Generally speaking, therapy helps you get where you want to go in the game of life. Like a catalyst for change. Helping you weather all the storms that blow in and despite the weather work toward a better life for yourself.

I am comfortable with a wide range of issues that we as humans are likely to face. However, my most common areas are Anxiety and Relationship issues.

Do we ever "need" therapy? I believe "need" never exists without a desired goal or outcome. Do I "need" a personal trainer to get fit? No, but it sure helps with planning, expertise, motivation, etc. If you are reading this, and are entertaining the question I think checking out a consultation would be a safe call.

Good question, my sessions are very variable and it depends on what you are here for. But 90% of the time or more we are just talking with the aim of getting things off your chest, bolstering your understanding of yourself, or learning new skills.

A session is a 50-minute hour. I need time to write my notes afterwards (don't worry nobody else has access to the notes except for you)

A full course of therapy however lasts as long as you want it! A lot of insurance companies will offer 3 sessions (in my opinion this is much too short) or in the ballpark of 10 or 12 which is more reasonable. However, these are just arbitrary numbers industries that are not the mental health industry have come up with. It's about how you are feeling. Typically (not by any means required) most people start out once per week, then go down to once every two weeks eventually and taper off as things improve. I tell people come in as often as is useful, which is for you to discern/decide.

Therapy is very confidential! We can talk about it in the first session, but yes, therapy is confidential. There are a few limitations though:

• If your counsellor understands there to be a serious and imminent threat of harm to yourself or anyone else

• If a child under 18 years of age or a vulnerable adult is in apparent need of protection from abuse, or neglect

• If your counsellor receives a court order to release information found in your file

• If you reveal that you have been exploited by a professional in a position of power or authority (i.e. a physician, teacher, another counsellor, etc.)

The way psychotherapy handles insurance is through reimbursement. So we do not take insurance per se, but we will send out a receipt after payment which (assuming your insurance covers psychotherapy) can be submitted for reimbursement with your insurance provider.

Yes I am! I'm a Registered Psychotherapist (RP). My license number is: 12581

I am (and pretty much everyone is) quite familiar with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). I do not ground my approach in this modality personally however I do find the theory quite compelling. I ground myself in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a modality focused on acceptance of how things work and how things are and then committed action to work toward a better life for ourselves. Focus on mental flexibility, the skill to place our attention where we want it and where it is most useful to us, so that it is not stolen by all the negative things that pop up along our journey, keeping us from getting where we want to go with ourselves. I am also trained in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy and practice it regularly with my clients

I try not to play "gotcha" with anybody. The cancellation policy is 48 hours notice. Any late cancellation in advance of the session is a reduced $90 fee, and a full no-show is the full session fee. I consider it as booking the time slot, and how this influences my capacity to use the time of the day.

Also everyone gets one freebie, life happens.

Yes I do! I offer free 15-minute consultations so that you can get to know me, ask any questions and see how we get along and fit together with minimal investment! Shop around for a therapist that works for you!

I personally do not offer sliding scale rates at the moment. But I am associated with Upstream Counselling, and we typically do have a number of excellent student therapists available who offer reduced fee (~$80/session) and sliding scale.