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, an individual and relationship therapist who specializes in communication skills, relationship issues, anxiety, and self-esteem. Additional areas of focus include working with clients on issues related to depression, chronic illness, substance use, infidelity, infertility, trust, and shame.
Many of these areas of focus play heavily into the discussions and sessions focussing on the specializations of communication, relationships, esteem, and anxiety. In this way, the specializations and areas of focus at Briar work hand-in-hand to provide a more holistic approach to care. Understanding the areas of focus and specializations helps to ensure that 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 often mean addressing people pleasing, boundary setting, communicating needs/unmet needs, conflict resolution, etc. Communication-focused therapy is often bringing in multiple other considerations, many of which are identified in the areas of focus, such as: 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 dictating 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, however, is not about addressing those thoughts and feelings by invalidating them, pushing for a bright side approach and 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 as a means of reducing suffering when and where possible. Optimism is an incredibly valuable and 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 approached from a few different angles, an is largely based within the experience 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 focsed 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 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)