Asher Dreise

Asher Dreise, MDiv RP

Registered Psychotherapist

In-person & online services
Physical office location: Kitchener, ON

226-201-3298
admin@asherdreise.com
www.asherdreise.com

Asher’s journey to becoming a psychotherapist began with a degree in Psychology. After completing this degree, he chose to gain life experience before entering the field. He did this by working in a trade for 7 years. This time has been invaluable to Asher both in his personal development but also in affirming that he had skills in the field of therapy. With careful consideration, Asher chose Tyndale Seminary as the place he wanted to study psychotherapy. Following his schooling he began working at Catholic Family Services of Peel (CFSPD), specifically working with families who have had conflict in their home and were involved with family services.  It was while at CFSPD that he was introduced to Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples. He considers himself fortunate to have had the opportunity to participate in various trainings and supervisions to learn EFT. While at CFSPD Asher was invited to participate in a pilot project looking to help couples de-escalate conflict. As a part of this project, Asher had the opportunity to receive bi-weekly consultation with Dr. Sue Johnson, member of the Order of Canada and creator of EFT.  This was a great opportunity that allowed Asher to learn from a master couples therapist.  Shortly after this experience Asher became a certified EFT couples therapist and has truly enjoyed working to help couples communicate and create connection.  Although trainings and learning from other therapists are important parts of the process, Asher’s top priority is learning from his clients. He believes that relationships are unique and dynamic. When couples are not communicating well there are reasons that they are struggling. Helping couples understand and see their own reactive responses while curiously helping them unpack their deeper, often unexpressed, experience is key to transforming how they communicate with each other.  Asher truly enjoys helping couples transform their conversations of conflict into connected, intimate conversations.

As Asher’s work with couples grew, a need to expand his skills emerged.  Asher was observing that as some couples struggled to change their communication they continually relived past moments in their life. Moments of rejection, abandonment or loss made moments in present relationship difficult. It was as though the past was being relived even though the present situation was completely different.  The slightest hint of a moment being similar to the past was re-triggering past painful moments. An deeper understanding in healing individual trauma was needed. Asher began learning Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR helps by allowing us to process experiences of trauma, making the past the past and allowing us to distinguish the present experience as different.  This has been valuable with couples as it can create an experience where the past moments of loss, rejection, abandonment or wounding, although unpleasant, does not disrupt or distort the present moment with the one they love.

Master of Divinity in Counselling
Tyndale Seminary

Registered Psychotherapist (#004495)
College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario

Certified in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy

Member
International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy

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