Catherine Sullivan Counselling Services

Catherine Sullivan Counselling Services Trauma and EMDR therapy in West end Ottawa. I'm a therapist who is emphatic, compassionate and uses humour. Let's unpack and process your trauma.

I will validate your experience and make you feel heard. Let me guide you on your healing journey. Accepting new clients! In person appointments on Friday mornings. EMDR can help you re-process traumatic memories so they aren’t disturbing anymore. Talk therapy can help you learn new ways to understand your feelings. I work with those who have experienced trauma to help them heal and gain a better

understanding of how to move forward. I now offer I-CBT to help treat OCD. This is an upstream treatment that targets the obsessional doubt(s) underlying the compulsive behaviour(s). I can help you regain your confidence, re-establish connections with yourself and others, and rebuild your sense of safety. I offer a safe space for you to unpack the relationship patterns that haven’t been working, and explore how trauma may be impacting your life. Together we’ll rebuild the foundation of your relationships with yourself and others. Using an eclectic mix of therapeutic techniques, including EMDR and I-CBT, I can help you begin to feel like yourself again. From this stronger foundation you can move forward and not have your past trauma(s) continue to affect you in the present. You can learn how to re-shape obsessional narratives into reality based ones. By reconnecting with yourself, you can learn to regulate your emotions and set healthy boundaries in your relationships with yourself and others.

After a traumatic event people often end up having thoughts about the event that are inaccurate and unhelpful. For examp...
06/10/2026

After a traumatic event people often end up having thoughts about the event that are inaccurate and unhelpful.

For example:
“I’m not safe”
“I’m responsible”
“I can’t trust anyone”

These are called stuck points. CPT helps people to develop more realistic and self-compassionate views about themselves and the world.

For example:
“I’m not safe in certain situations”
“I did the best I could in that situation”
“I can’t trust some people but I can trust most people”

This helps people feel less guilt and shame about the situation and helps them recognize that the thoughts they initially had were too overreaching or oversimplified and don’t apply in every situation.

06/09/2026

June Book Club pick - Age of Miracles
Did not like this book and don't recommend it
It was poorly written and juvenile. Should be classified as YA

Happy Pride!Be who you are!At Catherine Sullivan Counselling Services you have a safe space to express your feelings and...
06/08/2026

Happy Pride!
Be who you are!
At Catherine Sullivan Counselling Services you have a safe space to express your feelings and your identity.
All are welcome!

06/03/2026

What do you think about a What Would Catherine Do (WWCD) bracelet?
Good merch idea?
😄

06/02/2026

Simple and easy calf stretch
Great after a long car trip
As great after a workout or a run

06/01/2026

My review of the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
It's about a BIPOC woman who was treated for cervical cancer in the 1950s and they took a sample of her cells.
For whatever reason they were able to grow and replicate in culture and were used in many scientific tests and to develop drugs etc.
Her life never knew about what was happening until years later and were never financially compensated.

Trauma can affect the way we think, feel, and experience the world long after a difficult event has ended. In this month...
06/01/2026

Trauma can affect the way we think, feel, and experience the world long after a difficult event has ended.
In this month’s blog post, we explore CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy), an evidence-based form of trauma therapy designed to help individuals process traumatic experiences and challenge unhelpful beliefs connected to trauma.
The blog explains how CPT works, what “stuck points” are, and how trauma can impact beliefs about safety, trust, self-worth, and control. We also discuss who CPT can help, including individuals experiencing PTSD, childhood trauma, sexual assault trauma, and other trauma-related concerns.
If you’ve been considering trauma therapy in West End Ottawa, this post provides an accessible overview of what to expect from CPT and how it can support healing and recovery.
Read the full blog to learn more about how CPT can help people move beyond shame, fear, and self-blame toward greater emotional well-being and resilience. Click on the link in my bio to go to my website and check it out!

05/28/2026

The use of laughter in sessions is meant to be helpful not hurtful.

I’m reflecting on this because I’ve had a few instances recently where I got feedback that people felt laughter was minimizing or diminishing their pain. This is never the intention.

I use laughter as a trauma therapist as a tool to help lighten the mood. I also want the client to be able to realize that not everything in their life is bad, negative or about the trauma. They have happy moments too! It’s important to highlight this and it’s also important not to always be focusing on the negative.

When I’m laughing in a session I’m laughing with my client and most (actually almost all) of them appreciate this. I’m very clear - it’s right in my About Me profile - that I use laughter. If this doesn’t appeal to you that’s okay and I’m not going to be right therapist for you.

05/27/2026

Review of Julie Chan is Dead.
It’s by a female Canadian BIPOC author so we’ll give it some kudos.
This book was about Instagram influencers which is not really my cup of tea. If it’s yours you might like it better than I did.
It also took a strange turn for quite some time in the last third of the book and never quite recovered and then ended abruptly.
Not my favourite and I’d only recommend it for Millennials and younger.

Window of Tolerance Part 2.You know you’re not in your W of T if you’re in either hyper- or hypo-arousal. This post goe...
05/27/2026

Window of Tolerance Part 2.

You know you’re not in your W of T if you’re in either hyper- or hypo-arousal. This post goes over the signs so you know if you’re in one of these states.

Helping to recognize that you’re in a trauma response state and that your behaviour makes sense when you look at it from this perspective can be very helpful.

A lot of people just think that they have a “short fuse” or are always “on edge” when in fact they are in hyperarousal.

Click on the link in my Instagram bio to download my FREE window of tolerance handout!

Address

1439 Woodroffe Avenue
Ottawa, ON
K2G1W1

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9am - 11:30am
Friday 8:45am - 12pm

Telephone

+13433405031

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Catherine Sullivan Counselling Services posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category