How do therapists in Sudbury, ON compare?

Number of therapists listed

Average years in practice

5.1 Years

Currently accepting new clients

100 %

Therapists in Sudbury, ON who prioritize treating:

80% Anxiety

68% Relationship Issues

42% Depression

38% Trauma and PTSD

34% Self Esteem

30% Emotional Dysregulation

30% Stress

28% ADHD

How therapists see their clients

100% Online Only

Top therapy approaches used in Sudbury, ON:

100% Compassion Focused

80% Person-Centered

76% Cognitive Behavioural (CBT)

74% Strength-Based

68% Trauma Focused

68% Attachment-based

60% Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)

60% 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 Sudbury, ON

Annie Szalkai

Yasmin Ahmad

Maya Awad

Mara Behan

Salima Jadavji

Manisha Grewal

Carolyn Holmes

Cierra DoCouto

Jordan Best

Lylla Goheen

Li Li

Laura Shaw

Meredith Bailey

Abby Tait

Martha Li

Emma Laughlan

Amanda Rennick-Hazen

Varshini Skantharajah

Samantha Duarte Alvarez

Eleni Anagnosti