How do therapists in Richmond Hill, ON compare?

Number of therapists listed

Average years in practice

5 Years

Currently accepting new clients

100 %

Therapists in Richmond Hill, ON who prioritize treating:

78% Anxiety

65% Relationship Issues

43% Trauma and PTSD

43% Depression

33% Self Esteem

31% ADHD

29% Emotional Dysregulation

27% Stress

How therapists see their clients

100% Online Only

Top therapy approaches used in Richmond Hill, ON:

100% Compassion Focused

76% Person-Centered

75% Cognitive Behavioural (CBT)

69% Trauma Focused

69% Strength-Based

63% Culturally Sensitive

61% Attachment-based

59% Acceptance and Commitment (ACT)

Frequently Asked Questions About Compassion Focused

What is Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT)?

Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) is a form of psychotherapy developed by Paul Gilbert that integrates evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, cognitive therapy, and Buddhist psychology. CFT targets what Gilbert identified as a core feature of many people's psychological suffering: intense, chronic shame and self-criticism. It aims to cultivate compassion — for oneself and others — as a means of reducing shame-based suffering, regulating threat-based emotional systems, and activating the soothing-affiliation system associated with warmth, care, and psychological security.

What does CFT treat?

CFT is particularly suited to people with high levels of self-criticism and shame — which are common across depression, anxiety, eating disorders, personality disorders, trauma, and addictions. It was originally developed for people with severe, complex presentations who had not responded adequately to CBT. Research supports its effectiveness for depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and borderline personality disorder. CFT is also used in oncology settings, chronic pain, and with people experiencing psychosis, where self-compassion is an important resource.

What does a CFT session look like?

CFT sessions involve psychoeducation about the evolved nature of our emotional systems (threat, drive, and soothing/affiliation), exploration of how early experiences shaped the person's particular patterns of self-criticism and shame, and practices specifically designed to cultivate the compassionate self — including compassionate imagery (imagining a deeply wise and compassionate figure), compassionate letter writing, and mindfulness practice focused on warmth and care. The emphasis is on experiential rather than purely cognitive work.

Why is self-compassion so important in CFT?

Gilbert's research showed that changing the content of self-critical thoughts (as in CBT) was often insufficient for people with deep shame — because the problem was not just the thoughts but the hostile, contemptuous tone in which they were delivered to oneself. Cultivating a warm, compassionate inner voice — one that responds to one's own pain the way a deeply caring person would — produces psychological change that thought-challenging alone does not. Many people initially find self-compassion very difficult, which is itself part of the therapeutic work.

How long does CFT take?

CFT is typically delivered over 12–20 sessions for focused presentations, but longer-term work is common for complex trauma or personality difficulties. The time needed to establish a compassionate self-relationship and overcome resistance to self-compassion (which is often strong) varies significantly between individuals. CFT can also be integrated into longer-term psychodynamic or CBT work as a specific intervention for shame and self-criticism rather than used as a complete standalone therapy.

Compassion Focused Therapists in Richmond Hill, ON

Megan Gauthier

Jessica DeMille

Emma Hartley

Maya Dousti

Margot Hovey

Maya Awad

Varshini Skantharajah

Carolyn Holmes

Samantha Duarte Alvarez

Anna Marson

Heather Andrew

Mackenzie Fournier

Laura Shaw

Tracey Ropp

Bethany Jacobs

Ummehani Rehmani

Manisha Grewal

Navkiran Bajwa

Katharine De Santos

Grace Gao