Compassion Focused Therapists in Thornhill, ON
Ukasha Malik
Registered Psychotherapist
Ukasha Psychotherapy is a private therapy practice focused on trauma-informed care, self-awareness, and empowerment. It offers a safe, supportive space for clients to work through challenges like anxiety, depression, and relationship issues. The practice emphasizes accessible mental health education, coping tools, and personal growth.
Caitlin Kemmett
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
I’m Caitlin, a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) offering individual and couples therapy in Ottawa and virtually across Ontario. I support adults facing anxiety, burnout, ADHD, relationship challenges, and life transitions. My warm, collaborative approach blends CBT, ACT, and the Gottman Method to help you feel grounded, connected, and confident moving forward.
Mehek Somani
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
Hi there! I'm Mehek. I'm glad you're here! I specialize in burnout, stress, people-pleasing, self-esteem and relationship issues, intergenerational trauma for POC and immigrant communities. Using an emotionally focused, attachment-based, IFS, DBT, trauma informed and culturally sensitive approaches, I offer online therapy across Ontario (Mon–Fri) and Walk & Talk sessions in Oakville on Saturdays.
Megan Gauthier
Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist
*Accepting new client in-person in Guelph and virtually across Ontario* Therapy for people who struggle with self-doubt, overthinking, and repeating painful relationship patterns.
Martha Li
Registered Psychotherapist
I am a Registered Psychotherapist based in Oakville, Ontario. I help you feel understood and supported as we explore what's weighing on you. Together, we uncover patterns, build coping strategies, and nurture the skills you need to thrive. My goal is to create a safe space where you can grow, heal, and feel more connected.
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.
Meredith Bailey
Registered Psychotherapist
I believe that as a therapist, it is a privilege to be invited into another person’s life & one I never take lightly. Reaching out for support may feel overwhelming, & the task of finding the right person for you can be daunting. I want to assure you this is a safe space, & my primary objective is YOU finding the right person for YOU. Your confidence in that decision is extremely important to me.
River Page
Registered Psychotherapist
I offer a warm, non-judgmental space for individuals and relationships to explore life’s challenges and deepen self-understanding. My work supports those navigating religious or relational trauma, 2SLGBTQIA+ identities, non-monogamy, neurodivergence, gender and sexuality, suicide and self-harm, and environmental anxiety. All with compassion, curiosity, and care.
Heather Andrew
Registered Clinical Social Worker MSW RCSW
Heather Andrew is the founder of Aspen Wellness Centre. Heather has been a Mental Health Therapist for over eight years, supporting clients with a variety of needs including complex trauma, ADHD, PTSD, grief, anxiety, depression, family conflict and more. Heather is passionate about providing trauma informed care to her clients and is a fierce advocate for mental health awareness.
Salima Jadavji
Registered Social Worker, MSW, RSW, CHyp™
I support high-functioning professionals and caregivers who feel exhausted, anxious, or disconnected beneath the surface. Using a trauma-informed, collaborative approach, I help you move beyond coping toward steadiness and self-trust. Email [email protected] to book a free consultation and see if we’re a fit.
Katelyn Matias
Registered Psychotherapist
Hi, I’m Katelyn Matias, a Registered Psychotherapist and the Founder of Anchor & Bloom Psychotherapy. My approach to therapy is trauma-informed, relational, and grounded in attachment theory. I believe that our experiences, relationships, and nervous system responses shape how we understand ourselves, navigate emotions, and connect with others.
Varshini Skantharajah
Registered Psychotherapist
Emma Hartley
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), BA (she, her)
Are you looking for a therapist that knows what it's like to feel lost or overwhelmed and how to find your footing again? Noticing yourself feeling more anxious, "just tired", and craving a space to slow down and reconnect with a sense of meaning or purpose? Trying to make sense of shifts in mood, questioning careers, exploring relationships, parenting and identity, or a major life transition?
Katie Whiteley
Registered Psychotherapist
Feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or just ready for something to shift? I offer individual therapy for adults navigating anxiety, trauma, relationships, and life transitions. My approach blends ACT, CBT, DBT, and IFS in a warm, collaborative space tailored to you, so you leave sessions with real insight and practical tools.
Anna Marson
Registered Psychotherapist
Anna Marson is a registered psychotherapist specializing in ADHD, trauma, neurodiversity, attachment, stress, and emotion regulation. She integrates evidence-based therapies, mindfulness, and ADHD coaching to help clients build resilience, regulate emotions, and develop practical skills for lasting, positive change. Her approach is compassionate, brain/body-informed, and strength-based.
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.
Carolyn Holmes
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
Offering affordable virtual sessions for infertility, ADHD, PMDD, grief/loss, stress, anxiety, and depression. Trained in DBT, CBT, humanistic/client led, solution focused, narrative therapy approaches. A warm, open counsellor to help with immediate availability.
Li Li
Registered Psychotherapist
Li offers relational psychoanalytic and trauma-informed somatic/EMDR/IFS/EFT therapy, to support individual, couples and families in communities such as immigrants, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent (ADHD), and professionals, whose experiences resonate with her own life journey the most. She holds a compassionate, culturally attuned space where clients can express freely and rediscover their authentic self.
Teodora Kostadinovska
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
I am dedicated to supporting youth, adults, and couples who may be feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or uncertain about their next steps in life. Reaching out for support can be a vulnerable and courageous decision, and my goal is to create a space where you feel safe, heard, and understood. Therapy is a journey, and I am here to offer a steady hand as you move toward growth and greater well-being.
Lylla Goheen
Registered Psychotherapist RP (Qualifying), Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC)
Do you and your partner speak different languages? Whether it’s the silence of a "roommate phase," sexual dysfunction, or the weight of chronic illness, you don't have to navigate it alone. I provide inclusive Sex Therapy, Gottman Couples Counselling, and Chronic Pain support in Etobicoke & Toronto. My practice is judgment-free and not "one-size-fits-all." Let's start your new era.
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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.