Co-Dependency Issues
Co-Dependency Therapy Ottawa
Codependency is an emotional and behavioural condition that leads to imbalanced relationships. In codependent relationships, there is often one individual enabling another’s self-destructive behaviour, such as substance abuse, poor mental health and coping skills, immaturity, and under-achievement. Codependency can lead to individuals staying in unhealthy or abusive relationships because they feel as though they cannot live without the other person.
Signs of a codependency include:
- Focusing on other people and helping others, even at a personal expense
- Self-criticism
- Extreme sense of responsibility
- Intense feelings of guilt and/or shame
- Absorbing the feelings of others
- People pleasing; fear of disappointment
- Difficulty setting boundaries
- Numbing emotions with substances
- Challenges with intimacy
- Perfectionist tendencies
- Controlling behaviours
A psychologist can help identify the root cause of the codependency and identify harmful patterns in order to overcome the codependent behaviours.
Gilmour Psychologists with Expertise in
Codependency Issues
Contact Gilmour Psychological Services® in Ottawa to schedule a consultation with a psychologist who has an expertise in codependency.
Your relationship’s health influences your personal health and the quality of your life. That is why Dr. Lucas Walters focuses on couples therapy here at GPS. Dr. Walters completed his undergraduate studies at Memorial University of Newfoundland. He then moved to Ottawa to complete his Ph.D. and a residency in Kingston, Ontario. These programs are both accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association. Dr. Walters has trained across large mental health hospitals (i.e., The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Providence Care Hospital, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health), community centres, and private practices. He is now completing supervised practice here at GPS with Dr. Deanna Drahovzal . Dr. Walters focuses on two areas in his clinical work: couples therapy and neurodevelopmental differences. These skillsets help him work with a wide range of couples and tailor services to match how each member of the partnership learns or processes information What defines Dr. Walters’s clinical work? Well, he describes himself as a curious, open, and active clinician. His clinical approach often draws from Emotion Focused Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. He uses evidence-based approaches with a sex-positive lens to make couples therapy less intimidating and more impactful for his clients. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Walters is a published academic author and has received support for his work through academic awards, including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. His research covers topics such as sexual function, sexual health education, and theories around sexual attraction. Going forward, he is excited to be publishing more of his work with adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Ask him more about how his research informs his clinical practice!
Dr. Davies provides psychological services to individual adults, couples, children, and their families. She has had her own private practice since 1989, and for seven years prior to that worked as a supervised associate in private practice.
Dr. Drahovzal provides psychotherapy and assessment services to children, adults, couples, and families at Gilmour Psychological Services® in Ottawa.
Dr. Pantin's approach, tailored to her clients’ needs, integrates interpersonal and cognitive perspectives to assist them in developing strategies and skills to make positive changes in their lives.
Dr. Angelina Chupetlovska provides treatment to children, adolescents, adults and families. She also conducts child custody and access assessments. In her psychotherapy orientation Dr. Chupetlovska brings together aspects from the psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioural, rational-emotive, and humanistic approaches.
Danielle Baldwin, M.A., provides individual psychotherapy and couples counselling to adults experiencing a wide range of concerns, including anxiety, depression, stress, difficulties with emotion regulation, interpersonal challenges, and the effects of difficult or traumatic experiences. She has a particular interest in helping clients better understand themselves and their relationships, develop greater emotional awareness and self-compassion, and work toward meaningful and lasting change. Danielle takes a warm, collaborative, and individualized approach to psychotherapy. She views the therapeutic relationship as an important part of the treatment process and works collaboratively with clients to understand their unique experiences, identify their goals, and develop a treatment approach that fits their needs. Her therapeutic approach is integrative, drawing primarily from psychodynamic, emotion-focused, cognitive-behavioural , dialectical behaviour therapy , compassion-focused, and attachment-based approaches. She thoughtfully integrates strategies from these modalities based on each client’s concerns, goals, and individual circumstances. Danielle is currently completing her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa while working as a therapist at Gilmour Psychological Services® under the supervision of Dr. Deanna Drahovzal, C.Psych . Her clinical training has included placements at the Royal Ottawa Hospital’s Community Mental Health Program, the Ottawa Institute of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, the University of Ottawa’s Centre for Psychological Services and Research, the Centre for Interpersonal Relationships, Gilmour Psychological Services®, and the Ottawa Hospital’s Ontario Workers Network. Alongside her clinical training, Danielle conducts research in group psychotherapy at the University of Ottawa, with a focus on therapeutic relationships in group psychotherapy develop and impact treatment outcomes. She has presented her research at academic conferences and has co-authored publications on topics including shyness, shame, and group psychotherapy.
