Psychotherapy is a regulated mental health care discipline that is offered by a variety of regulated professionals (ie. social workers, doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists) that practice psychotherapy independently as psychotherapists or in combination with their primary regulated profession.  These professionals have a wide range of education and perspectives (theories and approaches) on assessment and treatment.  Psychotherapy practitioner mental health training and services may range from only one specialty, theory and approach to many depending on their practice philosophy and combined discipline parameters. 

Social workers are regulated to practice psychotherapy with the title of Registered Social Worker (RSW) once they have completed a Masters level education in an accredited university program with specific training, including direct client hours in the area of psychotherapy.  Social workers are trained in various specialties, theories and approaches and therefore are know to practice in a wholistic, client-centred, eclectic approach to providing services.  Registered Social Workers must continue to obtain ongoing professional development and operate within their areas of specialized practice. 

Psychotherapists with a social work background apply traditional psychotherapy theory but also offer a distinct and unique systemic and socio-cultural perspective to approaching the assessment and treatment of individuals, families and groups.  This includes assessing for, and considering, various social and cultural factors that impact mental health and functioning of individuals, families and groups including workplaces and human care settings such as various socialization/education and healthcare settings.  Registered Social Workers are specifically educated and trained to identify systemic and socio-cultural factors that impact individuals, families and group settings and to include this knowledge in their approach to the assessment, treatment and recommendations for the healthy function of individual’s and the systems that they participate in on a day-to-day basis in their home, school and work communities.  As such, the Psychotherapist incorporating a social work perspective will assess for and treat both the individual’s internal psycho-emotional landscape as well as the individual’s interaction with the outside world in relationships and communities.  The focus of the socio-cultural aspects of assessment, formulation and treatment is a client-centered collaboration that includes client’s experiences of themselves and their experience in relationships and communities including a focus on social justice and intersecting factors of marginalization and privilege.   

Limestone approaches psychotherapy service delivery from a holistic perspective that considers and respects various aspects of humanity (thoughts, emotions, personal meaning, respect for trauma and human differences).  This approach focuses on natural human processes and works within the current capacity of the client’s abilities while facilitating change at the client’s pace over time.  This approach requires trust in the natural processes of change as opposed to imposing external expectations and timelines or prescribed outcomes.  This process is strength-based.  It is patient and compassionate which allows for self-compassion and authentic healing.  This approach ensures that the client(s) can be supported in a process that leverages their strengths and abilities as they address the perceived need for change.

Limestone supports a client-centred approach to assessment and treatment.  In this approach, we work with the client to tailor the formulation and treatment plan to the client(s) expressed goals in an ongoing and collaborative process.  The collaborative process involves both gathering information about the client(s) and their expressed goals while considering theories, therapeutic approaches and drawing on psycho/social education that will best fit for the client’s expressed concerns and specific needs.  A core principle of this approach is to maintain the client’s personal agency, autonomy and support personal empowerment as part of the process of meeting the clients’ goals.  This approach includes using various traditional psychotherapy theories and approaches that are applied in an eclectic and wholistic approach that ensures that services remain client-centred. (See theoretical approaches) Limestone’s approach to psychotherapy also includes aspects of personal coaching in line with the bio-psycho-socio-cultural approach.

Coaching and consulting are services that are provided by a wide range of professionals in their respective fields.  Coaches and consultants provide information and guidance in the fields that they specialize in.  Coaching and consulting services are not regulated as a profession under one body but are instead provided by various professionals and individuals with varying degrees of education, training and experience in their specifically stated professions.  Some coaches and consultants my be regulated by their specific professions, some certified under an organized body and others may not be regulated or certified but provide services based on their education and experience in a filed alone.     

The Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist provides coaching and consulting services as a regulated professional under their social work registration and practice within the realm of their specific social work/psychotherapy education, post graduate professional development and experience.  As regulated professionals, Registered Social Workers, Psychotherapist must complete a Masters level accredited university program and must practice within their area of specialized training.   

The Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist approaches coaching and consulting as a regulated professional in line with social work principles and ethics such as personal autonomy, shared power, diversity and equality and social justice using a systemic, socio-cultural perspective when assessing for and providing services.  This perspective makes the social worker, psychotherapist uniquely positioned to service specific areas for personal and professional coaching and consulting (see below) and sets social work, psychotherapy coaching and consulting apart from other forms of coaching and consulting. 

Limestone focuses on providing personal and professional coaching and consulting services, ranging from life coaching to career/performance coaching as well as various professional and human services coaching and consulting services, in line with social work principals and ethics and following in Limestone’s bio-psycho-socio-cultural model of service delivery.  Consistent with Limestone’s approach, Limestone provides coaching and consulting services from a client-centred, holistic, humanistic perspective with a focus on bio-psycho-social-cultural education (see theoretical foundations).  This approach focuses on an ongoing collaborative strength-based assessment, formulation and planning process.  Because Limestone works from a bio-psycho-socio-cultural perspective, the approach to coaching and consulting is heavily based in human theories also used in the delivery of our psychotherapy services.  Coaching and consulting services may be delivered separate and/or in combination with psychotherapy service.  Coaching services often combine coaching and psychotherapy and/or start out as coaching and move toward the psychotherapy end of services once we have started to delve into topics and goals for change as determined in the process of the formulation of goals in collaboration with clients seeking service.

Limestone’s service delivery model is a one-to-one service model.  Services are focused on the use of self model and the systemic impact of the self in the group, community and professional setting.  We believe that this approach is a powerful method of engaging in personal, organizational and community growth and change.  The wholistic model is prioritized as opposed to traditionally focused education models which focuses on thinking as opposed to whole person integrated learning.