Philip Kolba, MA LMHC NCC

EMDR

Psychological trauma is a natural response to excruciating or horrific events. Symptoms of trauma are the mind's attempt to protect itself against the trauma. Sometimes traumas resolve on their own while other times this mechanism gets overloaded. EMDR is an evidence-based method for treating trauma that goes beyond 'talking about it' to reprocessing the experience so you can put it behind you.

Couples Counseling

There is no universally ideal script for relationships. This provides the opportunity to craft a romantic relationship uniquely suited to you, and the challenge to develop the skills to effectively grow and maintain it. I work with couples and alternative relationships on effective communication skills, expressing feelings, resolving conflicts, setting healthy boundaries, and developing intimacy.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based approach that recognizes there are multiple tensions—between thoughts, feelings, external environment—vying for control of a person's life. Resolving these tensions to choose healthy behaviours (or avoid unhealthy ones) requires developing skills such as mindfulness, distress tolerance, and emotional regulation.

Career Counseling

Careers are integral to the identities of many people, while for others careers are simply means for attaining a happy life. Whether you’re developing your first career or looking to switch careers, I use a combination of assessment batteries and counseling to explore my clients’ goals, preferences, and aptitudes to identify their career path and develop a plan for achieving it.

Personality Disorders

Whereas so-called personality disorders are generally considered a permanent pattern of dysfunctional behaviour, I subscribe to the perspective that they are a set of coping strategies, often borne of trauma, that have grown more harmful than beneficial, and can be modified. I specialize in helping people with narcissistic personality disorder or narcissistic features, as well as their families.

Relationship / Marriage Issues

There are countless models of healthy romantic relationships, from monogamous to polyamorous, and unique variations between partners. The scripts for dating and longterm relationships of previous generations may not be applicable to your relationship. But there is psychological research that shows that you can learn skills to create the conditions for healthy relationships.

Anxiety

Everyone experiences anxiety at some point, but for some the anxiety is so frequent or intense that it interferes with their lives or even triggers panic attacks. I collaborate with my clients on the development of skills to reduce the frequency or intensity of the anxious feelings, to tolerate the anxiety when it does occur, and to practice habits that reduce stress and improve mental health.

Depression

Research shows that the most effective treatment for depression is psychotherapy. Depression can range from feeling down to major symptoms such as having trouble even getting out of bed or contemplating death. Online counseling is effective for depression because it is easy to access: you can start treatment without even leaving the house.