Types of Therapy
Not all counselling looks the same and that's a good thing. Different challenges call for different approaches, which is why our Registered Clinical Counsellors draw on a range of evidence-based therapeutic modalities to build a treatment plan that actually fits you, rather than a one-size-fits-all method. Below, you'll find an overview of the main approaches we use in online counselling across British Columbia and Ontario, and what each one can help with.
If you're not sure which approach is right for you, that's completely normal! Many clients don't know, and part of our job is figuring that out together. You're always welcome to book a free consultation to talk through your goals and find the best fit.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most researched and effective approaches for anxiety, depression, and everyday stress. It's a structured, evidence-based form of talk therapy that helps you identify the connections between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and change the patterns that keep you feeling stuck. CBT also equips you with practical tools you can use between sessions, not just during them.
At Affinity Counselling Therapy, we use CBT to support clients with anxiety, depression and low mood, chronic stress and burnout, and difficult life transitions. It's also effective for working through negative thought patterns, harsh self-talk, and sleep difficulties tied to racing thoughts.
We deliver CBT entirely through online counselling to clients across Canada including British Columbia, through Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCCs) with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC), and Ontario, through Registered Psychotherapists (Qualifying) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO).
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an evidence-based approach that helps you make peace with difficult thoughts and feelings, rather than fighting against them, while taking meaningful action toward the life you want to build. Instead of aiming to eliminate discomfort, ACT teaches you to relate to it differently, creating space to move forward even when anxiety, sadness, or self-doubt are present.
ACT is built around six core processes: acceptance, cognitive defusion (learning to step back from unhelpful thoughts rather than getting caught up in them), being present, connecting with your values, committed action, and developing a broader sense of self beyond your thoughts and feelings. In practice, this might look like learning to notice an anxious thought without letting it dictate your next move, or identifying what truly matters to you and taking small, concrete steps in that direction — even when it feels uncomfortable.
At Affinity Counselling Therapy, we use ACT to support clients working through anxiety, depression, chronic stress, and difficulty living in alignment with their values. It's especially well-suited for clients who feel stuck trying to control or avoid uncomfortable emotions, who've tried "positive thinking" approaches without lasting results, and who want practical, values-driven tools they can apply in everyday life.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is an evidence-based approach rooted in attachment theory, most commonly used to help couples. its aim is to understand and reshape the emotional patterns that drive conflict and disconnection. Rather than focusing on surface-level arguments, EFT looks at the deeper emotions and unmet needs underneath them, helping you build a more secure, trusting connection with the people who matter most.
In practice, EFT typically moves through three stages: first, identifying the negative cycles that keep you and your partner (or family member) stuck, such as one person pursuing connection while the other withdraws; second, restructuring those patterns by helping each person express the more vulnerable emotions underneath the conflict, like fear of rejection or feeling unimportant; and third, consolidating these new, more open ways of relating so they hold up over time.
At Affinity Counselling Therapy, we use EFT to support couples working through communication breakdowns, trust issues, and recurring conflict, as well as individuals wanting to better understand their attachment patterns and how those patterns show up in relationships. It's especially well-suited for couples who feel stuck in the same argument, or who want to reconnect on a deeper emotional level rather than simply resolving day-to-day disagreements.
We deliver EFT entirely through online counselling to clients across Canada — including British Columbia, through Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCCs) with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC), and Ontario, through Registered Psychotherapists (Qualifying) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO).
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness-Based Therapy draws on the practice of present-moment awareness to help you relate to your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations with more curiosity and less judgment. Rather than getting swept up in worry about the future or rumination about the past, this approach teaches you to notice what's happening in the present and creating space to respond thoughtfully instead of reacting automatically.
In practice, this might include guided breathing exercises, body awareness practices, or simply learning to observe a difficult thought without immediately believing or acting on it. Over time, these skills can help interrupt patterns like anxious spiraling, stress reactivity, or harsh self-criticism, replacing them with a steadier, more grounded way of relating to your inner experience.
We use Mindfulness-Based approaches to support clients working through anxiety, chronic stress, racing thoughts, and difficulty staying present in daily life. It's especially well-suited for clients who feel overwhelmed by their own thoughts, or who want practical, in-the-moment tools alongside talk therapy.
Solution Focused
Therapy (SFT)
Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT) is a practical, goal-oriented approach that focuses less on analyzing problems and more on identifying what's already working and building on it. Rather than spending extensive time on the history of a difficulty, this approach helps you clarify what you want your life to look like, and works backward to identify small, achievable steps to get there.
We use SFT to support clients working through relationship challenges, life transitions, low motivation, and specific, goal-oriented concerns. It's also well-suited for clients who want shorter-term counselling, or who feel "stuck" and are looking for forward momentum rather than a deep dive into the past.
Humanistic &
Person-Centered Approaches
Humanistic Therapy is grounded in the belief that people have an innate capacity for growth, self-awareness, and positive change when given the right conditions to explore it. Rather than focusing narrowly on symptoms or diagnoses, this approach looks at the whole person, such as your values, experiences, and sense of meaning, to help you move toward a more authentic, fulfilling life.
Person-Centered Therapy (also known as Client-Centered or Rogerian Therapy) is one of the most well-known humanistic approaches. It's built on the belief that you are the expert on your own life. Rather than directing the conversation or offering solutions, your therapist provides a warm, non-judgmental space, built on empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard, that allows you to explore your thoughts and feelings openly and arrive at your own insights.
We, at Affinity Counselling Therapy, draw on these approaches to support clients working through identity concerns, low self-esteem, life transitions, and a general sense of feeling stuck or disconnected from themselves. They're well-suited for clients who want space to explore who they are and what matters to them, rather than working through a narrowly defined problem.
We incorporate Humanistic and Person-Centered approaches into all our therapeutic relationships with clients
entirely through online counselling to clients across Canada — including British Columbia and Ontario.
Motivational Interviewing
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a collaborative, client-centered approach designed to help you work through ambivalence and strengthen your own motivation for change. Rather than telling you what to do, your therapist asks thoughtful questions and reflects back what you share, helping you clarify your own reasons for change and build the confidence to move toward it.
At Affinity Counselling Therapy, we use Motivational Interviewing to support clients working through behavior change, substance use concerns, health-related habits, and situations where part of you wants change while another part feels resistant or unsure. It's especially well-suited for clients who feel stuck between wanting things to be different and not feeling ready to act.
We deliver Motivational Interviewing entirely through online counselling to clients across Canada — including British Columbia, through Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCCs) with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC), and Ontario, through Registered Psychotherapists (Qualifying) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO).
Strength-Based Therapy
Strength-Based Therapy shifts the focus from what's "wrong" to what's already working. Rather than centering on deficits or diagnoses, this approach helps you identify your existing strengths, values, and resources — and build on them to navigate challenges and create meaningful change.
We use Strength-Based approaches at Affinity Counselling Therapy to support clients working through low self-esteem, life transitions, relationship challenges, and periods of feeling discouraged or stuck. It's especially well-suited for clients who want to feel more empowered and capable, rather than focused solely on what's difficult.