About

Allie Cantwell, M. Ed, LCT, CT

I work to build a strong connection with my clients and believe the therapeutic relationship is the most important factor in determining a positive experience in therapy. I strive to create a space where clients can become empowered to learn about their own capacity for healing. Through this experience, I help clients cultivate a meaningful connection both to themselves and the world around them.

I value a person-centered and anti-oppressive approach to counselling. I am Registered Counselling-Therapist (LCT #25-005 College of Counselling Therapists of New Brunswick and CT #229 College of Counselling Therapy PEI) and earned a master’s degree in Counselling from Acadia University. Before that, I studied at Saint Thomas University, while completing an undergraduate degree, double majoring in Psychology and Criminology. Throughout my career, I have worked as a Clinical Therapist in a private addictions facility and Social Services roles with non-profit and government organizations. It is through this work that I have witnessed first-hand our unlimited capacity for growth and resilience when surrounded with the right support. Additionally, with a passion for mind-body connection and belief in its potential to heal.

It is my personal and professional experiences, my educational knowledge, and my empathic nature that allows me to provide compassionate, caring, and professional therapy from a non-judgmental space. I am committed to ongoing professional development and strive to provide an integrative approach to counselling. I have also completed my first 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2018 along with an additional 45 hour yin yoga certification later that year. Since then I have completed a variety of trainings which I have listed in types of therapy below.

Therapeutic Approach

Connect

I believe that as humans we are inherently relational and the relationships we form with other people are vital to our mental and emotional wellbeing. Often times the distress we experience in our life can be a result of unsatisfying relationships. This is why I use a person-centered approach to helping clients explore issues they're having in their interpersonal relationships.

Feel

Connect

How we respond to pain has a large impact on how much we suffer. By learning to build a more powerful relationship with our emotions I believe we can learn to navigate our lives with greater purpose, flexibility, and creativity.

Heal

Connect

Heal

Throughout our lifetime we experience distress in many different ways. We may experience issues such as grief, anxiety, addiction, boredom, anger, and irrational thoughts. Healing starts once we begin to address our unmet needs.

Services

Concerns:

I provide support for a variety of reasons that bring people to therapy:

Addiction
Anxiety
Depression
Trauma
Stress management
Relationship problems
Self-esteem
Grief and loss
Emotion regulation
Codependency
Coping skills
Sexual compulsion
Sexuality
Sexual difficulties and dysfunction
Kink-aware and polyamory friendly

Types of Therapy:

I use a range of techniques drawn from a variety of counselling modalities including:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): to help you identify unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours
Emotion Efficacy Therapy (EET): to help you develop more a powerful relationship with your emotions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): to help you learn how to open up to unpleasant feelings, and learn not to overreact to them or avoid situations where they are invoked
Motivational Interviewing: a directive approach to help elicit behavior change by exploring and resolving ambivalence
Person-centred: to help you develop a stronger sense of self as you relate to the present moment
Mindfulness-based interventions: to help you learn to bring awareness to the present moment
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Skills: to identify and change negative thinking patterns and work toward positive behavioural changes
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT): to teach you how to evaluate and change the upsetting thoughts you have had since your trauma
Eye Movement and Desensitization Reporcessing (EMDR): to help you heal from trauma and other distressing life events

About the counselling process

Why do people seek counselling?

What should I expect from counselling?

Individuals may seek counselling for a variety of reasons. When unexpected changes occur in our lives often we may need to learn how to respond. Counselling is often a form of dialogue aimed at relieving emotional distress and mental health problems. Counselling can provide a supportive and non-judgmental space to explore issues such as depression, anxiety, stress, relationship problems, and grief. Throughout the therapeutic process this exploration can lead to an increased sense of self-awareness, coping skills, and confidence.

What should I expect from counselling?

Counselling is a gradual process and change does not happen overnight. Because of these difficult challenges, thoughts, and feelings may arise. This is why it's important for you to feel safe. You can expect to be treated with respect, care, and unconditional positive regard. You can also expect to gain new coping mechanisms, tools, and insights into the issues you are experiencing. This is done through a collaborative approach with the aim of reaching your established goals for counselling.

What are the benefits of counselling?

What should I expect from counselling?

What are the benefits of counselling?

Increased self-awareness
Increased sense of connection to self and others
Improved interpersonal relationships
Increased self-esteem
Discovering new ways to solve issues
Increased sense of self-compassion and forgiveness
Decrease in shame/ guilt
Becoming unstuck from unhealthy behavioural and thought patterns

What are the risks of counselling?

What are the benefits of counselling?

Sometimes you may feel challenged or overwhelmed during a session
You may also feel upset or annoyed following a session, this can happen as a result of processing new ways of thinking and because you have talked about something that is upsetting you
As a result, you may notice changes in your thoughts, beliefs, and relationships that have unexpected results

Is counselling confidential?

What are the risks of counselling?

Is counselling confidential?

The law protects a clients confidentiality in counselling. Your information is not shared without your permission. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule:

Information is not disclosed without

Suspected child abuse or neglect
If a client intends to seriously harm themselves
If a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person(s)
A court order