Therapist Specialization
& Areas of Focus
Communication, Relationships, Anxiety, Esteem
Chronic Illness, Depression, & Substance Use
Specialization & Areas of Focus
Briar Psychotherapy is owned by Colleen Leafloor, a therapist specializing in communication skills, relationship issues, anxiety, and self-esteem. Colleen’s additional areas of focus include depression, chronic illness, substance use, infidelity, and shame.
Understanding both the areas of focus and the specializations of a practice can help to ensure you are selecting a therapist, and an approach to therapy, that can help you address your concerns based on the skills, knowledge, and focuses being brought to sessions.
Communication skills therapy
Therapy for communication skills involves therapy directed towards the evolution of maladaptive communication skills and communicative patterns, or the shifting of communicative behaviours/patterns that the client wishes to change. This can involve addressing people pleasing behaviours/patterns, boundary setting, communicating needs/unmet needs, conflict resolution, etc. Communication-focused therapy is approached holistically, and often includes exploration around themes such as the impacts and presence of shame, trust, fear, anxiety, depression, etc.
Relationship issues therapy
Therapy for relationship issues involves therapy related to interpersonal issues (or intrapersonal, when we consider self-esteem) that would benefit from therapeutic guidance. Relationship issues explored in therapy can vary from personal, romantic, professional, familial, or purely social. Relationship issues explored in therapy vary greatly depending on the needs of the client or clients, but some focuses include: communication skills, trust, boundaries, anxiety/depression (and the impacts of these concerns), infidelity, sexuality, resentment, identity, etc.
Anxiety therapy
Therapy for anxiety involves addressing, in individual or couples/relationship therapy, anxiety symptoms, their roots, their impacts, the contributing factors, management strategies, and reduction strategies with consideration of the individual needs and abilities of each participating client.
Self-esteem therapy
Therapy for self-esteem involves supporting people in increasing their access to self-esteem. This is done through different approaches aimed at addressing the cognitions, behaviours, beliefs, and feelings currently impeding self-esteem, and consistently challenging, evolving, and shifting the conscious and unconscious motivating and maladaptive factors that keep self-esteem low.
Chronic illness therapy
Therapy for chronic illness is centred around cognitive and cognitive behavioural techniques. As is typical for this kind of approach, a consistent engagement with the thoughts, feelings, beliefs, perceptions, and stories maintaining or exacerbating mental health symptoms related to the illness is important and frequent. Chronic illness therapy is not about addressing those thoughts and feelings by invalidating them in service of a ‘bright side’ approach, or pushing past the very real everyday impacts of your illness. Chronic illness therapy through Briar is less about the bright side and more about where you are right now, helping you manage your symptoms while maintaining some degree of control over your internal world to help reduce suffering when and where possible. Optimism is incredibly valuable, and it is a potential outcome of consistent cognitive work, but it is not a requirement for relief from psychological stress in the face of chronic illness.
Depression therapy
Therapy for depression is based on the experience and needs of the individual. Depression can present in varied ways, and in turn demands varied and personalized approaches for managing symptoms. A cognitive approach is explored in depression focused therapy, which is expanded upon in our Blog. Depressive symptoms are often associated with other mental health issues or concerns, and approaching depressive symptoms from a biological, psychological, and social lens is an essential set of considerations for a holistic approach to care.
Substance use therapy
Therapy for substance use or substance use related issues or disorders is done from a compassionate lens, as substance use related issues are most often paired with numerous other presenting concerns, such as trauma, depression, and anxiety. Substance use therapy benefits from a holistic approach given the number of contributing factors, making considerations regarding the biological, psychological, and social factors at play essential for developing treatment strategies. Substance use focused therapy at Briar is not an abstinence-based approach by nature, the goals are determined collaboratively between client and therapist and are designed with SMART goal-setting in mind (specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely).
“I am human, and let nothing human be alien to me”
— Terence (ancient playwright), referenced in
Irvin Yalom’s 2002 publication
“The Gift of Therapy” (pg .21)