As a bilingual Psychologist and Psychoanalyst I provide consultation, treatment and assessment to individuals and couples who are dealing with a broad range of emotional and relationship issues, in both English and French, in a very comfortable and private setting.
As a Bilingual Psychologist and Psychoanalyst I have training and experience in various psychotherapeutic approaches including Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and Contemporary Relational Psychoanalysis, as well as in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and psycho-education. I may draw on one approach, or integrate several models, depending on the unique needs of each individual.
I usually suggest that we begin by meeting one or two times to gain a clearer understanding of your concerns, and to decide how to proceed. I review confidentiality, as well as gather detailed information regarding your past and current circumstances that may be helpful for us to understand; this includes your family, experiences growing up, school, work, personal relationships and health. You can also ask any questions you may have. In addition, these sessions give us an opportunity to get to know one another, and to discuss what may be helpful for you. Suggestions may include psychotherapy, an evaluation for medication, or referral to other services. If psychotherapy is recommended and you feel comfortable working with me, then together we can develop a plan that includes the focus of psychotherapy, a series of sessions, and a time to discuss what progress has been made.
Assistance is offered for a broad range of concerns including, but not limited to:
- COVID-19
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Stress
- Grief and Loss
- Abuse
- Self-Esteem
- Post-traumatic Stress
- Workplace Issues and Work-Life Balance
- Adjustment to significant life challenges and events
- Relationship Issues
- Health Concerns
- Rehabilitation
I have extensive experience assisting individuals who have experienced or witnessed difficult life events including trauma in early life, various forms of abuse and sexual assault. I also work with the Military, Veterans and First Responders. Psychological sessions provide an opportunity for individuals to describe their experiences and difficulties, as well as to identify areas of strength, resources and feelings of hope.
In addition, I provide assistance to individuals following physical injury, such as one resulting from a traumatic workplace or motor vehicle accident, to assist coping with psychological distress, as well as to facilitate adjustment to physical impairment or disability, and return to work. I often find it helpful to work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals to assist individuals in accomplishing their rehabilitation goals.
In individual psychotherapy, I focus on developing a positive working relationship in which an individual can feel safe, and which can allow us to work together to gain a deeper understanding of yourself and of the difficulties you are experiencing. Psychotherapy can involve support and the learning of new skills to help you cope with distressing feelings, in order to help you feel more in control of your life, especially if these feelings make it difficult to function day to day. In addition, psychotherapy involves looking closely at your thoughts, feelings and behaviors, as well as understanding your past experiences, to help identify patterns that are a source of difficulty, and to help recognize triggers. Taken together, these insights can help in making positive changes, assisting you in feeling better and more in control of your life.
Within psychodynamic psychotherapy and relational psychoanalytic approaches, sessions may take place on a more frequent basis. This increased frequency allows for greater continuity in the treatment, to further assist in identifying what influences your feelings and actions. These approaches also help us to understand and identify long-standing, repeating patterns of thought and behavior, including recurring difficulties in your past and current relationships, and offers the possibility of dealing more effectively with these issues in your life. More complex or longstanding problems usually improve gradually and require a longer time in psychotherapy.
Many scientific studies have evaluated the effectiveness of psychotherapy and confirm that psychotherapy can help people to feel better and to be more able to manage problems.
Couple therapy can be helpful in developing an understanding of the difficulties you may be experiencing in your relationship. Initially, I focus on developing a positive working relationship and on creating a space in which both partners may feel safe, to facilitate our work together. We look closely at areas of conflict in order to assist in achieving a greater understanding of the experience of each partner, as well as the way in which partners may influence one another. Troublesome patterns in your relationship that could be affecting your ability to feel close with one another, or that are causing distress between you may also be identified. Sessions can help in enhancing productive communication, managing anger, successfully working through differences, as well as enhancing intimacy.
Independent Psychological Evaluations can be provided for emotional difficulties such as depression, anxiety, or stress which are interfering with your ability to work. Evaluations can also be provided for psychological problems following a traumatic accident or injury, or distress as a victim of crime. Such assessments often examine issues of disability and treatment planning, and may be requested by your lawyer or insurance company.
Sessions are usually 50 minutes long. The remaining time in the hour is used to write a brief note about our session which is helpful for our work together. Sessions may sometimes be arranged for a longer period of time if it seems this would be helpful.
Contact Me
Please feel free to contact me to discuss how I may be of assistance, or if you would like to arrange for an appointment. My office is located in the Beach-Danforth area of East Toronto, close to public transit and with easy access to street parking.
Tel: 416.694.4380
Email: dr.lempert@rogers.com
Address: 47 Main Street, Toronto, ON M4E 2V6