Dr. Brian D. Doan
Psychologist

Are you looking for help for yourself or someone you care about?

Maybe things aren’t going well. You start your day with a sense of dread and come home half-dead with fatigue. Maybe you are irritable lately, often fighting with people you love. Maybe you’ve fallen out of love or can’t find someone to love. Maybe you’re concerned about what smoking and excessive drinking is doing to you, but you keep on doing it. Maybe something happened that has knocked you for a loop and you’re having trouble getting past it. You lost your job, you or someone close has become very ill, or you’ve just been through a breakup. Maybe it’s hard to get up and get dressed, or you’ve been having anxiety attacks, or just going through the motions with nothing giving you much pleasure. Maybe you’re confused and need help making some important decisions. Maybe you’ve tried the self-help books, tried your usual positive strategies to pull yourself out of it, or worn out your friends talking about the problem. Maybe the usual fixes haven’t worked this time. Maybe someone has already suggested it: Maybe you need therapy.

Now what are you going to do? There are so many different kinds of therapy, so many different kinds of therapists, counselors, coaches. This site may help you clarify what you need and offer you a course of action for getting the help you need.

Why see a Psychologist?

Choose your therapist carefully. You want the best help you can get for yourself or for someone you care about. Check the credentials of anyone calling themselves a “therapist” or “psychotherapist.” Ask what training they have, whether that training is from an accredited program or institution, and whether or not they are regulated health professionals. Don’t be afraid to find out how long they’ve been practicing, and how much experience they have with the type of problems you are struggling with.

Clinical Psychologists must have advanced, doctoral level, graduate training in Psychology from an accredited university, plus extensive supervised clinical experience, before they can obtain registration from the College of Psychologists of Ontario to legally practice as a Psychologist. No other profession has as much education about human behaviour and the mind as a Psychologist has. Moreover, as regulated health professionals, Psychologists are fully accountable for their professional and ethical conduct. Because they are regulated by the College of Psychologists of Ontario, Psychologists are obligated to practice to the highest of standards to an extent not demanded by therapists from any other background or discipline.