Services » Therapy for Individuals

I provide services to individuals ages 18 and over for assistance with issues related to stress and self-care, self-esteem and self-worth, and emotional understanding and wisdom. I also provide group therapy.

• Who I help

  My counselling and therapy services focus on

  1. Stress and Self-Care – experiencing acute or chronic stress; struggling to balance different needs and demands in your life; feeling disorganized or overwhelmed by work or school; dealing with life transitions and changes, decision-making, adjustment.
  2. Self-Esteem and Self-Worth – experiencing a lot of self-criticism, self-doubt, shame, or poor body image or self-image; struggling to feel understanding, accepting, and caring toward yourself
  3. Emotional Understanding and Regulation – wanting to become more aware of your feelings, or having feelings that you don’t know how to understand, cope with, or navigate, or that lead you to feel down on yourself

  Individuals who see me for therapy may also be experiencing mild to moderate levels of anxiety, depression, or self-injury.

• My Approach

  My approach to therapy places emphasis on the enhancement of psychological well-being through helping people find ways of living that reduce suffering, that are personally meaningful to them and enriching, and that cultivate a sense of personal integrity and wholeness. This is the foundation of my approach regardless of the specific symptoms and life circumstances a person has experienced or is experiencing. 

  I view the participation in psychotherapy as participation in a life-affirming process—one that has cognitive, affective, behavioural, and relational elements.

  Individuals’ specific needs vary; however, my approach to psychotherapy typically encourages a combination of self-reflection, the introduction of new things (e.g., ideas, information, experiences), and action (that is, doing something differently, whether in relation to one’s inner world, self, or external world). The cultivation of compassion, mindfulness, and emotional understanding are often aspects of this process, as well, inevitably, as the cultivation of connection and courage. 

  I begin by meeting individuals wherever they are at (emotionally, physically, situationally), by learning about this, and by beginning to work towards contextualizing their experiences. I then try to work collaboratively with individuals in a respectful way as we begin to determine what might be helpful and to work toward implementing that. 

  Compassion-focused therapy, emotion-focused therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and cognitive-behavioural therapy significantly influence my approach.

  I am not the right therapist for everyone or for every type of difficulty. It is important that individuals find the services that have an approach and knowledge base that is best suited to their situation and needs.

• Sessions

  Typically, individual therapy sessions are one hour in length occurring from once per week to once per month for a number of sessions and period of time that works well for you and for what you are experiencing. A one hour session allots about 50 minutes to talking about and working on what you are experiencing and about 5 to 10 minutes to administrative things like scheduling and payment .

• Fees

  Fees for my services are paid for by the person seeing me for therapy at the time the service is rendered or by a third party when funding has been approved by that party for a person to see me for sessions. An example of the latter is when Medavie Blue Cross pays me for services I have been authorized to provide to individual members of the Canadian Forces and to veterans.

  With respect to extended health benefits plans, I am registered as a psychologist in Ontario.

  Services provided by registered members of the College of Psychologists are also recognized by the Canada Revenue Agency as medical expenses for income tax purposes.

• Booking an Appointment

  If you would like to inquire about booking an appointment, please contact me. If I have openings, I will invite you to tell me a bit more about what you are experiencing so that I can make an initial assessment of whether or not I might be a suitable resource for you. We can also discuss whether or not my current availability is likely to be a good fit for what you are looking for at this time.

  For current clients, I offer the service of being able to schedule appointments online at your convenience. Please contact me for more information. Clients may also schedule appointments with me in-session, by email, and by phone.

• Office Information

  My office is located in a suite at 505 Alfred Street in Kingston, Ontario and is open by appointment.

  If you are driving by car, there is free parking available on Alfred Street.

  If you are coming by Kingston Transit, the closest regular service bus stops* are

  1. Division Street at/near Adelaide Street (Routes 2, 18)
  2. Princess Street at/near Alfred Street (Route 4)
  3. Concession Street at/near Third Avenue (Route 16)

  (*If this information changes and you notice, please let me know.)

  If you are cycling, the closest official bicycle lock racks are at the Memorial Centre; however, you can find closer informal locations to lock your bike as well.

  The waiting room is a tranquil, private space where you can spend a bit of time before your appointment settling into the space and orienting yourself to your appointment and the things you wish to work on prior to the start of us meeting.