Specialized Therapies

We offer EMDR therapy for children and adults to relieve psychological distress, addictions, personality disorders, depression, PTSD, anxiety and trauma.

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For Healthy Families

Stress and conflicts can negatively impact your personal relationships. Consult us for couples counselling and bring happiness and peace back into your home.

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Revive Your Relationship

It can be difficult to consult a sex therapist, but it is important. Through in-depth sessions, our knowledgeable and experienced therapists help you find solutions.

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Counselling with Registered Therapists in Edmonton

Name: Gary J. Meiers, Ph.D., Jo Ann Hammond-Meiers, Ph.D. and Associates Ltd.
Address: 10009 – 85 Avenue, Edmonton, AB, T6E 2J9, CA
Telephone: 780-433-2269

If you suffer from anxiety or depression and don't know who to turn to for help, we are here for you. At Gary J. Meiers, Ph.D., Jo Ann Hammond-Meiers, Ph.D. and Associates Ltd., we can help you overcome your problems. Gary J. Meiers and Jo Ann Hammond-Meiers have practiced counselling for over 40 years as recognized therapists in Edmonton. We are skilled and experienced in various treatments, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Gestalt therapy and expressive art techniques. We conduct a confidential and comprehensive assessment to determine the best approach to help you move forward.

Our counsellors have helped many people overcome difficult situations and interpersonal challenges throughout the years with specialized techniques. If a critical event or trauma has impacted your day-to-day life, turn to registered psychologists at Gary J. Meiers, PhD., Jo Ann Hammond-Meiers, PhD. and Associates Ltd.

If you'd like to know more about our therapists in Edmonton and how they can help you, please get in touch with us.

Now Offering Online Counselling

Online counselling services are now available for Alberta residents. Our Edmonton-based registered psychologists utilize privacy and security compliant platforms for your sessions to allow you to get the help you deserve in the comfort of your own home. Learn more about how our online therapy works.

Why Us?

Our team consists of experienced and qualified psychologists in Edmonton.

Gary J. Meiers (Ph.D.), a Certified EMDR Therapist, has been working as a counsellor since 1970, and Jo Ann Hammond-Meiers, (Ph.D.), a board-certified movement therapist, has been providing counselling services since 1974. Dr. Meiers sees a variety of clients, ranging from adults to children, to families. He provides therapy to adults raised in alcoholic families, adults who suffer the effects of emotional, sexual, and physical abuse, individuals suffering from PTSD, and couples or families experiencing difficulties in their relationships.

On the other hand, Dr. Hammond-Meiers specializes in various therapeutic techniques such as EMDR Therapy and expressive arts therapies. She uses these techniques to work with adults, children, and teens experiencing trauma, emotional, sexual, and physical abuse.

Both psychologists use the best of their knowledge to identify the root of your suffering and determine the appropriate therapy. Based on the problem and history of the client, we may elect to integrate two or more therapies to provide comprehensive treatment.

What Can We Help You With?

At Gary J. Meiers, PhD., Jo Ann Hammond-Meiers, PhD. and Associates Ltd., we understand that every personal crisis is different. Regardless of the issues you face, turning to someone who can equip you with the necessary tools to overcome them is critical. We help clients deal with various difficulties, including:

If you are looking for a psychotherapist in Edmonton to help you, please call us at 780-433-2269 to discuss your options.

Our Approaches

We have several years of experience helping clients surmount personal obstacles and improve the quality of their lives. Our Edmonton-based psychotherapists help prepare you for conditions such as parenting and marriage. We use an individualized approach designed for each client, depending on their unique issues. The methods that we use depending on what's required include:

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy
Assessment and coaching
Marital and family therapy
Expressive art therapy
Gestalt therapy
Group therapy
Marriage preparation
Parent education and training
Sex therapy
Helping survivors of dysfunctional families

What Is EMDR Therapy?

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, or EMDR therapy, is an approach that has been effective in addressing issues such as past trauma and addiction. While initially, practitioners solely administered it to people with traumatic memories, its use has expanded to include a number of other conditions.

The idea behind the therapy is that traumatic memories are thought to make changes in the brain, which prevents it from processing memories normally, which in turn can cause negative thoughts and behaviours. Recalling these particular memories while engaged in bilateral stimulation is thought to help process these memories correctly, minimizing their negative effects. Over time, these traumatic memories correctly merge with standard memories. Eventually, those with these memories will be able to recall them without the accompanying distressing feelings and actions that are a part of post-traumatic stress. This complex therapy likely owes its effectiveness to the work of numerous neural mechanisms.

If you would like to learn more about EMDR, we invite you to set up an appointment with our therapists in Edmonton today.

How to Find the Right Mental Health Counsellor?

The first and most important step towards bettering your mental health is visiting a registered therapist in Edmonton. It would be best to go to a therapist who understands your concerns. The two key considerations that will help you make the right decision are - experience and specialization. Turn to a mental health professional who has years of experience. Our team has been practicing for several years, providing the right tools to help people of all ages overcome their problems, traumas and other mental health issues.

Secondly, make sure the therapist you go to has the required certifications. Both Dr. Meiers and Dr. Hammond-Meiers have the required registration and certifications to help people overcome issues such as the effects of physical abuse or being raised by an alcoholic parent. Dr. Hammond-Meiers is a Registered Canadian Art Therapist while Dr. Meiers has completed levels I and II of EMDR training from the EMDR Institute and has been counselling since 1970. Both registered psychologists have diverse skills and specializations to craft the right approach for their clients.

Insurance Coverage

Alberta Health Care does not cover the counselling fees you receive at a therapist's office. However, your health insurance plan might partially cover the cost of therapy. We can offer direct billing if that is the case, depending on the insurance company. It would be best to speak directly to your health insurance provider to understand your coverage better.

Who Can Benefit from Our Expertise and Experience?

Our work has been focused on individuals, adults, teens or children who have experienced one or more adverse childhood experiences or traumas that are now impacting their day-to-day lives. This includes adults whose early childhood trauma directly affects their close friendships and/or intimate relationships.

Adults
- Our therapists also treat adults who react to original trauma triggers at work and among their family or friends. Triggers often leave these individuals feeling like they are back in the initial trauma. They experience feelings of being out of control, helplessness, anxiousness or powerlessness. Generally, adults come to therapy when they are chronically sad or anxious and withdraw from life to escape these feelings. We teach such individuals how to be in the present.
- Other examples of people who may benefit from counselling are:
  - Adults who grew up with alcoholic parents
  - A spouse of an adult child of an alcoholic
  - Adults who, growing up, experienced the trauma of physical, mental or sexual abuse
- As a result of these experiences or situations, such individuals may have difficulty in times of intimacy or conflict. In addition, holidays, celebrations, or anniversaries can trigger strong memories and feelings from the past that have remained unresolved. This may impact current relationships with a spouse, children and/or work.
Parents
- Parents who are conflicted about how their children relate may be re-experiencing the same trauma or conflict from their family of origin and have reached an impasse that creates conflict or difficulty for them.
Children
- Children themselves can also feel scared or anxious. Some children are afraid to go to school, while others wake up at night after experiencing frightening dreams. Some children fight with their siblings. Others silently withdraw from the family without explanation. Many of these children have experienced the trauma of a family breaking up, living with an alcoholic parent, or losing a significant family member. A child displaying any of the feelings or behaviours may benefit from therapy.

Teenagers
- Teenagers are often in conflict with their parents over house rules. They may experience conflicts with friends due to jealousy, while others may have strong feelings of rejection, sadness, or depression. Some have struggled with completing schoolwork or lack direction in life. Some teenagers withdraw and then become lost to the family in a network of unhealthy relationships. They get involved with drugs, truancy, theft, and other forms of acting out. Consequently, parents and teenagers find themselves in conflict over rules and values. In addition to this, there are situations in which the parents, rather than attempting to find a united voice to help their teen, instead of fighting amongst themselves about raising their young adult.
Survivors of Dysfunctional Families
- “As adult children of dysfunctional families, we operate in a world of extremes – always seeking that healthy balance, the Golden Mean, but always seeming to fall short of the mark. The pendulum swings to one extreme, and we feel lonely, isolated, and afraid. Then it turns to the other extreme, where we feel enmeshed, smothered, and angry. Then it swings back again. This is true in many areas of our lives until we get into a solid recovery program.”
- From the book, "The Secrets of Dysfunctional Families," John Friel & Linda Friel.

Contact Us

Gary J. Meiers, PhD., Jo Ann Hammond-Meiers, PhD. and Associates Ltd. are pleased to offer day, evening and weekend appointments. Book an appointment with us today.