REGISTERED SOCIAL SERVICE WORKER · KINCARDINE + VIRTUAL ONTARIO

Cynthia Kipp

M.Ed, RSSW, Psychotherapist

I work with adults who are used to thinking deeply, expecting a lot of themselves, or carrying emotional experiences that are difficult to simply “think” their way out of.

You may be highly capable on the outside while privately dealing with anxiety, rumination, perfectionism, intense emotions, complicated relationships, trauma, or a sense that the past still has more influence than you want it to.

With more than 20 years of clinical experience, I bring a wide range of approaches to therapy — but I don’t believe in forcing every person into the same method. We can draw from insight, practical skills, attachment-focused work, trauma therapy, mindfulness, body-based approaches and other tools depending on what makes sense for you.

BOOK A FREE CONSULTATION WITH CYNTHIA

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Adults · In-Person Kincardine · Virtual Across Ontario · Evenings + Weekends

Rate: $150/50 Minutes Individuals

cynthia kipp, registered social services worker, psychotherapist ontario

YOU MAY CONNECT WITH MY APPROACH IF…

You are looking for meaningful change but aren't sure where to start.

Your mind is almost always working, analysing, anticipating or replaying
You’re a high achiever or perfectionist who finds it difficult to switch off
You’re highly intellectual and sometimes feel that you can understand your emotions without necessarily feeling differently
You identify as highly sensitive and can become easily affected by conflict, emotional intensity or your environment
Anxiety shows up through panic, obsessive thoughts, rumination, reassurance-seeking or a constant need to feel certain

Relationships can become intense, chaotic, painful or difficult to let go of
You experience strong emotional reactions and want practical ways to regulate without shutting yourself down
Trauma, complex PTSD or attachment experiences continue to affect the present
Depression has left you feeling disconnected, heavy or unlike yourself
Spirituality, meaning or questions about your inner life are important parts of how you understand yourself
You’re ready to loosen your relationship with the past without pretending it didn’t matter

WHAT THERAPY WITH ME IS LIKE

Depth when it’s useful. Practical tools when you need them.

Twenty years of doing this work has taught me that people rarely need only one thing from therapy.

Sometimes you need to understand the deeper pattern — where it came from, how it developed and why it keeps showing up.

Sometimes you need something much more immediate: a way to interrupt rumination, tolerate a strong emotion, manage panic, navigate a difficult relationship or get through the week differently.

And sometimes the work is less about solving and more about creating enough space to listen inward, reconnect with meaning, or understand an experience that has been difficult to put into words.

My style is warm, collaborative and flexible. I bring a large clinical toolbox, but I don’t expect you to adapt yourself to a particular modality. We can decide together what is most useful.

AREAS WE CAN EXPLORE TOGETHER

Anxiety, OCD + Rumination

When your mind gets caught in loops — overthinking, anticipating, checking, replaying, seeking certainty or preparing for what might go wrong.

This can include generalized anxiety, panic, obsessive-compulsive patterns and the exhaustion of rarely feeling mentally “off.”

Complex Trauma + Attachment

When earlier experiences continue to shape trust, safety, self-worth, closeness or the way you respond when relationships feel uncertain.

Attachment-focused therapy can help make sense of the patterns underneath what happens now.

Emotional Regulation + BPD

When emotions feel intense, relationships can shift quickly, or it becomes difficult to stay grounded when something feels threatening, rejecting or overwhelming.

Cynthia brings extensive DBT experience and can help clients develop skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, boundaries and relationships.

High Achievement, Perfectionism + Highly Sensitive People

For people who are capable, thoughtful and often very hard on themselves.

You may hold yourself to high standards, notice everything, think deeply, or find it difficult to relax when there is always another problem to solve or expectation to meet.

Relationships + Letting Go of the Past

When old relationships, painful experiences or unresolved emotional patterns keep showing up in the present.

Therapy can help you understand what keeps pulling you back, what makes certain relationships feel so difficult to leave emotionally, and what it might mean to move forward without minimizing what happened.

Depression, Identity + Meaning

When life feels heavy, flat, disconnected or different from the way you thought it would.

This can also include spiritual questions, meaning-making and exploring what matters to you beyond simply reducing symptoms.

HOW I WORK

More than one way into the work.

With more than two decades in mental health, Cynthia has developed a broad, integrative approach rather than relying on one model for every person.

Depending on what you need, therapy may include:

Attachment-focused + trauma therapy
Exploring the emotional learning and relational patterns that continue to shape the present.

DBT + practical skills
Building emotional regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness and relationship skills.

CBT + behavioural approaches
Working with anxiety, rumination, thoughts, beliefs and patterns of behaviour.

Experiential + body-based work
Using approaches such as Hakomi, Compassionate Inquiry, clinical hypnosis or EFT when insight alone isn’t reaching the experience.

Coherence Therapy
Exploring the deeper emotional logic underneath symptoms and recurring patterns.

ABOUT CYNTHIA

Experience has made Cynthia more flexible, not rigid.

Cynthia has spent more than 20 years working across mental health, addictions, hospitals, youth treatment programs, community services and private practice.

That breadth means she has worked alongside people with very different histories, personalities and levels of complexity — from anxiety and depression to trauma, emotional dysregulation, substance use and longstanding relationship patterns.

Over time, Cynthia became less interested in finding one “right” therapy and more interested in understanding what helps a particular person make sense of their experience and create change.

She is naturally curious and enjoys working with people who think deeply. Highly intellectual clients, high achievers and perfectionists often arrive with a great deal of insight already. The work can become less about giving them more information and more about helping that insight reach places that thinking alone hasn’t changed.

Cynthia also welcomes spirituality and questions of meaning into therapy when those are important to the person she is working with. She believes those parts of life can matter just as much as thoughts, emotions and behaviour.

Alongside her clinical work, Cynthia supervises and mentors other mental health professionals and has contributed to clinical programs and services.

She recently relocated to the Kincardine area with her family and now works with adults locally and virtually across Ontario.

Trainings

Trauma & Attachment Healing

Many emotional struggles can be traced back to experiences that overwhelmed our ability to cope or left us feeling disconnected from ourselves and others. Trauma and attachment-focused therapies help uncover and heal the deeper patterns that may be contributing to anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, emotional reactivity, or feeling stuck.

Trainings Include:

Integrative Trauma and Attachment Treatment Model (ITATM) – Attachment and Trauma Treatment Centre for Healing (2025)
Compassionate Inquiry Training
Trauma-Informed Care Training
Concurrent Disorders Training
Extensive clinical experience supporting trauma recovery in community mental health and private practice

Coherence Therapy

Coherence Therapy helps identify and transform the unconscious emotional learnings that drive symptoms and recurring patterns. Rather than simply managing symptoms, this approach works to create lasting change by addressing the root causes beneath them.

Training:

Intermediate Training in Coherence Therapy – Coherence Psychology Institute (2016)

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

DBT is an evidence-based therapy that helps people develop skills for managing intense emotions, improving relationships, increasing distress tolerance, and building mindfulness. It is particularly helpful for emotional regulation difficulties, anxiety, depression, and relationship challenges.

Trainings Include:

Advanced DBT Training – Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Behavioural Tech DBT Training
PESI 3-Day Intensive DBT Training
Facilitator and Developer of DBT Skills Groups
Over a decade of DBT application in community mental health settings

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT helps identify and change unhelpful thought patterns, beliefs, and behaviours that may contribute to emotional distress. It provides practical tools to help clients build healthier coping strategies and achieve meaningful goals.

Training & Experience:

Extensive CBT training and application throughout community mental health, addictions, and private practice settings
More than 20 years of clinical experience integrating CBT into therapy

Hakomi & Mindfulness-Based Therapy

Hakomi is a gentle, body-centred psychotherapy that combines mindfulness and self-discovery to help clients better understand themselves and heal longstanding emotional patterns. This approach can be especially helpful for trauma, self-esteem, and personal growth.

Training:

Hakomi Body-Centred Psychotherapy – Years 1 & 2, Hakomi Institute

Clinical Hypnosis

Clinical hypnosis is a focused, collaborative process that can help clients access inner resources, shift unhelpful patterns, and create meaningful change. It may be used to support anxiety, confidence, habit change, emotional regulation, and personal growth.

Training:

Architecture of Hypnosis – Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy (2022)

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT Tapping)

EFT combines elements of mindfulness, emotional processing, and acupressure tapping to help reduce emotional distress and promote regulation of the nervous system. It can be a helpful tool for anxiety, stress, trauma, and self-limiting beliefs.

Training & Practice:

Advanced integration of EFT Tapping within trauma-informed psychotherapy

Motivational Interviewing & Addiction Recovery

Motivational Interviewing helps people explore ambivalence, strengthen motivation, and create meaningful change. Cynthia has extensive experience supporting individuals recovering from substance use concerns and other behavioural challenges.

Training & Experience:

Specialized addictions counselling experience across community mental health and addiction treatment settings
Motivational Interviewing Training
More than 20 years supporting addiction recovery and relapse prevention

Clinical Supervision & Professional Leadership

In addition to providing psychotherapy, Cynthia supervises and mentors mental health professionals and contributes to the development of clinical programs and services.

Training:

Providing Good Clinical Supervision – Association for Psychological Therapies (APT) (2024)
APT Tutor Training (2026)
Supervisor, Mental Health Counselling Program – CMHA Grey Bruce