Compassion Focused Therapists in Waterloo, 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.
Eleni Anagnosti
Pre-Licensed Professional, MS, HBA, BA
My approach is compassionate, culturally attuned, and collaborative. I draw from CBT, strengths-based, solution-focused, and trauma-informed approaches to support ADHD, anxiety, depression, burnout, grief, life transitions, and relationship patterns. Together, we focus on building practical tools, emotional balance, and a stronger sense of self-trust.
First Step Men's Therapy
Registered Psychotherapist
Disconnected. Isolated. Angry. Stuck. Many men we work with feel this way. You may be struggling with anxiety, depression, anger, shame, trauma, addiction, or relationship difficulties while trying to hold everything together alone. At First Step Men’s Therapy, we help men better understand themselves, build healthier coping strategies, and reconnect with the life they want to live.
Mara Behan
Registered Psychotherapist, Qualifying
Feeling stuck in painful relationship patterns or life transitions? I offer a warm, collaborative space to help you rebuild trust, improve communication, and find clarity through healing. You don’t have to do it alone—reach out for a brief consultation to explore if we’re a good fit.
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.
Maya Awad
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), ADHD-SP, HBSc (she, her)
Accepting NEW clients - Are you feeling overwhelmed or like you’re carrying a lot on your own? Feel like you're doing everything you’re “supposed to do,” but something still doesn’t feel right? Have a desire to better understand your thoughts, emotions, or patterns, work on building confidence or self-esteem, or find support for your relationship?
Amanda Rout
Registered Psychotherapist
Have you been struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, or self-esteem? Have you been feeling tired, overwhelmed, or stuck? You are not alone. I offer a safe, supportive, and non-judgemental space for you to show up as your authentic self and feel heard and understood. Working from a client-centred and collaborative approach, I strive to meet you where you are and support you in navigating th…
Tracey Ropp
Registered Psychotherapist
Hello! I get that reaching out for support can be difficult, particularly when you’re already feeling busy with work, family, school, or just the overall demands of life in general. I can help to figure out what’s creating stress or unease for you, and then together we’ll develop practical, realistic strategies that fit for you in your current circumstances.
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.
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.
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.
Margot Hovey
Counselling Therapy
About me I’m embracing Eldership in my counselling practice: individuals, dyads, and families through transitions and challenges. During our conversation your life story, influences, and challenges emerge. We’ll collaborate on how to best shape the life you want to lead. Integral counselling weaves mind, body, and spirit into healing. I bring a deep appreciation of wholeness to our work.
Rebecca Steele
Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist
Hello, I'm Rebecca. I help adults heal attachment wounds and rebuild a sense of inner safety through Insight-Driven Depth Therapy. If you're struggling with anxiety, intrusive thoughts, self-worth, people-pleasing, relationship patterns, or feeling disconnected from yourself, I offer a warm, collaborative space to explore lasting change beyond symptom management.
Samantha Duarte Alvarez
Registered Psychotherapist (RP)
New clients are welcome! I'm Sam, a Registered Psychotherapist in Ontario specializing in trauma, grief, and work stress for adults navigating difficult experiences and life transitions. Together, we work to make sense of what you’re experiencing, gently connect with your nervous system and emotions, and support meaningful shifts that feel aligned with who you are.
Laura Shaw
Registered Psychotherapist
Do you have high expectations or a brain that won’t shut off? I specialize in supporting women (20s-40s) navigating anxiety, life transitions, and suspected (or confirmed) neurodivergence (ADHD or AuDHD). My approach is neuro-affirming, mind-body centered, and specifically tailored to help you stop overthinking and start living authentically. Let's build a life that actually feels like you!
Amanda Rennick-Hazen
Registered Psychotherapist
I enjoy using a variety of techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution Focused Strategies, Mindfulness Meditation, Trauma Informed, Compassion Focused, & Emotion Focused. Depression & Sadness Anxiety & Worry Work , Home, & School Stress Grief & Loss Divorce & Separation Unexpected life transitions, unexpected change, lost opportunities
Varshini Skantharajah
Registered Psychotherapist
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…
Jordan Best
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
Anxiety can make your world feel smaller. Whether you're struggling with OCD, panic, health anxiety, social anxiety, an overwhelming phobia or constant worry, therapy can help you break free from the cycle. I provide compassionate, evidence-based therapy using ERP, CBT, and ACT to help you face fear, build confidence, and reconnect with the life you want to live.
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.
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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.