FAQs

A Nurse Practitioner is a Registered Nurse with additional specialized education that allows for an increased scope of practice. Nurse Practitioners have very similar abilities to family doctors. Nurse Practitioners are able to assess, diagnose, and treat both physical and mental illnesses. In my practice as a Nurse Practitioner Psychotherapist, this is particularly important because oftentimes there can be underlying physical causes that are impacting mental health in a negative way. As a Nurse Practitioner, I can order diagnostic testing (ie. bloodwork) to rule out conditions such as thyroid abnormalities or vitamin deficiencies or other relevant illnesses, as deemed necessary. I am also able to prescribe medications. This is beneficial to anyone who may be requiring a renewal of a medication they are already on for their mental health or a decrease in their prescription as they effectively manage their symptoms using alternative methods. Though I prefer to use other methods first, if appropriate, I am also able to initiate a new prescription medication to manage mental illness. In short, I am uniquely positioned to assess and treat the mind and body as a whole.

Psychotherapy is a form of talk-based therapy. It is intended to help people improve and maintain their mental health and well-being. Psychotherapy uses a wide variety of techniques to help individuals reach goals that are mutually decided upon by the client and the provider. The primary technique that I utilize in my practice is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT aids individuals in understanding the relationship between their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours and uses a variety of interventions to modify the thoughts, emotions, and behaviours that are not healthy. CBT interventions that are implemented are tailored to the specific needs of each client. This type of therapy requires full commitment and active participation from the client in order to see lasting results. Clients should come away from each session better able to cope with the challenges they are experiencing in life using the practical skills they learn through psychotherapy.

This will vary from person to person depending on the nature and complexity of the concern(s) that you wish to address. There are typically two phases of psychotherapy: active treatment and maintenance treatment. During active treatment, sessions are typically booked weekly or bi-weekly. The number of sessions required during active treatment is highly variable. On average it ranges from approximately 6-20 sessions. During maintenance treatment, sessions are typically booked every 1-2 months. This continues until the client and the healthcare provider mutually agree that the client is ready to implement their psychotherapy skills independently and can be discharged from care. Within this general framework, the structure of your psychotherapy sessions can be tailored to meet your personal needs.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is the primary psychotherapy technique that is utilized at Found & Free. Though the content of each session may vary significantly, the structure of CBT follows a similar pattern from session to session. Each appointment starts with a brief check-in to see how you have been doing since your previous visit. Before proceeding, we will open in prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to lead the session. This is followed by a review of your “homework” from the previous session to determine how you have been able to apply new psychotherapy skills and evaluate their efficacy. Next, we will set the agenda for the session by determining 1 or 2 specific concerns to address. Once chosen, we will analyze the problem in greater detail using CBT and biblical principles. This will be followed by assigning a homework task that pertains to the topic of discussion or that is relevant to events that are anticipated prior to the next psychotherapy session. Appointments are ended by briefly reviewing what was discussed throughout the session and ensuring that we are on the same page regarding expectations leading up to the next session.

The first psychotherapy session is unique from the remainder of the sessions. During this initial meeting, we will take some time to get to know one another. We will go over the typical structure and expected outcomes of psychotherapy. We will discuss your current concerns in a broad manner and we will determine your desired outcomes (goals) from therapy. Based on this, we will begin to develop a treatment plan that will best meet your needs and will inform how frequently and for how long we will engage in psychotherapy sessions. Though we try to set these expectations from the outset of treatment, we are flexible in how we implement the plan in order to accommodate any new discoveries or developments as therapy progresses.   

Biblical psychotherapy utilizes the same evidence-based principles as regular psychotherapy. However, it is interpreted through the lens of scripture and applied with the authority that we posses as followers of Christ. As a Christian Nurse Practitioner Psychotherapist, my biblical world view directly influences the way I provide care for my clients. You can expect your biblical psychotherapy sessions to include prayer, meditating on scripture, and using the Bible as the source for renewing your mind and setting you on a new trajectory filled with hope and overflowing with the fruit of the spirit.

Some of the language associated with psychotherapy may give off a negative connotation to certain Christians (ie. mindfulness or positive psychology). Though the practices of psychotherapy and CBT were not developed specifically for application in the lives of Christians, many of their principles directly align with scripture. In the context of my nurse practitioner psychotherapy practice, all interventions are carried out with Biblical truth as the foundation for their implementation.

No, it is not necessary to have a formal mental health diagnosis to receive psychotherapy. Psychotherapy can benefit anyone who is able to identify troubling thoughts, emotions, or behaviours in their life or those who are experiencing hurdles in any aspect of their life that they are having difficulty overcoming. For individuals with mental health diagnoses, some of the conditions that psychotherapy using CBT has been known to benefit are: anxiety, depression, PTSD, phobias, OCD, low self-esteem, and more.

Psychotherapy services are not covered by OHIP. However, if you require bloodwork or other diagnostic testing to rule out physical causes for your concerns, many of these tests are covered by OHIP when ordered by a Nurse Practitioner.

Issue focused ministry is not covered by OHIP. Additionally, it is not considered a medical service as I do not practice in the role of a nurse practitioner for issue focused ministry. Therefore, I do not utilize any of my nurse practitioner scope of practice for these appointment types and nothing that occurs during issue focused ministry is to be considered medical advice.

Issue focused ministry is not considered a medical service as I do not practice in the role of a nurse practitioner for this service. Issue focused ministry is offered in partnership by my husband, Steve, and I. We have undergone training through Restoring the Foundations International. To learn more about this organization, feel free to explore their website (https://restoringthefoundations.org/).