Approach
Therapy That Fits You, Not a Script
Worry that shows up at 2 a.m. A harsh inner critic. The same pattern, again and again. These are different struggles, and they often call for different tools.
Dr. Joseph Tse draws on several approaches and chooses the mix that fits each person.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
For when fighting your feelings is wearing you out.
ACT helps you make room for painful thoughts and feelings, so they have less control over your choices. In session, you might:
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learn to see a thought as a thought, not a fact
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get clear on what matters most to you
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take small steps in that direction, even when it feels uncomfortable
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
For when your thoughts keep pulling you down.
CBT looks at how thoughts, feelings and actions affect one another. In session, you might:
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notice unhelpful thoughts, such as “I always mess things up”
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check whether they fit the facts
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try new ways of responding, one small step at a time
Compassion-Focused Therapy
For when your inner critic never lets up.
Compassion-focused therapy helps you treat yourself with more kindness, especially when you feel ashamed or very self-critical. Constant self-criticism keeps the brain’s alarm system switched on. In session, you might:
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understand where the inner critic comes from
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calm your body and mind with simple exercises
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learn to speak to yourself the way you would speak to a good friend, while keeping high standards
Techniques From Emotion-Focused Therapy
For feelings that are hard to name, or old hurt that keeps coming back.
These techniques aim to help you slow down, notice what you feel, and work through feelings that talking alone has not settled. Guided exercises are always optional.
Mindfulness
Short mindfulness exercises run through all of this work. They help you bring your attention back to the present moment, without judging it. No religious belief is needed.
What These Approaches Are Used For
Dr. Tse uses these approaches, often in combination, for concerns such as:
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Self-criticism and perfectionism
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Sleep problems
What the Research Says
The three main approaches on this page are built on decades of research. Here is what some of the largest and most recent reviews have found.
ACT: helpful for many different concerns. A large review covering 12,477 people found that ACT helps with anxiety, depression, long-term pain and other concerns. ACT generally worked better than the care people would normally receive, and better than many other treatments (Gloster et al., 2020). The Society of Clinical Psychology (n.d.), part of the American Psychological Association, lists ACT as having strong research support for long-term (chronic) pain.
CBT: one of the most tested forms of talk therapy. In 2025, researchers combined the results of 375 studies involving nearly 33,000 adults, the largest review of CBT so far. They found that CBT likely helps with depression, repeated panic attacks, social anxiety, constant worry and PTSD (Cuijpers et al., 2025). The American Psychological Association (2017) strongly recommends CBT for adults with PTSD.
Compassion-focused therapy: for people who are hard on themselves. This approach was created for people who are very self-critical, and that is where research shows its clearest benefits. Two recent reviews found the same pattern: after compassion-focused therapy, people were kinder to themselves and less self-critical (Brown & Ashcroft, 2025; Millard et al., 2023). People also had fewer symptoms such as low mood, and did better than people who had not started therapy yet (Millard et al., 2023). Because this approach is newer, fewer studies have tested it so far, and research is still growing.
Research shows what helps people on average. Everyone’s experience and progress in therapy are different.
Who This Is For
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Self-referred adults, 19 and older
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Therapy in English, Cantonese or Mandarin
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In person in downtown Vancouver, or by online video for clients in BC
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No diagnosis needed, whether you have a specific concern or want personal growth
The practice does not provide emergency or crisis services. If you need help right away, call 9-1-1, call or text the 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline, or call 310-6789 for BC mental health support, 24 hours a day, with no area code needed.
Get Started
Book a free 15-minute consultation to ask questions and see whether therapy with Dr. Tse is a good fit.
References
American Psychological Association. (2017). Clinical practice guideline for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults. https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/ptsd.pdf
Brown, N., & Ashcroft, K. (2025). The effectiveness of compassion focused therapy for the three flows of compassion, self-criticism, and shame in clinical populations: A systematic review. Behavioral Sciences, 15(8), Article 1031. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15081031
Cuijpers, P., Harrer, M., Miguel, C., Ciharova, M., Papola, D., Basic, D., Botella, C., Cristea, I., de Ponti, N., Donker, T., Driessen, E., Franco, P., Gómez-Gómez, I., Hamblen, J., Jiménez-Orenga, N., Karyotaki, E., Keshen, A., Linardon, J., Motrico, E., Furukawa, T. A. (2025). Cognitive behavior therapy for mental disorders in adults: A unified series of meta-analyses. JAMA Psychiatry, 82(6), 563–571. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.0482
Gloster, A. T., Walder, N., Levin, M. E., Twohig, M. P., & Karekla, M. (2020). The empirical status of acceptance and commitment therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 18, 181–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.09.009
Millard, L. A., Wan, M. W., Smith, D. M., & Wittkowski, A. (2023). The effectiveness of compassion focused therapy with clinical populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 326, 168–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.01.010
Society of Clinical Psychology. (n.d.). Acceptance and commitment therapy for chronic pain. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://div12.org/?p=8051