Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors Therapists in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

BFRBs such as hair pulling, skin picking, or nail biting can feel impossible to control and often come with feelings of shame or frustration. I provide evidence-based treatment including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Habit Reversal Training (HRT) and elements of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). My goal is to help you build awareness, reduce harmful patterns, and develop healthier coping strategies so you can feel more in control and compassionate toward yourself.

If you find yourself pulling your hair, picking at your skin, biting your nails, or engaging in other repetitive behaviours that feel hard to stop, you are not alone. Body-focused repetitive behaviours often develop as a way to manage stress, anxiety, boredom, or nervous system overwhelm. They can provide temporary relief but leave you feeling frustrated, ashamed, or out of control afterward. At Selah Counselling, we approach these behaviours with compassion and curiosity, not judgment. Together, we explore what is driving the behaviour beneath the surface. We examine triggers, emotional patterns, and nervous system regulation while developing practical tools to interrupt the cycle. Our work focuses on increasing awareness, strengthening coping skills, and helping your body feel safer without relying on habits that cause distress. The goal is not simply to stop the behaviour, but to understand it and support lasting change from the inside out.

I approach body-focused repetitive behaviors—such as skin picking, hair pulling, or nail biting—as meaningful responses, often serving as ways the body regulates tension or unmet emotional needs. Together, we explore what these behaviors are expressing and the patterns behind them. Through increased awareness and a more compassionate relationship with oneself, change can emerge in a way that is both sustainable and respectful.

Unwanted body focused repetitive behaviours often originate in the subconscious mind as coping mechanisms for stress, boredom, or emotional discomfort. Hypnosis works by accessing that subconscious space and helping to reframe the mind’s association with the habit, release the need for it, and create new mental pathways that support calm, awareness, and control.

Halifax is Atlantic Canada's largest city and a hub for universities, the military, and ocean-tech industries, creating a therapy community serving students, naval personnel, and knowledge workers navigating the pressures of high-achieving careers in a smaller city. Dalhousie University and Canadian Forces Base Halifax generate distinct demand for therapists who specialize in academic stress, military trauma, and the particular challenges of military family life. Nova Scotia Health provides public mental health services, with a private therapy community serving the South End, Bedford, and Dartmouth. Halifax's relatively small size means specialist therapist availability can be limited in some areas, and telehealth has become especially important for accessing care across Atlantic Canada.

Gender ID

	80%	Female
	20%	Male

Session Type

	50%	In Person and Online
	50%	Online Only

Top Treatment Approaches

100%	Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
75%	Behavioral Therapy
75%	Motivational Interviewing (MI)
50%	Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
50%	Psychoeducational Therapy
50%	Internal Family Systems (IFS)
50%	Somatic Therapy

Ages Served

100%	Adult
75%	Young Adult
75%	Teen
50%	Senior
25%	Children

Client Focus

50%	Women
50%	Men
25%	Black / African American
25%	LGBTQ+

Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors therapists in Halifax, Nova Scotia NS, Canada CA

Angela Jones

Selah Counselling, Mediation, and Training Center

Marjan Emami

Shelley Murphy, Food & Body Image Hypnotherapist