Clinical Services

Clinical Services

The University of Waterloo’s Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment (CMHRT) offers a full range of psychological services for children, adolescents, adults, and families from the area, and we are unconstrained by geographical region.

Services Offered:

(1) Comprehensive Psychological Assessment Services

Our most common referral question for comprehensive, stand-alone assessments is to better understand the individual's style of learning. There may be diagnostic questions determining the presence or absence of a neurodevelopmental disorder, such as ADHD or a Specific Learning Disability.

We take a hypothesis-testing approach to assessment to answer a particular referral question. The assessment typically takes place over several testing sessions and includes standardized measures of intelligence, academic achievement, memory, executive function, and other areas as appropriate. We provide feedback and recommendations to the client, in addition to a formal written report.

(2) Therapy Services

Therapy services start with a diagnostic assessment to understand the presenting issues and to determine best practices for intervention. We integrate information from the client, interview, and questionnaire data, and any additional sources in a case formulation and diagnosis (where appropriate) that we share with the client and that guides treatment planning.  The approach to therapy is selected based on evidence-based best practice and the particular client's needs.  We specialize in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy; however, other approaches to therapy, such as emotion-focused therapy or compassion-focused therapy, may also be available.

Therapy Services may include:

• Individual therapy for adults, adolescents, and children
• Group therapy for adults, children, and parents
• Family therapy

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy at the CMHRT

Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is a very well-established form of psychotherapy that is generally accepted as the treatment of choice, alone or in combination with medication, for a wide variety of psychological difficulties experienced by people across the lifespan. The CMHRT is well-known for its expertise in CBT. Our students receive rigorous training and supervision in CBT, and our core and adjunct faculty are well recognized for their knowledge and expertise in CBT. The CMHRT has long enjoyed its reputation in the community for excellence in the provision of CBT in addition to other evidence-based treatments.

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Our therapists

CMHRT therapists are currently enrolled in the clinical psychology doctoral program at the University of Waterloo and have completed a minimum of two years of intensive graduate training, in addition to comprehensive coursework, before starting to see clients in the Centre. For each client, the therapist is supervised by a registered clinical psychologist who observes every session in advance of weekly individual supervision.  Supervisors include members of the core clinical area faculty and experienced adjunct faculty, and all supervisors are registered to practice clinical psychology with the College of Psychologists and Behavior Analysts of Ontario.

Evidence-based mental health practice

Consistent with the emphasis on research excellence and our scientist-practitioner philosophy, all psychological services offered in the Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment are well-supported by scientific evidence. We have adopted the guidelines of the Canadian Psychological Association, which define  “evidence-based services” as those which meet the following standards:

1. there is a significant body of scientific research that clearly supports the utility of the service
2. services bring scientific evidence to bear on each individual session
3. services are characterized by a collaborative relationship between the therapist and client.

Getting started

To begin our intake process, please complete our online intake form or send us an email at cmhrtintake@uwaterloo.ca.