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CBT Therapy Ottawa: Understand the Thoughts and Habits That Keep You Stuck
You know the thought is not helping, but it keeps coming back. You replay what happened, expect the worst, avoid something because it feels too hard, then criticize yourself for putting it off. Cognitive behavioural therapy, often called CBT, helps you slow this pattern down and understand the connection between what you think, how you feel and what you do next.
Meet with a Registered Psychotherapist in person at our Wellington West office or through secure video anywhere in Ontario. Caitlin and Jessica both offer CBT. Appointments are available in English and French, depending on the therapist you choose.
When the same loop keeps returning
You can know a thought is unhelpful and still feel caught by it
Maybe your mind jumps ahead before you have all the information. A small mistake becomes proof that you are failing. An unanswered message turns into a story about rejection. A difficult task feels so large that you avoid starting, even though avoiding it creates more stress.
You might ask for reassurance, check your work repeatedly or run through every possible outcome. The relief is brief. Soon there is another detail to question. You know certainty is impossible, but your mind keeps telling you that one more check will finally make you feel safe.
Or the pattern appears as avoidance. You postpone an email, cancel a conversation, stay quiet in a meeting or put off a task until the pressure is intense. Avoidance makes sense in the moment because it lowers discomfort. Later, the unfinished task or missed opportunity can reinforce the belief that you cannot cope.
Strong self-criticism can become part of the loop. You call yourself lazy, too sensitive or not good enough. That judgment increases shame and makes it harder to take the next useful step. The problem is not that you need to become endlessly positive. You need a more accurate and workable way to respond.
CBT gives you a structured place to look at what happens before, during and after these moments. You and your therapist identify the thought, feeling, body response and action that keep the cycle going. Then you practise a different response that fits your real life.
- “I know I’m overthinking, but I can’t stop.”
- “If I cannot do it perfectly, I avoid starting.”
- “One mistake ruins the whole day.”
- “I keep checking even after I know it is fine.”
- “I assume people are disappointed in me.”
- “My brain goes straight to the worst outcome.”
- “I put things off and then feel terrible about it.”
- “I understand the pattern, but I don’t know how to change it.”
CBT explained in plain language
What is cognitive behavioural therapy?
Cognitive behavioural therapy is a practical, collaborative approach that looks at the relationship between thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and actions. It helps you identify patterns that make a problem harder to manage and practise responses that may be more useful.
Thoughts, feelings and actions affect one another
A thought can change the way your body feels and the action you take. If you think, “I am going to fail,” you may feel anxious, tense and tempted to avoid the task. Avoiding it brings short-term relief, but it can make the original thought feel more believable the next time.
CBT helps make this cycle visible. You learn to pause and ask what you are predicting, what evidence you have, what you might be overlooking and what small action would move you forward. The aim is not to eliminate every difficult thought. It is to respond with more flexibility.
CBT is active, but it is not a test you can fail
Sessions can include talking through a recent situation, identifying automatic thoughts, noticing thinking habits, planning an experiment or practising a skill. Your therapist may invite you to observe or try something between sessions, but the work is adjusted to your goals, energy and circumstances.
You do not have to arrive with completed worksheets or perfectly organized thoughts. If a structured exercise is not useful, you and your therapist can adapt it. CBT works best as a conversation in which you bring knowledge of your life and your therapist brings questions, tools and an outside perspective.
Patterns CBT can help you notice
Common thinking and behaviour loops
These are not labels or diagnoses. Most people recognize several of them, especially during stressful periods. CBT helps you understand when a pattern appears, what it is trying to protect you from and whether it is helping in the current situation.
Your mind treats a possibility like a certainty
You imagine the most painful outcome and begin responding as though it has already happened. A symptom becomes a serious illness. A mistake becomes job loss. A difficult conversation becomes the end of a relationship. CBT helps you separate what is possible from what is probable and decide what information or action is actually needed.
If it is not perfect, it feels worthless
You divide experiences into complete success or complete failure. One missed workout means you have no discipline. One awkward moment means the whole event went badly. This leaves little room for effort, context or progress. CBT helps you notice the missing middle and define success in a way that supports continued action.
You keep searching for certainty that never arrives
You replay conversations, reread messages, research for hours or ask several people for reassurance. Checking lowers anxiety briefly, which makes you want to check again. CBT can help you understand this reinforcement loop and gradually practise tolerating uncertainty without leaving you alone with overwhelming fear.
Relief now creates more pressure later
A task, feeling or conversation seems too uncomfortable, so you delay it. The delay provides immediate relief, but the problem becomes larger and your confidence shrinks. CBT can help you break the task into a realistic first step, plan for discomfort and learn from what actually happens rather than what fear predicts.
A flexible approach
What can CBT help you work on?
Anxiety and overthinking
Anxiety can make uncertain situations feel urgent and dangerous. CBT can help you notice anxious predictions, understand reassurance and avoidance cycles, and practise approaching situations in manageable steps. The goal is not to guarantee that nothing difficult will happen; it is to strengthen your ability to respond when uncertainty is present.
ADHD-related overwhelm
ADHD can affect planning, starting, prioritizing and remembering. Repeated difficulty can also create beliefs such as “I am lazy” or “I never finish anything.” CBT can help you build practical supports while examining the shame and discouragement that make it harder to use them. Strategies are adjusted to how your brain and daily life actually work.
People-pleasing and boundaries
You may predict that saying no will disappoint someone, create conflict or make you seem selfish. CBT can help you identify the assumptions underneath people-pleasing, prepare for a clear conversation and evaluate what actually happens. You can practise making room for another person’s feelings without treating them as proof that your boundary was wrong.
Low mood, stress and life changes
When your mood is low, activities can feel pointless and your world can become smaller. During stress or transition, familiar routines may disappear. CBT can help you notice the link between activity and mood, plan realistic sources of structure or connection, and respond to self-critical thoughts with greater accuracy and care.
What you can work on
CBT Therapy Ottawa: What You Can Work On
CBT does not ask you to argue with every thought or turn life into a worksheet. It helps you recognize the patterns that matter, understand what maintains them and practise changes that are specific enough to use outside the therapy room.
- Identify automatic thoughts without treating them as facts
- Separate a possible outcome from the most likely outcome
- Notice all-or-nothing thinking and find the missing middle
- Break an avoided task into a manageable first step
- Reduce repeated checking or reassurance in a gradual way
- Plan for situations that trigger anxiety or self-doubt
- Test assumptions through small, realistic experiments
- Respond to mistakes with less shame and self-criticism
- Build routines that support attention, mood and follow-through
- Practise a more balanced response to difficult emotions
CBT across different stages of life
CBT therapy for adults, couples and teens
CBT for adults and couples
Individual CBT can focus on anxiety, ADHD-related overwhelm, burnout, low mood, self-doubt, people-pleasing, boundaries and life transitions. You and your therapist choose a concern that is meaningful to you and examine the situations, thoughts and actions connected to it.
CBT can also be used within couples therapy when both partners want practical help with communication and recurring interaction patterns. The therapist can help you identify interpretations that intensify conflict, check assumptions and practise more direct ways of discussing needs. Couples work is shaped around the relationship rather than treating one partner as the problem.
CBT for teens
CBT with teens uses language and examples that connect to school, friendships, family life, identity and daily stress. A teen might work on anxious predictions, avoidance, perfectionism, strong self-criticism or feeling overwhelmed by tasks and decisions. Sessions are collaborative and do not assume that every difficulty belongs to the teen alone.
The therapist discusses privacy and its limits clearly, including how parent or caregiver involvement will be handled. The aim is to create enough trust for the teen to speak honestly while keeping caregivers informed about safety and the practical support that may be useful at home.
What sessions can look like
Starting CBT therapy in Ottawa
You do not need to know the name of a thinking pattern before you begin. You can start by describing a situation that keeps getting difficult, what you notice in those moments and what you would like to be different.
Name the current pattern
Your therapist asks about a recent example. What happened? What went through your mind? What did you feel in your body? What did you do next? Looking closely at one moment can be more useful than trying to explain your whole life at once.
Look at what keeps it going
Together, you examine predictions, assumptions, attention habits, avoidance, checking or self-criticism. You consider what the response does for you in the short term and what it costs later. This helps you choose a change that addresses the cycle rather than blaming yourself for having it.
Practise and learn from the result
You might try a smaller first step, question a prediction, reduce one checking behaviour or plan a conversation. Then you review what actually happened. The purpose is not to perform perfectly. It is to gather information, build confidence and adjust the plan based on your experience.
Meet the team
CBT therapists in Ottawa and online across Ontario
Caitlin and Jessica both offer CBT-informed therapy. Read their profiles to compare who they work with, languages, other approaches and current appointment options.
Caitlin Kemmett
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), CRPO #13728
Caitlin works with adults and couples. Her CBT-informed work can support concerns such as ADHD-related overwhelm, burnout, self-doubt, getting started and relationship patterns. She offers in-person and virtual appointments, subject to current availability.
Read Caitlin’s Profile
Jessica Muziramakenga
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), CRPO #19000
Jessica uses CBT with adults and teens facing anxiety, guilt, people-pleasing, self-doubt, boundaries and strong emotions. She offers therapy in English and French, in person and online, subject to current availability.
Read Jessica’s ProfileMeet in person or online
CBT therapy from a Registered Psychotherapist
In-person CBT sessions are available at our Wellington West office in Ottawa. Secure virtual therapy is available to clients located anywhere in Ontario. Appointments are available in English and French, depending on the therapist you choose.
Caitlin and Jessica are currently accepting new clients, subject to current appointment availability. Review our therapist profiles to learn about their areas of focus, languages and appointment options.
Suite 202
1355 Wellington Street West
Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 3C2
Nearby parking is available. The office can also be reached by public transit, with LRT access through the surrounding transit network.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions about CBT therapy
What is cognitive behavioural therapy?
Cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT, is a structured and collaborative approach that looks at connections between situations, thoughts, emotions, physical reactions and actions. You and your therapist identify a current pattern, understand what keeps it going and practise responses that may be more useful in daily life.
What can CBT help with?
CBT can be used to address concerns such as anxiety, overthinking, avoidance, low mood, stress, self-criticism, perfectionism, ADHD-related overwhelm, people-pleasing and difficulty following through. Whether it fits your needs depends on your goals, preferences and the therapist’s clinical judgment.
Is CBT just positive thinking?
No. CBT does not ask you to replace every difficult thought with a cheerful one. It helps you examine how accurate and useful a thought is, consider information you may be missing and choose a response that fits the situation more effectively.
Do I have to complete worksheets or homework?
Not necessarily. Some people find worksheets, tracking or between-session practice useful, while others learn better through conversation, examples or small real-life experiments. You and your therapist can agree on practices that are realistic, relevant and accessible to you.
How long does CBT take?
The length of therapy varies. It depends on your goals, the concerns you want to address, how long the pattern has been present and whether other factors also need attention. Your therapist can review progress with you and discuss whether the work should continue, change direction or conclude.
Can CBT help with ADHD?
CBT can support adults with ADHD-related challenges such as task avoidance, overwhelm, harsh self-talk, planning and follow-through. Therapy is adapted to the person rather than assuming that difficulty starting or completing a task is caused by laziness or a lack of effort.
Can CBT be used with teens?
Yes. CBT with teens can use examples connected to school, friendships, family life, identity, anxiety, perfectionism and daily stress. The therapist explains privacy and its limits and discusses how caregiver involvement will be handled.
Do you offer CBT for couples?
Yes. CBT-informed couples therapy can help partners notice interpretations and assumptions that intensify conflict, check what each person means and practise clearer communication. The work focuses on the relationship pattern rather than identifying one partner as the problem.
Do you offer online CBT therapy?
Yes. Secure virtual CBT therapy is available to clients located anywhere in Ontario. In-person appointments are available at our office in Wellington West, Ottawa.
Is CBT therapy available in French?
Yes. Therapy with Empathy offers therapy in English and French. Review each therapist’s profile to confirm their languages, areas of focus and current availability.
Do I need a referral?
No. You don’t need a doctor’s referral to contact Therapy with Empathy or book psychotherapy. Your insurance plan can have its own requirements, so check with your insurer if you plan to submit receipts.
Is CBT therapy covered by insurance?
Many extended health plans cover services from a Registered Psychotherapist or Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying). Coverage varies. Ask your insurer whether your plan covers your chosen therapist’s exact designation, how much coverage you have and whether a referral is required.
Start with one conversation
You can change the pattern without blaming yourself for having it
Book a free 20-minute phone consultation to ask questions, talk briefly about what brings you to therapy and see whether an available therapist feels like a fit.