Working Together
I hold your heart and soul with care, kindness and sensitivity. Deciding to work with a psychotherapist is a courageous step towards understanding yourself, sorting out what may be troubling you and moving where you want to go. We will go at your pace, in your time.
Developing a solid relationship is an important first step of our work together. I will see you, perhaps in ways that you've never been seen. We will understand together where you may be struggling and help you see through the layers of your life to see the beauty that exists within you.
I care about you and respect your personal commitment to your own growth and success. Space and time will be provided for your emotional understanding and personal growth in ways that are different from anything else you may have experienced in the past.
Everyone experiences emotional pain and feels stuck or lost at different times in life. We will work together to understand you as a person, as part of a relationship and in social situations, as well as within your career or job.
We will help you understand why you may be experiencing disconnection, anxiety, depression, addictions, frustration, anger, sadness or loneliness in your life. We will also take time to understand why you may be repeating some patterns in your life over and over again, when you may not want to.
Through awareness and self-understanding, you will begin to know what you want, and how you can get there. This is where happiness begins; asking for support in your life and finding out for yourself what is holding you back and what might work best for you moving forward. Sessions are held weekly or bi-weekly, in-person or via Skype, to provide you with as much support and continuity as you need.
My Approach
My approach helps you uncover troubling habits, behaviours and symptoms, so they can be relieved in a more permanent way.
My style is relational, calm, focused, and non-judgmental. I create a confidential space to explore the issues and challenges that are most important to you. Every person is unique, and one size does not fit all. I incorporate ways of working that are appropriate to your needs and goals while I am interested in understanding what is happening for you now, and how your past experiences affect your present life.
Some of the ways of working in session that may be explored are; understanding your how your emotions are related to the somatic responses in your body. Learning how to "ground" yourself so that you can understand your thoughts and speak they way you wish to. At times you may feel that words just don't help when trying to describe your feelings and we can work out more creative ways for you such as drawing or gentle movements. Finally you may want tools to help you reduce the feelings that seem to be guiding how you are in the world and gentle energy psychology or tapping sessions may be helpful.
Focusing on helpful suggestions such as clear honest communication, keeping consistent appointments, and being committed to your process will help develop a deeper sense of trust in your therapy, which is vital to your achieving your goals.
Some psychotherapeutic treatment areas that clients have experienced growth:
- Couples Therapy
- Developing Increased Intimacy and Connection in Relationships
- Understanding and Healing Eating Disorders (Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, Chronic Overeating)
- Embodied Mindfulness Therapy
- Finding Love and a Life Partner
- Transitioning After a Break-Up or Divorce
- Understanding Anxiety and Depression
- Working Through Grief and Loss
- Overcoming Feelings of Stuckness and Chronic Indecision
- Chronic Feelings of Sadness and Dissatisfaction
- Work Dissatisfaction and Career Transition
- Understanding Loneliness and Isolation
- Coping with Chronic Illness
- Sexual Dysfunction
- Understanding Life Transitions
- Understanding Attachment in Relationships
About Me
Clients describe me as being: sensitive, curious, creative, kind, engaged and insightful.
Before becoming a psychotherapist, coach and embodied mindfulness therapist, I worked for many years in organizations in the areas of: leadership development, learning & development, organizational development and executive coaching.
I now focus mainly on working one-on-one with others in the very personal realm of psychotherapy, embodied mindfulness & yoga therapy, movement and psycho-spiritual inquiry. I've been influenced by somatic psychology and Zen Buddhism. I have always been intrigued with emotional understanding and the connection between our mind, body and soul, and the relationship between our emotional life and our somatic responses.
I've learned that we humans store in our body the history of how we came to feel about our experiences. We work together to learn to recognize these somatic feelings and understand their meaning in the many ways our body expresses ourselves.
I have a wide variety of training and experience to draw upon for my work with mind, body and soul, including the following:- PsyD (cand.) in Somatic Psychology from Meridian University.
- Master of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University
- Graduate of The Toronto Institute for Relational Psychotherapy with training in Relational Psychotherapy.
- Somatic Experiencing Practitioner - The Foundation of Human Enrichment
- Executive Coach Training from Royal Roads University.
- Phoenix Rising Embodied Mindfulness & Yoga Therapy Training (in progress).
- Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Certification - (Book - 'Hold Me Tight' by Susan Johnson).
- Couples Therapy Certificate from the University of Guelph.
- DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Training) from the Oshawa Psychotherapy Training Institute.
- Applied Meditation and Mindfulness Training from the University of Toronto.
- Buddhist Psychology and Psycho-Spiritual Inquiry Training with John Welwood.
- Member of the Canadian Association of Psychodynamic Therapists (CAPT).
- Buddhism Studies within the Shambhala Buddhist Tradition in Toronto.
- Certified Yoga and Pilates Instructor.
- Yoga for Depression Certification with Amy Weintraub.
- Ecstatic Dance/Shake Your Soul Dance Instructor.
- Insight Yoga Practitioner with a Focus on Yoga/Buddhism/Psycho-Spiritual Inquiry.
- Retreats with the Marion Woodman Foundation.
- Spiritual Writing Circle Leader.
I look forward to meeting and working with you.
Written Works by Kimberley Cochrane
On the Road to a Healthy Relationship Using Brief Strategic Couples Therapy
Kimberley Cochrane Reaches
Markham ON