Isaac’s therapeutic expertise is in Mindfulness-based approaches, Emotion Focus Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Body centred approache. Isaac primarily uses empirically supported Mindfulness-based approaches and has received advanced training in providing Mindfulness-based therapy from the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice, Bangor University, one of the foremost universities in the UK that continues to contribute to neuropsychological and evidence-based research in Mindfulness. He is also trained in Emotion Focus Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Body centred approach.

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Trauma, Depression and Anxiety Work

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Isaac has extensive experience working with clients dealing with trauma that includes trauma from war, sexual violence and childhood or life experiences. He brings a profound empathetic outlook, compassionate presence and therapeutic skills to deeply connect with the other person. Isaac’s focus on safety and security facilitates the clients to gain a deep sense of hopefulness. Besides, his soft and open reflections with the client on life, helps the clients to confidently navigate and find their own refuge within. As he often notes, his approach is helping the client to function from “ok-ness” or “ease-ness” with what life brings to us. His therapeutic modality is greatly influenced by Mindfulness approaches, Emotion Focused Therapy, CBT and body centered approaches. When required, Isaac considers it is important to address the disorder from different dimensions of life functioning. Relapse happens because the problem is not resolved at those fundamental dimensions of life functioning such as behaviour, physical body, emotion, cognition, agency and awareness levels.

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Couples and Family Counselling

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Isaac enjoys working with couples and family in conflict resolution and helps to bring healing in relationship. He brings several years of experience working with intense conflict situations in relationships defined by different cultural contexts. Isaac primarily uses Emotion Focused Therapy with couples and families to support the process of change and healing.

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Indigenous Peoples In Canada

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Isaac's expertise in providing Psychological services to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities is underscored by his deep understanding of their cultural nuances and historical contexts. Through his compassionate and culturally sensitive approach, he fosters trust and rapport with clients, empowering them to navigate their mental health challenges with resilience and strength. Additionally, Isaac's dedication to ongoing education and scholarly inquiry ensures that his practice remains informed by the latest research and best practices in Indigenous counseling. With a commitment to holistic healing and community engagement, Isaac continues to make a meaningful impact within the Maskwacis Community and beyond

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Dissociative Disorders, Somatic Disorders and Personality Disorders

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Isaac’s Mindfulness approaches and his scholarly understanding of Self, Dialogue and Consciousness helps him explore and bring changes in the fundamental aspects of personality. He has many scholarly international presentations, published papers and book chapter in the areas of Self, applying the concept of Dialogical Self by Hubert Herman.  In his treatment approach of above disorders he applies The Personal Position Repertoire Method (PPR) that helps clients to gain an insight in to the complexity and contradictions of Self functioning. The PPR tool can also be also considered a therapeutic tool that provides clarity in making therapeutic goals and document changes with treatment.

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Other areas of work

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Isaac actively involves in scholarly research, development and training in Mindfulness approach in psychotherapy. He is working on publishing his theoretical understanding of Mindfulness approaches which he calls Consciousness Based Approach. He also teaches at the City University of Seattle – Edmonton Campus and works as a Psychologist for Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers and Multicultural Health Brokers. He also runs weekly mindfulness sessions and mindfulness workshops for the community.

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My Approach

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My approach to healing is the natural outcome of my 20 years of self-inquiry, research, practice and teaching. This approach of counselling and healing is built on the central principle that at the “core of our being is a positive state of consciousness” – which we experience as calmness, joyfulness, freedom, goodness or whatever other names we may call that experience by. All of us have had that positive experience at one time or the other, and all we need to do is to learn how to function from that state of consciousness at all times.

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This is simply because it is now an empirically established fact that we perform well when we are relaxed and at peace with ourselves. I often use a “rose” as a metaphor to explain this point. Our life or ‘beingness’ can be compared to a rose flower. At the centre of our being is a certain positive essence and of course, there is pain and suffering, but they are always at the periphery. The rose has an ‘essence’ that symbolizes the positive-ness of being – it also has thorns that symbolize the pain and suffering. We have a “choice” to live from the beauty and fragrance that rose embodies, which is the positive-ness of our being or live from the thorn, which is pain and suffering. This is the underlying principle of the approach, which I call Consciousness Based Psychotherapy. From this approach, therapy is about learning how to function from the positive state of consciousness at all the time. Mindfulness, reflective practices, nature and creative art are used as mediums for learning in this approach.  

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As a counsellor, I integrate a humanistic-experiential and ‘dialogical self’ approach to help people make sense of their suffering. This insight and understanding is the basis for restoring wellbeing and peace with oneself and others. I firmly believe that one central factor that facilitates the process of therapy is my relationship with my clients. I consider my relationship with my clients a very sacred one based on trust, integrity, respect and deep empathetic relationship. Indeed, it is a privilege and a sacred calling for me when a client entrusts his/her self with me and asks for understanding and support.

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I believe that our wellbeing is contingent on how we see our self and how we are related to other aspects of this existence.  Our psychological health and wellbeing is at risk when we are disconnected from our self - the deeper the disconnect, the more intense our suffering and the more difficult for healing to take place. Rarely is one aware of such a disconnect or rather to say the disconnect is never expressed in itself, but manifests as psychological issues, interpersonal issues, mental health disorders etc. At the core of my counseling practice are three factors – dialogue, narration and insight. A great share of my time in therapy is about applying these tools to help one become aware of the huge potentialities that remain hidden in their self.

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Publication & Presentations

 

Towards a Synthesis of Consciousness and Dialogue: An Introduction to the Special Issue on Dialogical and Eastern Perspectives of Self.

Journal publication: Co-authored with Ahammed, S (2015)

International Journal of Dialogical Science. 9 (1), 1-9

 

The Framework of Consciousness Based Psychotherapy

Presentation: Annual Meeting of Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, Alberta

Alberta, Canada

6th June 2015

 

Counseling Young Emiratis: The Value of a Dialogical Self Model.

Journal publication: Co-authored with Ahammed, S (2014)

Journal of Counseling and Psychotherapy. 5(2), 1-11.).

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The Future of Humanistic Psychology: Towards a Self With Expanded Horizons.

Journal publications: Co-authored with Ahammed, S (2013)

The Humanistic Psychologist, 41:4, 364-370

 

The Question of ‘Self’ in Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Insights from Eastern and Postmodern Traditions of Self.

Presentation: The 13th European Congress of psychology

Stockholm, Sweden

9th -12th July 2013

 

Counseling The Plural Self: Challenges And Prospects

Presentation: 30th International congress of psychology

Cape Town, South Africa

22nd  -27th   July 2012

 

Re-examining the concept of “self”: Insights from a comparative analysis of dialogical and eastern perspectives of self.

Publication: In Jones, R and Morioka, M (Ed.), Jungian and dialogical self perspectives. UK, London: Palgrave. May 2011. Co-authored with Ahammed, S.

 

Perspectives on the ‘Agentic’ Attribute of Self: A Comparative Review of Self Theories in Eastern Traditions and Contemporary Psychology

Presentation: Sixth Self Biennial International Conference

Laval University, Quebec city, Canada

June 19-22, 2011.

 

Conceptualizations of Self in Different Sociohistorical Contexts: A Comparison of Dialogical Self Theory with Some Eastern Perspectives of Self.

Presentation: 6th International Conference on the Dialogical Self

Institute for Cognitive Analytic Therapy, Athens, Greece.

30th September to 2nd October 2010

 

Understanding Globalization and Its Impacts on Self: Implications for Counseling & Psychotherapy

Presentation: Counseling Arabia 2010, Dubai Women’s HCT, UAE

April 27th , 2010

 

The Self in Jungian, Dialogical and Oriental Perspectives: Drawing Parallels and Contrasts

Presentation: The 2nd International Conference of the International Association of Jungian Studies, Cardiff School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, UK

9 - 12 July 2009

 

Understanding the “I” in Examination Anxiety

English Is The Key Cultivating Real Writers Conference

Al Ain  Men’s HCT, UAE

15th April 2009

 

Exploring Some of the Construels of Self and Their Implications for Wellbeing

Presentation: Counselling Arabia 2009, Abu Dhabi Women’s HCT, UAE

April 8th, 2009

 

A Dialogical Self (DS) Approach to Counseling: Therapeutic Insights (As First Author)

Presentation: 5th International Conference on the Dialogical Self

Queens' College, University of Cambridge, U.K.

20th to 26th August 2008

 

“I” Positionings in a Cultural Context: Differences in Individualistic and Collectivistic Societies (As Second Author)

Presentation: 5th International Conference on the Dialogical Self

Queens' College, University of Cambridge, U.K.

26th to 20th August 2008

 

Understanding Dialogical Counseling.

Counselling Arabia, Zayed University, Dubai.UAE

From March 25th to 27th, 2008

 

Counseling from a Dialogical Perspective

Presentation: International Conference Titled “Building Bridges for Wellness through Counselling & Psychotherapy. Sampurna Montfort College, Bangalore, India.

From 9th to 11th January, 2008

 

Janshala Towards Empowering Community Schools

Publisher: United Nations and Department of Education, Ministry of Human resource, India. 2002

 

Existential Assumptions in the Perspective of Integrative Theory of Personality: A prospective Analysis.

Presentation NAOP –National Academy of Psychology- Annual Conference”; Kerala, India, 2002

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