Dr. Hewitt has over 30 years of experience in psychodynamic and interpersonal psychotherapy, helping people work through challenges like perfectionism, early trauma, anxiety, depression, personality struggles, and relationship issues. He’s widely recognized for his groundbreaking work on perfectionism, showing how it can affect mental health, relationships, and even physical well-being. His ongoing research has continuously informed the care he provides, ensuring treatments are always evolving and effective.
Psychodynamic and interpersonal therapy is about exploring how your relationships—with yourself and the people in your life—shape your struggles, whether it’s perfectionism, anxiety, depression, or relationship challenges. Together, Dr. Hewitt will look at how these issues have developed over time and how they’re connected to your personal experiences and social world.
The treatment is tailored to each individual. It’s about understanding how your challenges began, the purpose they may have served in your life, and the ways they might still be trying to help you feel accepted, valued, and loved. The goal is to work together to nurture a stronger sense of self-worth and create healthier connections with yourself and others.
To book an initial evaluation for treatment with Dr. Hewitt please contact us.
What to Expect
Your First Visit
During your first visit Dr. Hewitt will begin by going over your concerns and getting an overview of your personal history and background. He will discuss things such as when your difficulties first began, what you feel may have contributed, past and current relationships, and how your difficulties have affected your relationships, work or other aspects of your life. In reviewing your personal history he will cover areas such as details about your experiences growing up, your education, and work experiences, aspects of your intimate relationships and friendships, and whether you use medication, alcohol or drugs. This information-gathering phase can take one or more sessions and may be supplemented by psychological testing.
Psychological Tests
Psychological tests are used to give us a better understanding of your strengths and difficulties. They help us gain an understanding of your current mood, coping mechanisms and other relevant aspects of your functioning. If Dr. Hewitt suggests the use of a test, he will always provide you with feedback about the results and how they can be used to facilitate his work with you together.
Treatment
Following the information-gathering phase it is important to take time to establish some specific objectives for your sessions. Effective treatment is built on a relationship of mutual trust and respect. Dr. Hewitt will work with you collaboratively. In other words, psychotherapy is a form of treatment that involves helping you to access your own strengths and inner resources in order to overcome difficulties you’re experiencing or to let go of self-limiting patterns.
What Happens in Treatment?
Early on in the treatment Dr. Hewitt will work with you together to establish specific treatment goals and identify the ways therapy will help you achieve them. Goals can include feeling less depressed or anxious, feeling more comfortable in social situations and in various relationships, changing your behaviour, increasing self-esteem. At certain intervals over the course of sessions he will review progress on these goals. This may involve stepping back to discuss where you are at, or occasionally having you complete some brief questionnaires designed to help monitor progress.
It is important to recognize that it can be hard work to change feelings, thoughts and behaviour – you will need to be patient with yourself and ready to commit to attending sessions regularly and follow through on recommendations. One thing that cannot be changed is the past but you can change how it affects you and the influence it has on your current functioning. Psychological treatment is primarily focused on helping you reduce maladaptive behaviours, and enhance functioning to improve your quality of life.
Dr. Paul L. Hewitt 