Barry Rich, Ph.D - Individual, Couple & Family Counselling

Individual, Couple, and Family Counselling

As Seen/Heard in the The Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, CFRB and Macleans magazine...

Couples Counselling

The majority of couples who separate do so without ever seeking assistance from a trained professional. For those who do seek counselling, over fifty percent remain together and many report a vastly improved relationship. A small investment in time and money can prove to be invaluable in improving and, in some cases, even saving a relationship.

Most of my practice is spent in marriage counselling, so I have an enormous amount of experience in helping couples through marital difficulties.

If you would like to try counselling, you can come as a couple, or on your own. In most cases, as one partner begins to grow, the other partner agrees to participate, if only to find out what's making the difference. No one has has ever said "no" to attending to a session when I call myself.

If you come as a couple, I meet with you both twice to begin with. Then, in the third week, I meet with each of you individually to take a detailed family history. During the individual session, we also get a chance to talk 'privately,' with regards to any and all of your issues. After that, we meet again in a couples situation and continue until progress and change has occurred.

For those of you confronted with an infidelity, or an affair, I can assure you that, as long as you are both willing, the situation is not hopeless. Often, working through this type of difficulty can transform a marriage or relationship for the better, although that might seem more than a little difficult to imagine at the moment.

Divorce Mediation

I have done many divorce mediations where both parties were amicable enough to discuss all of the issues at hand. Often, however, one partner is so angry and/or vengeful that mediation is not thought possible. As a result, tens of thousands of dollars and years of wasted negative energy are spent in courtrooms and with lawyers.

If you are amicable, I can do your divorce from A thru Z for a nominal sum of money. I have also developed a method of doing mediation where the splitting parties are not particularly amicable, but are united in the belief that as much of their money should stay in their hands as opposed to those of their lawyers. The increased cost is minimal. Please phone for further information.

I am especially sensitive to the needs of children throughout any separation, and recommend various family sessions to help all family members through the transition.

Sexual Problems

Many clients have difficulty talking about sexual problems, but it's much more common that you might think. The lament of "he/she's just not interested anymore," rings loud and clear throughout therapists' offices on a daily basis.

Low libido, no libido, high libido, Internet porn fan--the issues of sex, ever present in the media and selling us everything from soap to Viagra, often keep us lost in the mystery of sexual vitality. Yet at the heart of almost every good relationship I have ever seen, is a good sex life, and that means many things to many people. It is one of the most loving and intimate things to cherish in a relationship, and I will do my utmost to help get you back on track.

Anger Management

Easily the largest part of my practice next to marriage counselling is anger management. I do anger management counselling for individuals seeking help on their own. I also see those who have been in trouble with the police and are seeking counselling through the advice of their lawyers. I will explain to you the way we all get physiologically angry, and offer a multitude of techniques and suggestions for controlling your anger.

If you have been charged by the police for domestic or simple assault, I run an 8-session individual program and I am in touch with your lawyer, as you proceed through the system and process, right up until your final day in court.

If it has been a domestic situation and both individuals wish the relationship to continue, I will see the other partner individually, until you can come together. I believe that counselling for both partners is the most important part of this predicament. Your lawyer can often obtain a variance allowing you each come on your own to my office and meet there as a couple. At the end of our session, I will escort you both to your cars.

Stress Management

Stress Management is easily the fastest growing part of my practice. Many of us are so stressed out these days that we are too stressed to even think about it! Yet stress-related problems have become the most common reasons people seek the services of a mental health care professional. It has also been predicted that stress-related physical problems will soon replace heart disease as the number one cause of death.

Stress is related to either a surplus or deficiency of cortisol, and/or adrenal burnout. Interestingly enough, there is not a prescription drug or medication in the world that works for the reduction of extreme stress.

I take a holistic approach to health, and consider all aspects of your life when working with you. I use the following techniques to relieve stress and anxiety without medication:

relaxation exercises
breath work
mental imagery
trance work

I will teach you a number of ways to deal with the stressors in your life, and with a little effort, you will find some that work for you and start working with them on a daily basis. Compassion, attitudinal healing, acceptance of oneself and others, letting go, and love and forgiveness are necessary components for relieving anger, which is often an underlying cause of stress.

For those of you struggling with anger and stress issues, I will teach you the number one most effective stress reduction technique in the world. There have been literally thousands of research projects done on it to date. It is called "The Relaxation Response."

Anxiety, Depression and Mood Disorders

While often separate and distinct, I call anxiety and depression 'kissing cousins,' at times one changing into the other, sometimes from hour to hour.

Depression can take countless, very distinct forms, and there are at least as many causes. It is of the utmost importance that you have an accurate diagnosis and subsequent form of treatment.

Those of you suffering from anxiety, or panic attacks, will receive two of the most effective techniques in relieving your anxiety in your very first session.

With fewer side effects and safer doses, many family physicians have had success in treating their patients with the new generation of anti-depressants. However, study after study proves that similar results can be achieved through psychotherapy.

If necessary, I can work closely with your family doctor, in regards to medication you are already taking, or perhaps in need of.

While mood disorders can be debilitating, with a little effort and the right knowledge, some very simple techniques can turn things around very quickly.

Addictions and Substance Abuse

All addictions have one common denominator: loss of control. While Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step recovery programs can be effective in dealing with substance abuse, they just don't work for everybody. Many abusers either stop on their own, or with the help of an addictions counsellor. However, persons suffering from problems of addiction were 'often' children of abusers, or have deep-seated historical issues that need to be addressed via therapy.

I have adopted an integrative approach that makes use of 12-step programs as well as individual counselling. Over the course of my career, I have helped motivated individuals give up everything from gambling, to cocaine, to sexual addictions. This is a big part of my practice and I am pleased with the success rate achieved by my clients.

Trauma and Abuse

I have been specially trained in the only truly effective technique for treating those who have been traumatized, or abused in any way, shape or form. Whether it is sexual abuse as a child, or the aftermath of a car accident, this technique is astonishing quick in its effectiveness.

In all the years I have been using this technique, I have never gone over 6 sessions for an outright cure. There are only a handful of therapists in Ontario trained in this technique and I am proud to be one of them. I have seen results that border on the miraculous, and take no credit for it myself as it is largely a self-healing process.

Personal Growth and Development

We are all at some point or another faced with decisions, critical situations, and life-altering events that sometimes even our best friends, parents or spouses, favorite uncles or local bartenders cannot help us with. Sometimes an objective ear is needed for just helping to work through a difficult situation. This adventure we call life is filled with twists and turns and sometimes we get lost. New directions are called for, and even the simplest suggestion from a third party may be all that is needed.

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