While these are my professional credentials, I’m no different from the people I see. Like everyone else, I’m human. I’ve been through both wonderful and difficult experiences that have shaped who I am and how I help. I embrace the following philosophies that guide what I do and how I help:

• I believe that you are worthy of love and care
• I believe that emotions heal when they are witnessed and validated
• I believe that change is possible when you allow yourself the space to do the work
• I believe that therapy should address the person as a whole – their mind, body, and spirit
• I believe that loving and accepting ourselves for who we are, scars and all, is one of the most courageous things we can do
• I believe we do better when we feel better

My Approach

I believe that many of the difficulties we experience in life and relationships stem from emotional patterns that developed for good reasons but no longer serve us well.

Whether I am working with an adult, a parent, or a child/teen, my focus is on helping people better understand themselves, their emotions, and the patterns that influence how they respond to life’s challenges.

My style is active, collaborative, and engaged. I ask questions, offer observations, and help people notice patterns that may be difficult to see on their own. Together, we work to understand not only what is happening, but why it is happening and how change can occur.

My work draws from evidence-based approaches including Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), Emotion-Focused Family Therapy, attachment theory, and neuroscience.

Dr. Adam Kayfits Specializes in:

PARENTS:

Being a parent can be hard. It’s even harder when your child is an intense feeler and has big reactions/behaviours you aren’t sure how to understand or handle.

Perhaps your loved one shuts down and shuts you out completely. You may feel fear, sadness, shame, helplessness, or hopelessness in your parenting role and this can be magnified if your child has a specific mental health condition.

I support parents to support their children of all ages who struggle with anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, self-harm behaviours, anger, behavioural issues, self-esteem, past traumas, grief, as well as negative life events (e.g., divorce/separation). I do this by teaching parents advanced parenting tools for supporting intense emotions and behaviours.

I also help parents process their own feelings that arise in parenting and help to repair past hurts within their relationships.

CHILDREN/TEENS:

I help deep-feeling children and teens understand their feelings and learn healthy ways to cope with emotions (e.g., anxiety, sadness, anger) and negative life events (e.g., trauma, grief, parental divorce/separation).

Children and teens often communicate their struggles through behaviour rather than words. Anxiety, anger, withdrawal, school difficulties, perfectionism, low self-esteem, and conflict at home are often signs that a young person is struggling with emotions they do not yet know how to understand or express.

My goal is to help children and teens develop greater awareness of their emotions, strengthen their ability to cope with challenges, and build healthier relationships with the important people in their lives.

I work collaboratively with both young people and their caregivers, recognizing that lasting change often happens when children, parents, and therapists work together as a team. My work with children and teens is almost always done with the support of a caregiver because caregivers have the largest opportunity to impact their loved one on a daily basis outside of therapy with skills, tools, and the sheer power of their loving relationship that can lead to positive change and healing. 

ADULTS:

I support adults who are struggling to respond to life situations or circumstances in ways they feel good about. Even though you are “grown up”, you can still feel like you are stuck repeating the same patterns you swore you would never repeat when you were looking forward to being an adult. Or you want life to be so different from your past that you go too far in the other direction and find yourself having different issues you can’t make sense of.

Either way, you can struggle with feeling good about yourself and your relationships with others (e.g., spouses, children, friends, colleagues). I help adults pay attention to their authentic feelings, to identify the sources of their struggles, and to learn how to “be the real me”. 

My work is informed by Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), an evidence-based approach that helps people understand the emotional patterns, and protective strategies that can keep them feeling stuck. Through this work, clients often develop greater emotional freedom, healthier relationships, and a stronger sense of themselves.

My style tends to be active, engaged, and collaborative. I ask questions, offer observations, and help people notice emotional and relationship patterns that may be difficult to see on their own. Together, we work to understand not only what is happening, but why it is happening and how meaningful change can occur.

Many people appreciate this direct and thoughtful approach because it helps them move beyond simply managing symptoms and toward a deeper understanding of themselves and their relationships.

Learn more about ISTDP and my approach to therapy.

What will therapy be like with me?

Regardless who I work with, I always bring the same approach and beliefs with me to our sessions. I tend to treat the person first and the problem in front of us second. The problems that we see are often as a result of all the things we do not see. I work closely with you to build a strong, trusting, caring bond that includes warmth, understanding, authenticity, directness, humour, and a clarifying and energizing presence. In our first few sessions, we focus on understanding the challenges you are facing today and exploring how they developed. Together, we identify what is getting in the way of the life you want and create a plan to help you move toward your goals. Then, we get to work.

1. Emotional: We work with the feelings that arise in the moment so you can become more aware of, comfortable with, and responsive to your emotions. Together, we help you work through emotions that may be stuck or creating difficulties in your life and relationships.

2. Educational: I enjoy helping clients understand why things happen the way they do. Drawing on neuroscience, attachment theory, and psychology, I explain complex emotional and mental health experiences in ways that are easy to understand. Greater understanding often helps reduce the shame, self-blame, and guilt that can accompany struggle.

3. Practical: Therapy should make a difference outside the therapy room. Together, we develop tools, strategies, and plans that you can apply in everyday life, whether you are navigating difficult moments or working to strengthen the parts of life that are already going well.

4.Goal and Outcome Driven: We regularly discuss your progress to ensure our work remains helpful and aligned with your goals. We make decisions together about what is working, what needs adjustment, and whether a different approach might be beneficial. My goal is to help you make meaningful changes as effectively as possible.

Ultimately, my goal is to help you better understand yourself, respond to life’s challenges in ways that feel authentic to you, and become more fully the person you want to be.

Hours

9:30am-4pm Monday
3pm-9pm Tuesday
9am-2:30pm Wednesday
9am-4pm Thursday
9am-4pm Friday

Insurance

Psychological services are not covered by provincial health insurance but may be covered by some private insurance plans. Clients with such insurance may be able to be reimbursed for some of the costs of psychological services. Clients are responsible for checking and understanding the details of their own policy to insure the limits of their coverage. I do not direct bill insurance companies, but issue a receipt for psychological services that clients may submit for reimbursement. Please note that some insurance companies require a physician’s referral to reimburse psychological services. Check out our FAQ page for more detail on what to ask your insurer.

Qualifications & Affiliations

Ph.D. Clinical Psychology (Child Clinical subspecialty), University of Windsor, 2011
Master Degree Clinical Psychology, University of Windsor, 2008
Bachelor of Arts, Honours, Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 2004
Registered Psychologist with Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology, R0740, 2013