3 Key Ingredients of Effective Therapy

Effective Therapy in Vaughan

“Go to therapy.”

“Talk to someone.”

Okay, yeah. But, like, how is talking about the ‘bad things’ really going to help me?

It’s already in the past, there’s nothing I can do about it.

Trust me, we’ve heard all the reasons why people think therapy isn’t going to help. I hear it from my own family! But I’m telling you. There’s science that backs it up. And if you’ve experienced effective therapy in Vaughan, you know there’s something a little magical about the experience of working through past and present feelings with a safe person. And it can totally work.

Disclaimer: Not every therapist takes the same approach. With different approaches, therapy can “work” differently.c

At Karkiu Psychotherapy, we take a person-centered and relational approach to therapy. If you’re looking for effective therapy Vaughan, here are the ingredients to therapy that works:

Here are the ingredients to therapy that works:

A non-judgmental space

The absence of judgment allows us to look at what’s going on inside pragmatically. We model how to accept, and sometimes embrace, your inner experience without dismissing it. When our inner experiences are dismissed, the symptoms tend to get louder – whether it’s your heart telling you that something doesn’t feel right, or your brain is panicking, your body is trying to send you a message.

The more we ignore it, the more your body will try to send you the message. It can be relentless in trying to send you information to (guess what!) protect you.

Evidence-based interventions

Your therapist uses evidence-based interventions rooted in neuroscience and psychological research. These interventions may be to help you process your emotions more safely, help you think more adaptively, or to teach you other coping skills. It is difficult to do this for yourself while you are going through it.

Imagine something upsetting happens – you feel upset, and then you have to walk yourself through the emotions, not judge your own feelings, and then talk yourself to thinking more adaptively. Man, oh man, that would be exhausting. Your therapist is there to walk you through it so you can just show up, be yourself, and go through whatever you are going through. This is one of the key parts of effective therapy in Vaughan.

A regulated nervous system

A trusting, genuine and safe relationship helps reprogram your nervous system. Your therapist is here to listen to you and help you through whatever it is you are going through.

Yes, we are still human and we have our own things going on. But your session is not about your therapist – it is about you. Our job is to show up with a regulated nervous system. Being in a space where you don’t have to worry about your therapist’s burdens provides you with a canvas where you can safely release it all. Your nervous system learns that there is a space for you to be yourself, to be flawed, to be emotional, and all of that is safe for you to be. This is truly where the *magic* is in therapy.

Therapists take neuroscience, psychological research, and a bit of our experience being human to create the space that will help you heal, grow, and change. Although it may feel a bit magical, it isn’t just pure magic – there is logic in our madness. Book a session today and let us show you just how therapy can help!

Author: Jacklyn Chung, RP, CCC

Clinical Director, Registered Psychotherapist

Jacklyn Chung

“I truly believe that the purpose of life is to love — to learn to love others and to learn to love ourselves.”

Hello, my name is Jacklyn and I am the Founder of Karkiu Psychotherapy and Counselling. I love seeing you take this first step towards your inner healing and am happy to ease you into the process of therapy! I am a Registered Psychotherapist with CRPO and have been working in the field of mental health and education for over 10 years. As the Clinical Director, I oversee all cases that come through the practice – whether with me or with one of our Associates.

As your therapist, I use a balance between comfort and challenge in helping you discover who you are today, work on healing from past wounds, and improve your relationships. The aim is for you to develop a secure attachment within yourself and a sense of self-acceptance in who you are as a whole. We focus on strengths and self-compassion to assist you in building skills that will help you remain resilient and gritty. 

My clients are typically adult individuals who struggle with depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, identity loss, and relationship issues. I use a client-centered approach that empowers the individual to meaningfully regulate their inner experiences through culturally sensitive techniques, mindfulness practice, emotion-focused and trauma-informed theories.

I hope that we have the honour of working with you to discover, shape, and implement whatever healing looks like for you!

  • Depression | Suicide Ideation
  • Anxiety | Stress | Burnout
  • Work or School Related Stresses
  • Trauma including Childhood Trauma
  • Relationship Issues
  • Anxious or Avoidant Attachment Styles
  • Family Conflict
  • Sex and Intimacy
  • Grief | Life Transitions
  • Identity Development | Racial Identity
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Borderline Personality Disorder 
  • Clinical Supervision
  • Therapist Identity
  • Intersectional Lens
  • Trauma-Informed
  • Emotion-Centered
  • ACT
  • Attachment
  • Compassion-Focused
  • DBT
  • Somatic Therapy
  • English
  • Cantonese
  • Registered Psychotherapist (Independent Practice) with College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO)
  • Canadian Certified Counsellor with Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA)
  • Master of Education (MEd) in Counselling Psychology from University of Ottawa
  • Master of Teaching (MT) in Intermediate/Senior Division from University of Toronto (OISE)
  • Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Honours Psychology and Human Resources Minor from University of Waterloo
  • EMDR Part 1 and 2 Intensive Training with EMDR Consulting
  • DBT Certification Training
  • Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) with LivingWorks and trained with Kids Help Phone Crisis Text Line as a Crisis Responder
  • “The Empowered Supervisor” Training and is a CRPO-qualified Clinical Supervisor
  • Formerly an Ontario Certified Teacher (OCT)
  • Course Author and Faculty for the Becoming Institute