Therapy Should Make Sense
Some people are new to therapy. Others have gained insight or tried strategies or previous therapy but remain unsure what to do next. Some have been told that “CBT didn’t work,” although treatment may not have addressed the right problem.
Effective therapy begins with understanding. Before deciding what to change, we examine how the difficulty developed, what keeps it going and what has been tried, if anything. This clinical formulation guides individualized treatment rather than a standardized protocol.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is our primary approach. We do not apply techniques because they appear in a manual. Therapy is collaborative, but it is also purposeful. Strategies are selected for a reason, linked to the formulation and adjusted based on what happens in everyday life.
Good therapy should make sense. You should understand what we are addressing, why a strategy is recommended and what it is intended to do. The aim is symptom reduction, clearer self-understanding and skills that remain useful outside therapy.
Adults
We provide therapy for adults experiencing anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), stress, burnout, relationship difficulties, emotional regulation challenges, and major life transitions. We also work with adults navigating workplace concerns, caregiving responsibilities, medical conditions, and the psychological impact of perimenopause and menopause.
Treatment begins with developing a clear understanding of the factors contributing to your difficulties before deciding which strategies are likely to be most helpful. Rather than following a standardized protocol, therapy is individualized using evidence-based approaches, primarily Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and adapted to your goals, strengths, and circumstances.
Our focus is not simply on reducing symptoms. We aim to help you better understand the patterns maintaining your difficulties, develop practical strategies that fit your life, and build lasting skills that continue to be useful long after therapy has ended.
Adolescents
Adolescence brings greater independence alongside more complex demands at school, at home and in relationships. Difficulties with emotions, decision-making, communication or conflict can affect academic functioning, family life, friendships and confidence.
We provide adolescent therapy for anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), perfectionism, school-related stress, emotional regulation, executive functioning, relationship difficulties and behavioural concerns. Treatment is individualized and grounded primarily in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), addressing both symptoms and the developmental skills that still need attention.
Therapy may address avoidance, frustration tolerance, assertive communication, conflict resolution, emotional regulation, self-advocacy and independence. Adolescents help establish treatment priorities and receive a clear explanation of why each strategy is being used. This makes the work more relevant and increases the likelihood that skills will be applied at home, at school and in relationships.
Couples & Partners
Couples therapy is not only for relationships in crisis. Few people are explicitly taught how to communicate, manage conflict, sustain intimacy, solve problems together or adapt as a relationship changes. Couples may function well until work, parenting, caregiving and competing responsibilities place greater demands on both partners. Habits that were once manageable can then contribute to repeated disagreements, unresolved problems and a growing sense of distance.
We begin with a structured relationship assessment examining communication, conflict, intimacy, attachment patterns, friendship and parenting or co-parenting. Treatment draws on Gottman-informed assessment and interventions, Alexandra Solomon’s Relational Self-Awareness framework, and Esther Perel’s work on intimacy and desire. Based on the assessment, couples practise the specific skills they need, such as expressing needs clearly, listening accurately, disagreeing without escalating or withdrawing, repairing conflict and solving problems together. Guided activities and selected webinars help partners apply these skills between appointments.
This service is best suited to couples who want to remain together and are prepared to work on their relationship, including busy professionals and parents managing competing demands. It is not discernment counselling for couples deciding whether to separate or divorce. When significant untreated mental health concerns, substance use, coercive control or safety concerns are primarily driving the relationship difficulties, additional or more specialized care may be required.
Children
Children rarely begin therapy because they chose it. A parent, teacher or another adult has usually recognized anxiety, emotional regulation difficulties, school stress, avoidance, frustration or behavioural concerns. Effective child therapy therefore requires more than conversation. Children need a reason to practise skills that initially feel uncomfortable.
Our approach to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for children uses therapy games, skill cards, art, problem-solving, humour, mystery and structured activity-based practice. These tools allow the clinician to demonstrate a skill, observe how the child uses it and adjust the next step. When sensory differences affect attention, regulation or participation, sensory assessment is included where indicated and activities are adapted to the child’s sensory profile.
For virtual child therapy, we ship a Therapy in a Box toolkit with materials for sessions and between-session practice. Children use the games, cards and activities to build a personalized toolkit for home and school. Parents can see what is being taught and how to support it without sourcing materials, inventing activities or carrying the treatment themselves. Carefully chosen incentives may support effort when a child is asked to tolerate discomfort before the benefit is obvious.