Elisha Schafer, Executive Director

Hello, my name is Elisha Schafer, I am a Registered Psychotherapist and Director of Lotus Counselling Services. My belief for therapy is that honest, open, and curious self-exploration is essential for personal growth and wellness.

I strive to bring myself to session in a genuine, caring, and when appropriate, lighthearted way. Together, we will start to move towards your goals and values, the things that matter to you most! This process often requires us to identify and target the things that are currently getting in the way of our goals such as mental health symptoms and substance use.

My therapy approach is most often Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (or CBT) as it is mostly supported through research to be effective for depression and anxiety. My passion is working with people living with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), which is a version of CBT specifically designed for OCD. Exposures are a foundational component of this therapeutic approach and I strive to be creative, collaborative, and supportive with my clients through this therapy.

This means I will often participate in the exposures with you, encouraging willingness and building tolerance of uncertainty and anxiety over time. I also pull from helpful analogies and principles from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and mindfulness that compliment the therapeutic principles of ERP.