My Journey to Becoming a Psychologist
My journey to become a psychologist wasn’t one I originally had planned to take, but after being introduced to the little facets of introductory psychology, years of classes and studying, and one life-changing moment, my passion to help people continued to grow and I knew this career was meant for me. That life changing moment happened when a woman who had been severely sexually assaulted came to me for counselling. It was so severe that she felt uneasy and very afraid around men. She also couldn’t stand any thought of her boyfriend holding or hugging her. It was during one of our sessions. She was crying during an emotional discussion and despite being unable to stand the thought of human touch; she reached out and grabbed my hand. That simple touch showed me how humbling, special, and important it is to be someone who can be a person of trust and safety. It felt incredible to help someone break through and begin to deal with such a devastating experience. That moment proved to me everything we talked about beforehand allowed her to reach a point where she could find some healing. This affirmed to me that I can be in that position of trust.
Get In Touch With Farrel
About Me
I am a Registered Psychologist specializing in the treatment of Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, PTSD and Bipolar Disorder. I’ve conducted research at the University of Alberta, designing and testing the first treatment centre intended to treat children who have been sexually abused.
I believe that both actions and thoughts have an impact on the way individuals live their lives. I also believe that individuals can be made more aware of their thought process and behaviours to help them explore areas that may be affecting them
I completed my Master’s degree in counselling psychology at City University. I also completed two Bachelor degrees in Psychology and Organizational Studies with a specialization in human resources .My clinical experience is in assessment counselling where I have worked with clients struggling with depression, anxiety, addiction, Bipolar disorder, and other mental health issues. I have run group therapy workshops for PTSD and ADHD.
Treatment Methods
This is a psychosocial intervention that uses evidence-based practice for treating mental disorders. It is a type of intervention that focuses on how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are all interconnected. CBT is used to help you manage difficulties by changing and teaching you different ways to think and behave. The combination of psychological factors and a person’s environment influence their physical and mental wellness and their ability to function.
Cognitive behavioural therapy or CBT focuses on why and how people develop certain personal coping strategies and identifies strategies for solving current problems and changing unhelpful patterns in thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, behaviours, etc. CBT is problem focused and action-orientated, meaning it is used to treat specific problems related to a diagnosed mental disorder and the therapist’s role is to assist the client in finding and practising effective strategies to address the identified goals and decrease symptoms of the disorder.
Originally created as a relapse-prevention treatment for depression, Mindful-based cognitive therapy or MBCT is another approach for psychotherapy, as research has indicated it is particularly effective for individuals with major depressive disorder. MBCT uses cognitive behavioural therapy methods such as educating the participant about their diagnosis, mindfulness and mindfulness mediation, focus on becoming aware of all incoming thoughts and feelings and accepting them, but not attaching to or reacting to them. One of the main goals to mindfulness based approaches is to disrupt automatic thought processes so that individuals become more aware of them. In doing so, individuals can learn how to not be reactive but rather more accepting of their thoughts and behaviours without judgement.
