Life can be challenging and it takes a lot of courage to seek help during difficult times. Seeking out help is a sign of strength, and the first step towards healing and personal growth. I consider it important to find a therapist that fits your needs and that you are comfortable with. I seek to provide a safe and warm place for people to explore and understand their psychological experiences and difficulties. Through our time together I hope to empower people as they undertake personal, emotional, and relational difficulties, so that they can see positive improvement in their lives.

I provide evidence-based psychotherapy and assessment, including neuropsychological assessment, to adults who are experiencing distress in a variety of areas. My therapeutic framework as integrative, involving integrating various theories and approaches to tailor treatment interventions in a manner that suits client concerns, and fosters self-resilience, authenticity, and wholeness. I draw from a number of evidence-based therapy approaches, including psychodynamic theories, existential models, emotion focused therapy, and cognitive behavioural therapy strategies. Techniques from many different psychotherapeutic models are used to address your specific needs and concerns. Throughout our journey together, I provide a relationship that is based upon compassion, empathy, genuineness, and authentic engagement.

In therapy, I see clients who are experiencing depression and mood difficulties,  anxiety and stress, difficulties with emotion regulation, grief and loss, existential issues related to meaning and purpose, and psychological trauma. I support clients to address self and relationship issues following different types of traumatic and overwhelming experiences, including emotional and physical abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse. I am comfortable working with individuals from various socio-cultural backgrounds (e.g., gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religiosity/spirituality).

In our first meeting together, I will work with you to establish your goals and to understand your current concerns at a pace that is comfortable for you. Together we will create a plan to best meet your psychological needs or to answer some of the fundamental questions about your mental health that bring you through my door. In the following phases, I will use scientifically-informed assessment tools and therapies to help understand and work with you on your struggles. I work primarily from an integrated approach, bringing together many effective psychological treatment strategies to help you reach your goals. As we work together, I like to check-in to ensure we are working together in a way that feels right to you.

In terms of clinical training experience, I completed my PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa. I completed my pre-doctoral residency at the CPA accredited Centre for Psychological Services and Research. I have also provided psychological services in community clinics, private practice, and hospital settings including the Centre for Interpersonal Relationships, the Centre for Psychological Services and Research, the Ottawa Institute of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and the Brockville Mental Health Centre, which is an extension of The Royal Ottawa. In these settings, I have gained experience in psychodiagnostic and neuropsychological assessments, as well as providing psychotherapy to adults with a variety of mental health concerns and cultural backgrounds.

I have published a number of peer reviewed journal articles and presented findings at national and international conferences in areas of neuropsychology and coping relevant to depression. My doctoral research examining long-term impacts of concussion was funded by a Vanier Scholarship through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Below are some recent publications:

Bedard, M., & Taler, V. (2020). Social support buffers against cognitive decline in single mild traumatic brain injury with loss of consciousness: Results from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. The Journal of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. Advance online publication.

Bedard, M., Taler, V., & Steffener, J. (2020). Long-term cognitive impairment following single mild traumatic brain injury with loss of consciousness: Findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 42(4), 344-351.

Bedard, M., Taler, V., & Steffener, J. (2018). Prospective memory impairment following traumatic brain injury with loss of consciousness: Findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 32(5), 1002-1018.

Bedard, M., Woods, R., Crump, C., & Anisman, H. (2018). Loneliness in relation to depression: The moderating influence of a polymorphism of the brain derived neurotrophic factor gene on self-efficacy and coping strategies. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1-10.

**Dr. Marc Bedard, C.Psych.’s psychological services, and those provided by his supervisees, are provided through Bedard Psychology Professional Corporation.**