Evidence-Based Therapy in Calgary
Understand the patterns. Practice something different.
You can know you’re overthinking and still find yourself replaying the same conversation at midnight. It makes sense to want help that gives you something useful to do with that awareness.
At Inner Balance Psychological Services, therapy brings together an understanding of what you’re experiencing and practical ways to respond. We’ll work towards changes that matter in your everyday life.
Support that makes room for you
How we choose an approach
We’ll start with what’s bringing you to therapy, what you’ve already tried and what you’d like to be different. Your psychologist will explain the approaches that fit your concerns and develop a plan with you.
You don’t need to know which type of therapy to ask for. We’ll help you understand your options and choose an approach that fits your needs.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Mindfulness
Exposure therapy for anxiety
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE) for PTSD
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT explores the relationship between what you think, how you feel and what you do. Together, we look at patterns that may be keeping anxiety or low mood going.
For example, checking an email again and again might ease your worry briefly while making it harder to trust yourself next time. CBT helps you examine the worry and practise a different response.
Exposure therapy for anxiety
Avoiding something you fear can bring immediate relief. Over time, that relief can strengthen the urge to avoid it again.
With exposure therapy, you and your psychologist plan manageable steps towards situations you’ve been avoiding. You practise making room for discomfort and learning what happens when you respond differently.
What might we work on in CBT?
Recognizing impossible standards and all-or-nothing thinking.
Testing predictions rather than treating every “what if” as a fact.
Changing habits such as repeated checking or putting things off.
Practising responses that support your goals, even when you feel uncomfortable.
We’ll agree on practical steps to try between appointments and review what you notice. Your experiences help us adjust the plan.
CBT for insomnia and menopause symptoms
CBT-I focuses on sleep patterns and worry that can keep insomnia going. Treatment is tailored to your sleep difficulties and health needs.
CBT for hot flashes and night sweats focuses on how you experience and respond to these symptoms, including their impact on sleep and daily life. These options can be discussed as part of perimenopause and menopause support.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness means noticing what’s happening in the present moment with less judgment. That might mean recognizing that you’re caught in a worry spiral before spending another hour trying to solve it.
In therapy, we practise noticing thoughts and feelings without automatically reacting to them. You don’t have to empty your mind or feel calm to practise this skill.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD
OCD can draw you into repeated checking, reassurance-seeking or mental reviewing as you try to feel certain. The relief often fades, leaving you feeling you need to do it again.
ERP involves gradually approaching triggers while practising a different response to the urge to perform compulsions. You and your psychologist plan the steps together, including how to recognize less visible mental rituals.
The work is about learning to tolerate uncertainty so OCD has less say in your decisions.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD
After trauma, you might find yourself feeling responsible for what happened or struggling to trust your own judgment. CPT helps you examine beliefs that have become stuck around the experience.
Together, we explore how those beliefs affect your life now and practise more balanced ways of understanding what happened. The aim is to reduce the hold trauma has on how you see yourself and the world.
Prolonged Exposure (PE) for PTSD
It makes sense to want distance from reminders of a traumatic experience. When avoidance starts limiting your life, PE offers a structured way to approach memories and situations that are safe now.
Your psychologist will explain the process and work with you on a treatment plan. This can include:
Imaginal exposure: revisiting the trauma memory in a planned, supported way during appointments.
In vivo exposure: gradually approaching safe situations you’ve been avoiding, with agreed practice between appointments.
We’ll discuss your readiness and review how the work is affecting you throughout treatment.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
If you’ve spent hours trying to argue with an anxious thought, you’ll know how much attention it can take. ACT helps you notice thoughts without having to solve or obey every one.
You might practise recognizing “I’m having the thought that I’ll fail” and choosing your next step based on what matters to you. This skill is called cognitive defusion.
We’ll explore your values and take practical steps towards them, while making room for difficult feelings and responding to yourself with more compassion.
Therapy that fits what you need
You don’t need to arrive with the right words or a preferred therapy approach. We’ll begin by understanding what’s been hard and what you’d like support with.
Will I have things to practise between appointments?
Often, yes. We’ll agree on manageable practice that relates to your goals and talk through what gets in the way. It’s information we can use together, rather than another task to get perfect.
How long will therapy take?
The number and frequency of appointments depend on your concerns and goals. We’ll discuss a plan and review your progress along the way.
If medication or medical care may be helpful, your psychologist can discuss options for involving your physician or another provider. Any coordination of care happens with your consent.
Let’s talk about what you’re looking for
A consultation is a chance to ask questions and explore whether working together feels like a good fit.