Photo of Gabriela Vilar, Registered Psychotherapist in L4C, ON
Gabriela Vilar
Registered Psychotherapist, MAC, CRPO, OAMHP, CWC, Bsc
Verified Verified
Richmond Hill, ON L4C  (Online Only)
Welcome to my profile! I provide English-Spanish bilingual counselling to individuals, couples and families experiencing a variety of life transitions and challenges. Patients come to me for a variety of issues including depression, anxiety, trauma, grieving, anger, and relationships. My approach to counselling is eclectic, meaning that I chose the modality of work based on your personality style and what can be most effective to you. My treatment modalities include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, Attachment Theory and Systems Theory. I am also a Career Counsellor; I can support you in finding your career path.
Welcome to my profile! I provide English-Spanish bilingual counselling to individuals, couples and families experiencing a variety of life transitions and challenges. Patients come to me for a variety of issues including depression, anxiety, trauma, grieving, anger, and relationships. My approach to counselling is eclectic, meaning that I chose the modality of work based on your personality style and what can be most effective to you. My treatment modalities include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, Attachment Theory and Systems Theory. I am also a Career Counsellor; I can support you in finding your career path.
(647) 899-2692 View (647) 899-2692
Photo of The Dot Canada, Registered Psychotherapist in L4C, ON
The Dot Canada
Registered Psychotherapist, RP
Verified Verified
Richmond Hill, ON L4C  (Online Only)
It's not just you, life HAS gotten harder in the last few years. If you've been powering through, staying strong and carrying on, but now you're barely getting by and you're tired of feeling like you're not really living your life, it might be time for outside support. The benefit of therapy is that it's a time where you get to focus on yourself, to look at your life, and to get an outside perspective on how it could be different. You don't have to just endure, with the right support, you can heal from the past, and move forward towards a better future.
It's not just you, life HAS gotten harder in the last few years. If you've been powering through, staying strong and carrying on, but now you're barely getting by and you're tired of feeling like you're not really living your life, it might be time for outside support. The benefit of therapy is that it's a time where you get to focus on yourself, to look at your life, and to get an outside perspective on how it could be different. You don't have to just endure, with the right support, you can heal from the past, and move forward towards a better future.
(289) 204-2212 View (289) 204-2212

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How does chronic pain therapy work?

Engaging with a psychotherapist to help treat chronic pain does not mean that one’s pain is all in their head. Therapy for chronic-pain patients has been shown to benefit both the mind and the body, targeting physical symptoms and increasing daily functioning. In other words, for many, addressing their emotional health through therapy affects their physical health. A therapist can help a client challenge unhelpful thoughts about pain and develop new ways to respond to it, such as distraction or calming breathing techniques. Studies have found that therapy can be as effective as surgery for certain cases of chronic pain and many doctors recommend trying psychotherapy in advance of considering invasive surgery.

What are the most effective treatment options for chronic pain?

Stress, anxiety, depression, catastrophising, ruminating, lack of activity, and social withdrawal all make chronic pain worse. Addressing these issues, research shows, can help people gain control over their pain symptoms. Therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy, biofeedback, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, along with greater pain-management education, have been found to help people reduce fear and disability.

Are there new treatments for chronic pain?

Many cases of chronic pain, particularly those involving back pain, remain medically unexplained. But there is evidence that changes in the brain or nervous system are caused by previous physical ailments such as tissue damage; in such cases, the brain may continue to send out pain signals despite the physical cause having healed. To aid patients under these circumstances, a recently developed treatment known as pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) is designed to help the brain “unlearn” this response. A PRT practitioner helps individuals to reduce the “threat value” of their ongoing pain signals until they can reappraise them as less threatening and fear-inducing. They also help an individual to develop new emotional regulation skills.

How long does therapy for chronic pain take?

There is no set timeline for recovery from chronic pain, especially as there may be a range of physical and psychological causes for any individual’s discomfort, but most patients should expect to see a therapist for a number of weeks or months, typically spanning at least 12 sessions. Studies of pain reprocessing therapy found that many individuals’ experience of pain lessened in eight sessions over four weeks.