Hello and welcome, I’m happy you found me!
My name is Doug Blad, I’m a Registered Psychotherapist (#13702) located in Ottawa, Ontario. I hold a BA in Psychology from Carleton University, as well as an M.Ed. in Counselling Psychology from the University of Ottawa. I began working in the mental health field in 2016 at a group home for individuals with developmental disabilities and histories of abuse. My work as a therapist started in 2022 supporting post-secondary students, then eventually moving into opening my own practice. I have some varied experience which I find helps in understanding my clients’ unique experiences and allows me to bring some out of the box thinking to my sessions.
My main areas of focus are anger, anxiety, chronic illness, and depression, you can hear more about that here. On a more personal level, I’m often told I have a calm, quiet demeanor. This may be helpful to know as you seek out a therapist that fits with your own personality. When I’m not working, I enjoy cooking, walks, and a variety of sports (playing and watching). I’m an avid golfer and a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, giving me plenty of opportunity to practice what I preach in managing frustration.
I hope this brief introduction gives you some insight into who I am. I know it’s hard to get a feel for someone through a website, so I encourage you to reach out and schedule a free consultation if you’re considering working with me.
My Approach
My first priority in working with you is to establish a comfortable environment where you feel at ease to share your thoughts and experiences. As we move through the therapeutic process together, we will work to understand the barriers to change, your unique strengths, and how we can start taking steps towards your goals.
There are 3 ideas that underlie much of the work that I do with clients:
I believe that meaningful change happens when people turn toward their inner experiences with curiosity and compassion. Doing this without avoiding discomfort creates an environment for these inner experiences to be acknowledged, understood, and integrated.
Relationships (the ones we have with ourselves and with others) play a key role in shaping all aspects of our lives. The therapeutic relationship provides a space for understanding these existing patterns and looking towards creating new ones, if desired.
Intentionally trying new things is difficult and really important. I will encourage you to try out new behaviours and skills that help move you towards the person you want to be. We may work at different ways of responding in relationships, to emotions, or even new ways to think about problems. I view this as a key factor in creating change and developing each person’s own understanding of what works for them.
The forms of therapy that are most strongly represented in the work I do are Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy.
