Is Your Therapist Really A Therapist?

And What Does Evidence-Based Mean Exactly Anyways?

When looking for a therapist, you may come across profiles of therapists describing their practice or their methods as "Evidence-based". While we can take a guess at what this means, let me provide you with some clarity. Evidence-based therapy means using treatments that have been tested by experts and shown to work. Put simply, research is considered valid when the tests can be replicated by another academic, at a different time period, with new groups of people and results are observed to be similar to the original research.

In other words, an evidence-based therapy approach:

• Is grounded in research studies that have been challenged by others within the mental health community and academics (peer-reviewed).

• Has clear techniques, protocols and/or methods that can be taught and applied

• Is overviewed by a governing body such as the College of Psychologists, College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario and Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers

• Most importantly, these approaches are created within a framework of ethics that protect clients from psychological harm and prioritizes emotional and mental safety.

In practice, a qualified therapist combines the most current research evidence, their clinical expertise, and each client’s unique needs and values.

What are evidence-based therapy types?

Here is an introduction to what are considered long studied "gold standard" modalities and a brand new tool addressing grief and loss and examples of how they can be applied in real-life situations.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

What it is: CBT focuses on the connection between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. It teaches you to identify unhelpful thinking patterns, challenge them, and replace them with more balanced thoughts and actions.

When you might use it:

• You struggle with anxiety or depression.

• You ask yourself: "How did this happen" or "When did we get here".

• You want practical skills to manage symptoms.

Example situation: Someone with social anxiety believes, “Everyone will think I’m stupid.” CBT helps them examine evidence for and against this belief and practice facing feared situations gradually.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

What it is: ACT helps you stop fighting difficult thoughts and feelings and instead build a life guided by your values. The focus is on mindfulness, acceptance, values, and committed action, rather than symptom elimination alone.

When you might use it:

• You feel stuck because you’re trying to avoid emotional pain.

• You want to clarify what truly matters to you.

• You experience chronic stress, anxiety, or depression in situations outside of your control

  
  

Example situation: A person feels intense grief after a loss. ACT guides them to allow grief to be present while still engaging in meaningful activities and relationships.

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

What it is: IFS views the mind as made up of “parts” or subpersonalities—like an inner critic, a wounded child, or a protective manager. Therapy helps you understand and harmonize these parts, led by your “Self”—the calm, compassionate core of who you are.

When you might use it:

• You feel torn between conflicting impulses (e.g., wanting to leave a relationship but feeling guilty).

• You notice self-sabotage or inner criticism that won’t quiet down.

• You want to heal wounds from childhood and uncovered trauma.

  
  

Example situation: A person continuously procrastinates and feels intense self-criticism afterward. IFS would explore the protective part driving avoidance and the critical part shaming them, and help them heal the pain beneath both by elevating the identified part.

Induced After Death Communication (IADC)

What it is: IADC is a specialized grief therapy developed by Dr. Allan Botkin, a student of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing founder Francine Shapiro. Using a modified EMDR protocol, it often results in clients experiencing a felt sense of connection or communication with a deceased loved one. Research suggests this can bring profound healing to unresolved grief.

When you might use it:

• You feel stuck in complicated or traumatic grief.

• You long for resolution or peace after a loss.

• Traditional talk therapy hasn’t helped you move forward.

  
  

Example situation: Someone grieving a parent decades later feels the loss hasn’t healed. IADC may facilitate an experience of reconnection, helping them find closure and relief.

The perspective of one situation under each therapy type:

Scenario: After a painful breakup, you feel worthless and unable to move on. You can’t stop replaying memories, you've reached out to your ex and are now blocked. You are convinced there is something you can do and after crossing boundaries and many tears, you feel hopeless and unworthy of love.

CBT Approach: Identify automatic thoughts like “I’m unlovable” or “I need to try again”. Challenge these thoughts by examining evidence, reframing them (“I’m grieving, but this doesn’t define my worth”), and practicing behaviors that rebuild confidence.

ACT Approach: Notice the painful thoughts and feelings without trying to change them. Learn to hold them lightly while taking steps toward your values— “I value mutual respect and communication, I accept the end of the relationship and can process the pain that comes with it”.

IFS Approach: Explore parts of you that are stuck—perhaps a young part feeling abandoned and a protector part criticizing you to prevent future hurt. Help these parts unburden their pain and reconnect with your Self’s compassion.

IADC Approach: If the breakup involved bereavement (e.g., a partner died), IADC might guide you through an experience of after-death communication, bringing comfort and resolving lingering guilt or yearning.

How to identify an unqualified therapist:

The world of online therapy is vast, and it can sometimes be hard to tell who is truly qualified. If a service provider uses a title such as coach, practitioner, associate, facilitator, or consultant, while they may be academics and brilliant in their knowledge, it doesn’t always mean they have professional credentials and experience to know how to safely apply this knowledge. If you’re looking for a qualified therapist, it’s important to be curious and ask questions, your service provider should be transparent and have nothing to hide. When seeking a qualified professional, look for credentials such as RP, or RSW after their name (typically in an email signature). It’s also important to ask questions like, “Which regulatory body oversees this practice?” and “Is this provider licensed, registered, or certified to provide this type of therapy?”. Often, qualified therapists offer this information on their website, advertising or business card. In this next era of technology and AI, deception is now more accessible than ever. Choosing the right therapist and approach often depends on your goals, history, and readiness but let's not forget that authenticity has a significant role in this relationship.