Calgary, Alberta, and the founder/director of Calgary Mental Health and Wellness Centre. With 15+ years of experience, I support children, teens, and adults through life’s challenges. As a relationship-based therapist, I believe in the power of the therapist-client connection, fostering empathy, compassion, and unconditional positive regard.
Mara Behan
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
I help couples and individuals find growth, healing, and stronger connections. Using evidence-based and individualized approaches, I support those struggling with women's health concerns (e.g., pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, menopause), relationship concerns (e.g., resentment, infidelity), and life transitions (e.g., separation/divorce, parenting). I offer a free 15-minute consultation!
Coltan Thompson
Registered Psychologist
I help clients achieve their goals by getting to the root of issues while introducing practical strategies along the way. My approach to therapy is a mixture of directive, exploratory, and supportive.
Christina Hong
Registered Provisional Psychologist
Hello there! I am Christina, I have a genuine love and care for connecting with people. I’m here to support you if anxiety has been making life feel heavy or overwhelming. I believe that, counselling at its core is the genuine collaborative connection of individuals coming together to navigate this wonderfully bizarrely life of ours. In my role, my mission is to create a warm, supportive, and j…
Debra (Debbie) Airth
Registered Therapeutic Counsellor
Come as you are. Let's begin from there. I support individuals and couples navigating grief, chronic illness, trauma, identity exploration, LGBTQ+ experiences, polyamory/ENM, and life transitions. My approach is warm, trauma-informed, and rooted in genuine human connection, helping you reconnect with your strengths and move forward with greater clarity and self-compassion.
Melody Hazelton
Counselling Therapist
Feeling stuck, anxious, or disconnected? I’m a trauma-informed therapist specializing in somatic therapy, CBT, and ART to help you heal, build resilience, and reconnect with yourself. Whether you’re facing anxiety, trauma, or relationship struggles, I provide a safe, supportive space for growth. Online sessions make getting started easy—click to learn more and book a free consultation!
Mandeep Lalli
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
Are you feeling anxious, overwhelmed or stuck? Maybe something feels wrong? I help people navigate anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, and relationship struggles, with culturally sensitive care that honours your full background, including pressures others may miss. As a South Asian therapist who spent 15 years in the corporate world, I bring lived experience and real-world context to therapy.
Kyle Sobey
Registered Social Worker, Clinical MSW, ADHD-CCSP
Whether you're having difficulty navigating changes in life, reducing your stress or anxiety, working through your trauma, better managing and understanding your ADHD, wanting to be able to handle conflict and set boundaries, or just need to start with sharing your story in a confidential, safe setting, I would love to work with you in these areas I specialize in, among several others.
Edna Mitander
Registered Therapeutic Counsellor RTC
What is your understanding of joy and happiness? I'd like to hear your definition. Do you find it difficult to understand the suffering and challenges you face in your life? Do you still experience past trauma and feel like you're going through life on autopilot? Do you question your faith and finding yourself scrolling the internet to find answers?
Sanaa Sanjad
Counselling Therapist, RTC • OCD & Anxiety
OCD can make life feel smaller—therapy should help you reclaim it. I use CBT and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to help young adults and adults change patterns that keep them stuck. I also support anxiety, depression, ADHD, career transitions, and performance concerns through warm, focused, evidence-based therapy built for real-life change.
Annie Szalkai
Registered Psychotherapist
I work with adults from diverse backgrounds, supporting those navigating anxiety, stress, and self-esteem challenges. My approach is client-centred and integrative, drawing from CBT, ACT, EFIT, Solution-Focused Therapy, and more to meet each person’s unique needs.
Mackenzie Fournier
Registered Psychotherapist
Hi, I’m Mackenzie! I’m a Psychotherapist who loves keeping therapy real, down-to-earth, and practical. I help people untangle patterns around anxiety, food, and self-trust using tools grounded in science. In sessions, I bring my authentic self—you can expect a mix of support, guidance, and maybe a little humour when it feels right—so we can tackle challenges together without the extra pressure.
Obi Ebelechukwu Ruth
Master Practitioner in Clinical Counselling-Provisional
You can call me Obi, I am a Master Practitioner In Clinical Counselling-Provisional with experience supporting individuals navigating trauma, grief, identity development, and life transitions. I believe in the strength a person possesses and I look forward to harnessing it. My work is grounded in creating a safe, steady space where clients feel seen and respected. I value ethical practice, cultur…
Katharine De Santos
Registered Psychotherapist
Healthy Minds Psychotherapy was founded in 2018 with the mission of providing psychotherapeutic care to individuals from diverse backgrounds, fostering resilience in each person and our community as a whole.
Rachel Bradley MA
Registered Psychologist
I help adults and couples in Calgary and across Alberta navigate anxiety, relationships, and life transitions. My approach is warm, practical, and collaborative, using evidence-based methods like ACT, IFS, CBT, and Gottman Therapy. I also provide adult ADHD assessments and psychological evaluations.
Sarah Choudhry
Registered Psychologist
I’m Sarah, a Calgary-based Registered Psychologist specializing in trauma, grief, cultural identity, and life transitions. Drawing on training in EMDR, ACT, and autism assessments, I provide compassionate, culturally aware therapy that fosters resilience, healing, and meaningful change in a supportive, non-judgmental space.
Chantelle Vaz
Registered Psychotherapist
I offer a warm and collaborative space where you can explore your experiences with curiosity and care. My approach is rooted in empathy and authenticity, supporting you in understanding your story, building self-compassion, and creating meaningful change. I draw from narrative, attachment, and emotion-focused therapies to meet your unique needs.
Paige Abbott
Registered Psychologist
Paige is an experienced therapist focusing on those changing their relationship with alcohol, in sobriety/long-term recovery, as well as high performers navigating perfectionism, control, people pleasing, as well as those looking to improve relationships in individual counselling by exploring boundaries, communication and emotional regulation.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Motivational Interviewing
What is motivational interviewing?
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a collaborative, goal-oriented communication style developed by William Miller and Stephen Rollnick to strengthen a person's own motivation and commitment to change. MI is based on the premise that ambivalence about change is normal — people simultaneously want to change and want to stay the same — and that the therapist's role is to help the person explore and resolve this ambivalence in the direction of their own values and goals, rather than imposing change or providing advice. It is person-centred, evidence-based, and widely used in addiction treatment, health behaviour change, and mental health.
What are the core skills of motivational interviewing?
The core MI skills (OARS) are Open-ended questions (inviting exploration), Affirmations (recognizing strengths and efforts), Reflections (reflecting back what the person has said to deepen understanding), and Summaries (pulling together what has been discussed). The spirit of MI is as important as the skills: a collaborative, evocative, honouring approach that respects the person's autonomy. MI involves selectively attending to and amplifying "change talk" (the person's own arguments for change) while avoiding the righting reflex (the urge to argue for change or give advice).
What does motivational interviewing treat or help with?
MI has strong evidence for substance use disorders (alcohol, opioids, cannabis), smoking cessation, medication adherence, diet and exercise change, weight management, and engaging people who are ambivalent about treatment. It is used as a standalone treatment and as a pre-treatment "engagement" phase before other evidence-based therapies (CBT, community reinforcement approach). MI is also widely used in healthcare settings for health behaviour change.
What is the difference between motivational interviewing and advice-giving?
MI deliberately avoids advice-giving, confrontation, and persuasion — approaches that tend to increase resistance in ambivalent people. When a practitioner argues for change or lists the reasons someone should stop drinking (for example), the person often responds by articulating the reasons they shouldn't — and convincing themselves to stay the same. MI flips this: it evokes the person's own reasons for change and their own arguments, which are far more persuasive to them than arguments from an external authority.
How many sessions of motivational interviewing are needed?
MI has demonstrated efficacy in as few as 1–4 sessions. In many studies, brief MI interventions (even a single 45-minute session) produce significant effects on substance use and behaviour change. MI is often used as an engagement or pre-treatment phase before longer therapy rather than as a prolonged standalone treatment. The brevity makes it particularly valuable in primary care, emergency departments, and settings where extended contact is limited.