Meet Dr. Oliver
Registered Psychologist #2246
Dr. Oliver is a registered in the province of British Columbia. Haley is a compassionate, skilled, and collaborative psychologist who has been dedicated to providing excellent mental health services to diverse individuals for over 10 years. She has extensive training and experience in clinical psychology. Dr. Oliver completed her Masters in Clinical Psychology and Doctor Of Psychology (Psy.D.) degrees at Midwestern University in Arizona. Her pre-doctoral internship at Southwestern Behavioural Health Services included primary rotations in several residential programs, an in-patient mental health unit, and concurrent substance and mental health settings. Her post-doctoral residency included in-home therapy services for persistently and acutely mentally ill individuals living in the community. Dr. Oliver has provided services to adults in diverse practice settings including community mental health, not-for-profits, psychiatric hospital-based services, rehabilitation programs, and private practice.
Dr. Oliver works primarily with adults and adolescents ages 19 and up. She is a culturally-responsive practitioner with a person-centered lens and works with each client to co-develop a plan to achieve their goals. Treatment is adapted to fit the unique needs of each individual. Dr. Oliver’s areas of clinical expertise include anxiety, depression/mood, trauma, and substance use. Women’s issues are a special area of interest including premenstrual conditions, gender roles, misdiagnoses, and underdiagnosed conditions. She draws from a number of theoretical perspectives such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), mindfulness, solution-focused, and interpersonal methods. She works collaboratively with clients to meet their therapy goals.
Dr. Oliver provides comprehensive general and Psycho-Diagnostic assessment services to adults with psychological and medical conditions impacting everyday functioning. She aims to tailor the assessment process to individual client needs, and referral questions. Following the testing session(s), she provides feedback regarding relevant diagnosis and practical recommendations to improve daily functioning.
Dr. Oliver has worked with various community agencies in Arizona and British Columbia to develop programming, complete grant applications, and deliver community education and has experience supervising Master’s level therapists in a not-for-profit community mental health setting. Consultation services regarding clinical issues, supervision, and trauma informed practices are available to agencies and individuals. Please contact Dr. Oliver directly to discuss any consultation, program development, or supervision needs.
Services
Individual Psychotherapy
When Dr. Oliver is able to accept new clients, referrals are accepted in the following areas:
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Operational stress injuries (first responders including police officers, firefighters, paramedics/EHS, victim services as well as correctional and probation services, dispatchers & other civilian members, active and retired military
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (childhood trauma, assault, MVA, etc.)
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Psychotic Disorders
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Substance Use Disorders
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Depression, Bipolar, and other mood concerns
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Anxiety (including panic, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, phobias, and health anxiety)
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Adjustment to injury/medical conditions
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General stress management
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Work-life balance
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Sleep disturbance
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Relationship & social issues
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Grief, Loss, & Life Transitions
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Self-esteem, self-worth, boundaries, & assertiveness
Dr. Oliver receives referrals from Veteran’s Affairs Canada (VAC), RCMP, ICBC, British Columbia Teacher’s Federation (BCTF), Family Physicians, Psychiatrists, First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), Penticton Indian Band (PIB), Employment Assistance Program (EAP) Counsellors, and Self-Referrals. Dr. Oliver has been approved by SunLife, Desjardins, and Pacific Blue Cross insurance coverage.
Psychological Assessment
Dr. Oliver conducts psychological assessments for adults who are struggling with a wide range of mental health issues including but not limited to:
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General Psychological Assessment/Evaluation
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Psycho-Diagnostic Assessment
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VAC Disability Benefit/Award
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BCTF Wellness Program
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Return-to-Work
The general purpose of an assessment is to gain a better understanding of an individual’s emotional functioning, identify relevant diagnoses if present, and provide recommendations for treatment, if warranted.
Dr. Oliver does not do comprehensive Neuropsychological or Psycho-Educational Assessments or Child Assessments.
Consultation and Supervision
Cognitive Processing Therapy
Dr. Oliver has opened up a limited number of spots for Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for Spring and Summer 2024. CPT is a manualized evidence-based treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and can be done in person or through telepsychology. Should you wish to discuss CPT, please contact Dr. Oliver directly.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a cognitive-behavioural treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Dr. Oliver will first assess you to ensure that you meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD.
CPT consists of 12 individual (one-on-one) therapy sessions. Each session lasts 50–60 minutes. In these sessions, you will learn about the symptoms of PTSD and why we believe that some people develop it. You and Dr. Oliver will also identify and explore how your trauma(s) have changed your thoughts and beliefs, and how some of these ways of thinking may keep you “stuck” in your symptoms.
CPT does not involve repeatedly reviewing the details of your trauma(s). However, you will be asked to write about your experiences in order to understand how they have affected your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
The overall goals of CPT are to improve your PTSD symptoms, and associated symptoms such as depression, anxiety, guilt, and shame. It also aims to improve your day-to-day living.
Perhaps the most important expectation of CPT is for you to make a commitment to come to sessions. In addition, after each session you will be given practice assignments to complete outside of the sessions. These assignments are designed to improve your PTSD symptoms more rapidly outside of the treatment sessions. Dr. Oliver asks that you make a commitment to attend 12 consecutive weekly appointments, however, this may vary slightly.
CPT has been thoroughly evaluated for use in many different populations including Canadian Military Veterans.
Psycho-Diagnostic Assessment
Psycho-Diagnostic Assessments are conducted by individuals trained in psychological assessment. They provide clients with diagnostic clarification and treatment planning.
A Psycho-Diagnostic Assessment is a collaborative process between the client and Dr. Oliver that can help to figure out specific areas of functioning that might be challenging for the individual and that the individual might want to work on in therapy/treatment.
During this assessment, the client will be guided through several questions about different areas of their mental health, psychological and personality functioning. Questions asked are standardized and have undergone rigorous testing to ensure they are properly assessing areas of functioning in an evidence-based manner. Some questions will be answered in a simple yes or no manner and others will require more detailed responses. Dr. Oliver will support each client in answering any questions that are more difficult to respond to.
A report will be then written based on the information provided and will include comprehensive holistic treatment recommendations. Following the assessment, the client will be invited to a feedback session in which they will learn about any diagnoses that were formally made and implications for treatment. During the feedback session, the client will be able to read through the report and provide any further information that they feel will be helpful.
In order to have a psychological assessment completed, a client can be self-referred or referred by a physician.
Dr. Oliver provides psycho-diagnostic assessments for adults presenting with anxiety, mood, personality, and trauma concerns and a variety of other presenting clinical issues. Typically, psycho-diagnostic assessments are helpful in cases involving a history of multiple diagnoses, complex presentations, ineffective treatment experiences or limited treatment progression, and diagnostic debates.
The costs associated with this type of assessment will be determined based on the complexity of your referral question and history, amount of clinical records to review, and availability of collateral reporting. Please speak with Dr. Oliver for questions pertaining to cost and to schedule a quick phone consultation to determine appropriateness.