I offer virtual Psychotherapy sessions for folks living in Ontario, Newfoundland, Alberta, BC, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan*

Coaching services are available internationally.

*In Canada, psychotherapy is regulated at a provincial level, but not all provinces are regulated. As of August 2023, Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island that have regulated psychotherapy. In Alberta, the bill for regulation has passed but the college is not yet open. The other provinces and territories are unregulated. 

My hours are Monday to Friday between 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

We start with what happens in the moments that feel hardest. What does your child do? What happens inside you? How do you respond?

I'll help you look at the triggers, expectations, and past experiences that can shape those reactions. We'll practise ways to respond with more curiosity and less control, while making room for your needs too.

The goal isn't to fix your child's behaviour or find the perfect phrase that makes them cooperate. It's to work on how you show up in the relationship, especially when things are hard.

When talking about therapy with your child, it’s important to be mindful of the language you use. The words we choose can have a powerful impact on how our children perceive themselves and their experiences.

Telling your child that you think they "need to talk to someone" can unintentionally reinforce the idea that their feelings, perspectives, or challenges are problematic, a burden to us, or that they are somehow broken. This approach can create a sense of shame, worthlessness, or embarrassment, or even make them feel isolated and misunderstood. 

Consider framing the conversation around curiosity and mutual exploration. You might say, "I've been thinking about how we can understand our feelings better and I came across the idea of talking to someone who is really good at helping people with their emotions. What do you think about that?" This way, you’re inviting your child into a dialogue about therapy rather than dictating a solution for what you’re noticing. You might also talk about the challenges you have faced in life, and your experience with therapy, or that you’re considering working with a therapist yourself. 

By framing the conversation this way, you emphasize that seeking help is a common and positive step in understanding oneself better. It becomes a shared journey. This collaborative approach can reduce the stigma often associated with therapy and foster a sense of teamwork and empowerment. 

Try to validate your child’s feelings without judgment. If they express worry or reluctance about therapy, let them know it’s okay to feel that way and that they’re entirely in the driver’s seat when it comes to talking with someone. Saying something like, "It’s completely normal to feel unsure about this” or “You don’t have to talk to anyone you don’t want to talk to” can help them feel trusted and heard. Instead of saying, “I really think you need to talk to someone,” try, "I’ve been thinking about how you seem really sad/upset lately. I’m wondering if you have any ideas about how I can help.”

Use ‘we’ language: this helps your child feel that they are not the problem, which is a common internalization for young people. For instance, "We can find someone together who you might feel comfortable talking to," or “What are your thoughts on the two of us talking to someone? I know I play a major role in how you feel, and I want to make sure I’m helping you in the ways you want and need”. You want to also emphasize that therapy for young people is most effective when it’s a joint effort.

Normalize Therapy: Watch/read/listen to/discuss stories together that feature mental health challenges and positive portrayals of therapy to reinforce that therapy is a safe space where people can talk about anything on their mind. Wherever it makes sense to do so, casually point out that many people, including adults, go to therapy to understand themselves better and manage their feelings, and that ideally, every person would have a therapist to talk to about their struggles if it weren’t for stigma and lack of resources. 

Encourage Their Input: Ask your child what they think therapy might be like or what they would want to get out of it. Let them know that they have full control and involvement in their therapeutic process, and that they can start and stop at any time.

Share Stories: When appropriate, share your own experiences or those of people your child knows (without breaking confidentiality). Hearing that someone they admire has benefitted from therapy can make the idea more relatable and less intimidating.

Listen Actively: It’s crucial to respect your child’s autonomy in this conversation, and you can illustrate this respect by paying deep attention to what your child is saying without interrupting. Show them that you deeply empathize with them by nodding and repeating back what you’ve heard. 

Avoid Assumptions: Instead of assuming you know what’s best, ask your child what they think they might need. If they say they don’t know, consider that they may really not know or that they may not be ready to talk about it with you yet. It’s important to understand and respect that your child might need time to warm up to the idea of therapy. They may not be ready to talk right away, and that’s okay. Keep the lines of communication open and revisit the conversation as needed. Take any resistance or withdrawal as a cue to back off. 

As of August 2025, I no longer accept children as individual therapy clients. Instead, I work primarily with caregivers and families.

In more than 15 years of working with children and families, I have found that the most meaningful and lasting change often begins with the adults in a child’s life. By exploring caregivers’ triggers, expectations, emotional patterns, and responses, we can better understand what is happening within the family system and create relationships in which children feel safer, more understood, and better supported.

Children may sometimes be included in family sessions when they want to participate and feel comfortable doing so. When this happens, my approach is relational, collaborative, and grounded in trust, using play, creativity, and conversation in ways that feel natural and engaging. I do not want children to participate in therapy when they are resistant or uninterested. In those situations, working directly with caregivers is more respectful and more effective.