I believe we are all like coins. On one side of our coin are the qualities that represent our greatest strengths. The things we are proud of and the things that help us to be successful. On the other side of the exact same coin are the qualities that represent our greatest challenges. These are the things that sometimes create obstacles in our path and can make moving forward hard at times. However, we cannot have our greatest strengths without our greatest challenges. Therefore, I see my role in therapy as helping to uncover and understand these aspects about ourselves so we can channel our qualities in the best way for us to develop and grow.

For children and teens, I believe that one of the greatest skills we can teach is RESILIENCE. As I often tell people I work with, we cannot stop or change the waves of an ocean, but we can learn to become a really good surfer. Emotions and thoughts are like waves of an ocean. Sometimes calm and relaxing, and sometimes pounding, chaotic, and scary. I teach skills to help understand different wave patterns and to learn how to navigate around them. I don’t teach people how to control thoughts and feelings, because I don’t believe that we can or need to control thoughts or feelings. The choices that we make, however, in response to the presence of thoughts and feelings are critical. When we have insight about our choices and take responsibility for our behaviour in every situation, we take constant steps forward in moving toward building the kind of life we want for ourselves.

At one point or another, most people encounter some emotional challenges, whether it be related to anxiety and fears, excessive sadness, loneliness, irritability and anger, or adjusting to difficult life changes. While people are often able to manage and cope with these situations using their own strengths and support systems, these same resources may just not be enough at other times. When you or a loved one is feeling “stuck” in a particularly challenging time or set of circumstances, it can be useful to have outside, objective support from a highly trained psychologist.

Dr. Kincade has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and many years of experience in providing psychotherapy services to a wide-range of clients. Clinical Psychology is a branch of psychology that is specialized for the understanding and treatment of psychological, emotional, personality, and behavioural challenges. Throughout her doctoral-level education and training, Dr. Kincade received extensive, supervised, practical training with a wide range of therapeutic techniques including: Psychodynamic Therapy; Cognitive Therapy; Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT); Behaviour Therapy including Exposure-Response Prevention (ERP) techniques; Humanistic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Family Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy and more.

Because Clinical Psychology is an area of specific training and interest for Dr. Kincade, she is able to provide therapy and counseling services at a comprehensive level with an understanding of the vast number of variables that contribute to individual challenges. Dr. Kincade’s philosophy regarding emotional and psychological well-being is that we are all unique and complete individuals who are each on our own journey of growth and discovery through life’s experiences. Along the way, we learn, change and grow in a variety of ways. When the journey becomes more difficult and obstacles appear, Dr. Kincade is available to help you to look at what thinking or behaviour patterns may be coming into play that are keeping you “stuck” and she will work with you to explore new or alternative paths to continue to move forward.