Meet Deb
"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
— Socrates
Approaches
My work as a COUNSELLOR since 1994 is supported and informed by many traditions, including:
- person-centered therapy: more fully knowing and expressing your feelings and experiences within a warm, non-judging, confidential and empathic relationship
- compassion-focused therapy: becoming more self-aware and mindful, kind towards oneself, and interconnected with others
- awareness of systemic factors including poverty, sexism, racism, xenophobia and homophobia
- an Integral approach which includes values, perceptions, relationships, culture, actions, biology, and systems
- positive psychology: leveraging the power of optimism, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment
- cognitive behavioural therapy: learning how to influence how you feel by changing how you think and act
- dialectical behavioural therapy: improving emotional regulation and distress tolerance, and balancing acceptance with active change strategies
- acceptance and commitment therapy: becoming more accepting of your thoughts and emotional reactions, and choosing actions based on your core values
My work as a COACH for since 2006 is based on an Integral approach to human development. It is holistic and complete by including:
- your personal values, perspectives, and insights
- actions in real life to test assumptions and build new skills
- a supportive and guiding relationship with me
- your context: workplace, home, community and culture
Coaching has a clear and effective architecture of conversations, homework practices and reflection questions to:
- Leverage your current capacities that serve you well
- Incrementally loosen habits and mindsets which get in your way
- Build new more effective and fulfilling ways of thinking, being and doing
- Fine-tune and iterate given arising opportunities and challenges
Qualifications
I earned my PhD in Clinical Psychology in 1994, and completed extensive written and oral licensing exams to become registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario in 1995. I worked in various institutions prior to running my own private practice from 1998 to ongoing. Throughout these decades, I’ve completed continuing education to stay current and hone my skills.
I completed over 550 hours of specialized training with Integral Coaching Canada in 2005 through to 2008 to become certified as an Integral Master Coach™. I also earned the designation of Professional Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation. In 2020, I completed training to become certified as a Resilience Coach.
Personal
People and the ups and downs of life have fascinated me since I was a kid pouring over ‘triumph of the human spirit’ books from my small town library. It touched my heart how ordinary people got through and emerged from tough times with courage, resilience, compassion, generosity, gratitude and connection. My belief in cultivating these core values continues to ground my work to this day. It’s the foundation of my life’s intention to help heal human suffering and support growth and flourishing… one client at a time.
Outside work, I enjoy spending time with my friends, three adult children, partners and a grand-puppies, as well as my very elderly parents. I still love to read and write, and have recently been having fun re-exploring spirituality, social justice, and the arts. Making music playlists, teaching groove fitness, cycling, running, and being in nature also make for a more vibrant and joyful me.
Integral Coach ™ is a trademark in Canada owned by Integral Coaching Canada Inc. and licensed to Deb Thompson.