Counselling & Psychotherapy · Kitchener, Waterloo & Cambridge
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a practical, structured form of talk therapy that helps you notice the thoughts and behaviours that keep anxiety, low mood or stress going, and change them. It is one of the most widely researched approaches for anxiety and depression. CARESPACE offers CBT with Registered Psychotherapists and Registered Social Workers at locations in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. No referral is needed, and you can book online.
What cognitive behavioural therapy (cbt) involves
CBT works on the connection between what you think, how you feel and what you do. When you are anxious or low, thinking tends to narrow into patterns such as catastrophizing, mind-reading or all-or-nothing judgments, and behaviours such as avoidance follow. CBT teaches you to catch these patterns, test them against reality and try different responses. It is collaborative and skills-based, with the goal of making you your own therapist over time.
Sessions are focused and usually follow an agenda you set with your therapist. You might review how the week went, work through a specific situation using CBT tools, and plan something to try before next time. Homework is part of CBT, whether that is tracking thoughts, practising a new behaviour or gradually facing something you have been avoiding. Your therapist adapts the pace and tools to you.
Good for
- Generalized anxiety and constant worry
- Panic attacks
- Social anxiety
- Depression and low mood
- Insomnia (CBT-I)
- OCD and intrusive thoughts
- Health anxiety
- Stress and burnout
- Perfectionism and procrastination
- Managing chronic pain or illness
What to expect
Your first session is an assessment. Your therapist asks about what is going on, how it affects your life and what you want to change, then explains how CBT would apply to your situation. Together you set clear, specific goals. Follow-ups are structured and active, building skills session by session and reviewing what worked between visits. Progress is tracked openly, and as you gain confidence with the tools, sessions typically space out before you finish.
One team, one plan
CBT works alongside the rest of your health. Your therapist may suggest a nurse practitioner or naturopathic doctor if sleep, thyroid, hormones or medication questions are affecting your mood, a dietitian for eating patterns tied to stress, or a kinesiologist or personal trainer, since regular movement supports mood. For body-based tension, massage therapy is at the same location. Everything stays within one plan, with your consent.
Psychotherapists who can help
Every CARESPACE psychotherapist can discuss whether cognitive behavioural therapy (cbt) is right for you. Sort by next availability or by the location closest to you.
Psychotherapists in Kitchener, Waterloo & Cambridge
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Evening availability Weekend availability
Shane Parsons, RP
Psychotherapist
When change feels overdue but still hard to begin, Shane Parsons, RP gives you a calm, practical place to finally talk honestly and move forward.
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Evening availability Weekend availability
Shagun Jariwala, BA (Hons), MACP candidate, RP (Qualifying)
Psychotherapist
When stress starts spilling into your sleep, work, relationships, school, or family life, you do not have to sort through it alone.
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Evening availability Weekend availability
Halima Fuller, MA, PhD, RP
Psychotherapist
When stress, self-doubt, relationship pain, or substance use begins to define your days, you deserve a therapist who sees more than the struggle.
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Evening availability Weekend availability
Ria Wooten, BSc, MDiv, RP
Psychotherapist
You can look composed on the outside and still feel anxious, disconnected, or trapped in painful patterns — and that is exactly where Ria Wooten begins.
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Evening availability Weekend availability
Shantel Kim, BSW (Hons), MSW, RSW
Psychotherapist
You may understand what you believe you “should” do and still find it difficult to begin, follow through, or make meaningful changes on your own.
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Evening availability Weekend availability
Tianna Baron, SSW, BSW, RSW
Psychotherapist
When anxiety, big emotions, school stress, or a hard life transition start taking over daily life, you want a therapist who understands both the feelings underneath and the…
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Evening availability Weekend availability
Momna Sajid, BASc, MACP, RP (Qualifying)
Psychotherapist
When the same argument keeps returning, when expectations leave you feeling as though you have disappeared inside your roles, or when your child’s emotions or behaviour are becoming…
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Evening availability Weekend availability
Ayshen Tuncel, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
Psychotherapist
Life can become overwhelming in ways that aren’t always visible to others. You may find yourself overthinking, being hard on yourself, trying to meet expectations, or carrying emotions…
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Weekend availability
Cliann Dsouza, BA, MA, RP (Qualifying)
Psychotherapist
You may be feeling overwhelmed, emotionally drained, or caught in worries that are difficult to switch off.
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Evening availability Weekend availability
Hossein Kaji, BSc, MA, MA, RP, PhD
Psychotherapist
When anxiety, depression, trauma, or addiction start shaping your days, you need more than a listener — you need a therapist who can help you understand what is…
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Evening availability
Zoey Hu, BA, MA, RP
Psychotherapist
If you’re searching for counselling in Waterloo, you’re probably not looking for a generic therapist.
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Evening availability
Maycee Dias, BSc (Hons), MSW, RSW
Registered Social Worker
From post-secondary life to career and family transitions, Maycee Dias offers counselling in Kitchener to help you navigate anxiety, relationship challenges, and workplace stress while making choices that…
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Evening availability
Michael Kessler, BSW, MSW, RSW
Psychotherapist, Clinic Director
Clinical care with a human touch – providing individual and relationship therapy to explore unique challenges, develop practical tools, and support lasting success.
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Evening availability
Renee Wallace-Konu, B.A., MEd, M.A.
Psychotherapist
As a Registered Psychotherapist training and work experience in Sex /Couples/Family Therapy and an OCT Certified teacher I have had a long extended and multifaceted career in “human…
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Evening availability
Faith Gunn, BA, MA, RP (Qualifying)
Psychotherapist
Faith is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) who is committed to creating a kind, welcoming space where you can show up just as you are.
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Evening availability
Aella Rose, BA (Hons), MA, RP (Qualifying)
Psychotherapist
When anxiety keeps your mind running, old experiences keep echoing into the present, or burnout has made you feel numb instead of strong, what you need most is…
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Evening availability
Kaitlin Boyko, BA, MA (Hons), RP (Qualifying)
Psychotherapist
You can stop carrying anxiety, self-doubt, and relationship pain alone, because Kaitlin Boyko offers therapy that helps you feel understood from the very first conversation.
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Evening availability Weekend availability
Brock Vaughan, BA (Hons), MA, RP (Qualifying)
Psychotherapist
You may look like you are keeping up while your inner world feels busy, heavy, or hard to explain.
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Evening availability
Albert Yang, BSc, MS, MFT, RP (Qualifying)
Psychotherapist
Does your child struggle to express big emotions? Are you a teen, young adult, or couple feeling stuck in cycles of anxiety, conflict, or self-doubt? Albert Yang, MS,…
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Evening availability
Ummehani Rehmani, BSc, MSc, RP (Qualifying)
Psychotherapist
You may be functioning on the outside while feeling anxious, emotionally exhausted, disconnected, or uncertain underneath.
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Available this week
Chloe Fansher, BA (Hons), MA, RP
Psychotherapist
If you’re searching for counselling in Kitchener, chances are something in your life already feels too loud, too painful, or too hard to keep carrying on your own.
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Evening availability
Zahra Rajwani, BA (Hons), MA, RP (Qualifying)
Psychotherapist
If you’ve been looking for counselling in Kitchener because something inside no longer feels manageable—old wounds that keep resurfacing, anxiety that will not let your mind slow down,…
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Evening availability
Christine McCarthy, BA, MACP, MScEd, RNMH, RP (Qualifying)
Psychotherapist
When life feels heavier than it should, Christine McCarthy helps you make sense of the change, calm the noise, and find your footing again.
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Evening availability
Mariana Walker, BSc (Hons.), MSc, RP
Psychotherapist
When your thoughts will not slow down, your motivation disappears, or your emotions feel heavier than you can explain, even everyday life can start to feel like too…
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Evening availability Weekend availability
Xinhe (Leah) Liu, BA (Hons), MA, RP(Q)
Psychotherapist
If you’re living with anxiety, depression, social isolation, trauma, addiction patterns, disordered eating, self-harm urges, or a life transition that has shaken your sense of who you are,…
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Available this week
Claire Quenneville, BA (Hons), MA, RP
Psychotherapist
You do not need to keep carrying anxiety, overthinking, or life transitions alone—and Claire Quenneville, BA (Hons.), MA, RP helps you feel understood from the very first conversation.
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Evening availability
Davis Bretz, BA, MSW, RSW
Social Worker, Psychotherapist
When life feels difficult to manage—whether due to anxiety, stress, relationship challenges, or a broader sense of being stuck—it can be hard to know how to move forward…
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Available this week
Sue Barg, BSW, RSW
Psychotherapy Supervisor
If you’re looking for steady, trauma-informed supervision, Sue Barg helps you grow without losing the heart of why you entered this work.
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Evening availability
Karimeh Haddad, BASc, MA, MA, RP
Psychotherapist
When life feels overwhelming or tangled, you want a therapist who helps you feel understood quickly and gives you a clear way forward.
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Evening availability
Brianna Comeau, BA, MSW, RSW
Psychotherapist
You don’t have to keep carrying anxiety, social pressure, and relationship stress alone when Brianna Comeau, BA, MSW, RSW, offers care that is both deeply compassionate and clinically…
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Available this week
Muskan Abbi, MA, RP (Qualifying)
Psychotherapist
If life looks different than you thought it would, Muskan Abbi, MA, RP (Qualifying), can help you make sense of what changed without making you feel judged for…
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Available this week
Josh Zettel, BA (Hons), MA, RP, CMPC, CCC
Psychotherapist, Certified Mental Performance Consultant, Clinic Director, Assistant District Manager
You do not have to keep carrying anxiety, pressure, or life-transition stress alone when the right support can help you feel steadier in both mind and life.
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Evening availability Weekend availability
Vipjit Sidhu, BA (Hons), MA, MSc, RP
Psychotherapist, Clinic Director
When anxiety keeps running in the background, emotions feel bigger than you can manage, or family dynamics keep pulling you back into the same painful patterns, it makes…
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Evening availability Weekend availability
Graham Tebbit, MSc, MACP, RP (Qualifying)
Psychotherapist
You know what you’re capable of.
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Next available: Nov 23
Madeleine Burnett, BAS (Hons), MACP, RP
Psychotherapist, Clinical Director
You may already know you need therapy, what you need now is a psychotherapist who can help you feel understood, steady, and safe enough to truly change.
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Next available: Nov 27 Limited availability
Anjali Majeethia, BA, MA, RP
Psychotherapist
You do not have to keep carrying trauma, anxiety, overwhelm, or a difficult life transition alone—Anjali Majeethia offers grounded support that helps you feel safe enough to begin.
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Beth Thomsett-Scott, BSc, MSc, MA, RP
Psychotherapist
If you’re searching for counselling in Waterloo because anxiety, grief, or relationship strain keeps following you home, Beth Thomsett-Scott offers a place to breathe, be heard, and begin…
No availability About Beth -
Brendan Monroy, BA (Hons), MA, RP (Qualifying)
Psychotherapist
When you’re searching for counselling in Kitchener, you’re not just looking for a therapist — you’re looking for someone who makes it feel possible to be fully honest.
No availability About Brendan -
Ivania Salmeron, BA (Hons), MA, RP (Qualifying)
Psychotherapist
When you are carrying loss, trauma, anxiety, depression, emotional overwhelm, or the sense that your body is holding more than words can explain, it can be hard to…
No availability About Ivania -
Marlee Kernick, BASc. (Hons), MA, RP (Qualifying)
Psychotherapist
If you are searching for counselling in Kitchener because your relationships feel strained, your emotions feel harder to manage than they used to, or psychological distress has been…
No availability About Marlee
Common questions
Do I need a referral, and will insurance reimburse CBT?
No referral is needed. Book online or call 519-208-2273. CARESPACE does not bill insurance directly. You pay at each session and receive a detailed receipt to submit to your extended health plan. CBT is provided by Registered Psychotherapists and Registered Social Workers, and most plans reimburse these designations under a mental health or paramedical benefit with an annual limit. Check your plan for which provider types it reimburses and the yearly maximum.
How many CBT sessions will I need?
It varies. CBT is generally considered a shorter-term, goal-focused therapy, and many clients notice they are using the tools on their own within a few months. The number of sessions depends on what you are working on, how long it has been going on and how much practice you can do between sessions. Your therapist will outline a realistic plan early and review progress with you as you go.
What is the difference between CBT and regular talk therapy?
CBT is more structured and present-focused. Rather than exploring your past at length, it concentrates on the current thoughts and behaviours that keep a problem going and gives you specific tools to change them. Sessions have an agenda and usually include homework. That said, your history matters for understanding your patterns, and many therapists blend CBT with other approaches. Your therapist will explain what they recommend and why.
Does CBT involve homework?
Yes, and it is one of the reasons CBT works. Practice between sessions might mean noting thoughts when you feel anxious, trying a new behaviour, or gradually approaching a situation you have been avoiding. These are small and agreed on together, not a workload. The point is to take what you learn in the room into real life, where it matters. If homework is not getting done, your therapist will adjust rather than judge.
Can CBT help with insomnia or chronic pain?
Yes. CBT for insomnia (CBT-I) addresses the habits and thoughts that keep sleep problems going, and is widely recommended as a first-line approach before or alongside medication. CBT for chronic pain helps you change how you respond to pain, reduce fear of movement and get back to activities. Your therapist can also coordinate with physiotherapy or a nurse practitioner at your location when the physical side needs attention too.
Ready to book?
Book online with any practitioner above, or call 519-208-2273 and our Central Reception Team will match you with the right person and the closest location.