INDIVIDUAL THERAPY
Are you feeling stuck, depressed, anxious, or alone?
• Do you feel sad or down much of the time?
• Are you struggling with self-doubt, loneliness, and low self-esteem?
• Do you feel bombarded by worry, stress, and fears about everything that might go wrong?
• Do you feel stuck in unfinished business, as though the shadows of your past are getting in the way of you being able to healthfully live your life?
• Are you struggling to connect with your partner, or maybe you find that the relationship you do have is riddled with conflict?
• Are you feeling stuck in making an important decision and moving forward on your chosen path?
• Do you wish you could develop the self-acceptance and self-compassion needed to find and express your voice?
• Do you wish you could be your best self?
Feeling stuck in your life can be a confusing, frustrating, and lonely experience. It’s possible that you have already been to therapy, but haven’t yet found relief and lasting, meaningful change. You might be engaging in a near constant stream of negative self-talk, and you don’t know how to quiet the criticisms and fears. Or, maybe you generally feel happy in your life, but have been suddenly confronted with a significant choice – whether about career, relationships, family, or something else – and you don’t know how to make a decision that fits with your values, hopes, and needs. Whether you are feeling weighed down by despair, overwhelmed with anxiety, alone in your relationships, or unsure of how to resolve a challenge, it can be hard to know what steps can lead you toward resolution, resilience, and positive change.
If You’re Struggling With Difficult Emotions and Thoughts, You Are Not Alone
Emotional struggles and stress are natural parts of being human and completely normal responses to difficult situations and challenges. Uncomfortable or painful feelings are our mind and body’s ways of letting us know that something is wrong and needs our attention. That “something” might be unfinished business, conflict in relationships, or low self-worth. Or, you might be going through a life transition, such as the loss of a job or the end of a relationship, which makes you question who you are and what you want in life. There are many different ways that we each carry our struggles and stress.
Emotions hold wisdom and guidance beyond what reasoning can offer. People often get stuck in trying to think themselves out of emotional struggle because they are not paying attention to their emotions or they do not know how to stop their difficult emotions from highjacking them. Emotions can point you in the direction of core change, but following your internal compass and really hearing your own healthy voice isn't always easy. Each of us has an inner critic and an inner catastrophizer, and sometimes those voices grow very loud, making it hard to make sense of our situations or access what we really need. We also live in a fast-paced world in which there are constant pressures to “move fast,” “move on,” and “get over it,” which makes many us feel too ashamed to ask for help. None of us want to live in pain, but too often we push our emotions down and only feel more hopeless and helpless when the pain refuses to go away. We try to do the best we can with the tools we have.
You aren’t weak if you’re struggling. Occasional rough periods are inevitable. However, if those rough periods are becoming more frequent and significantly affecting your daily life, perhaps it's time for some support from a qualified professional. A skilled therapist who specializes in depression therapy, anxiety therapy, relationship therapy, and self-esteem therapy for individuals can help you break free of the patterns that are keeping you stuck. It is truly possible to create the deep and lasting change you need to live a happy, calm, and confident life.
With Individual Counselling, You Can Feel Better and Live Your Best Life
With empathic, non-judgmental guidance and support, you can safely and effectively become more aware of what's going on inside with your thoughts and feelings, work through emotional problems, tap into your inner strengths, and resolve lingering emotional wounds. For many year, I have helped individuals heal and move forward. You, too, can feel not only strong, capable, and confident, but also compassionate, caring, and open to yourself and those around you. Together, we can get to the roots underlying your problems and create lasting change by changing the relationship you have with others and with yourself.
During individual counselling sessions, I will work collaboratively with you, sitting with you in your experience so you can truly feel seen and heard. Together, we can explore what you are going through and create a plan to achieve your goals. In the safe and trusting space of the therapeutic relationship, you can share all of your thoughts, feelings, fears, and needs without any fear of judgment. I will listen with empathy, accept you just as you are, help you work through the most stuck places, and offer effective strategies and tools to help you bring about positive changes that will enable you to live more fully and confidently. I offer an objective perspective and guidance to help you better understand how you think, feel, process stress, and navigate the world. As you develop self-compassion and shift your relationship with yourself, you can also improve your relationships with others as the strong yet open self that you hope to be.
I have a special interest in Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), a short-term, highly effective, empirically-validated approach that can help you transform your relationships with yourself and others. I have also trained in various other approaches, such as Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy and Motivational Interviewing. Drawing from my skills, experience, and these approaches, I will work in collaboration with you to create a tailored treatment plan that is uniquely yours.
It is possible for you to connect, heal, and thrive.
I Can Help You With These Common Issues
Depression
Anxiety
Loss and grief
Trauma
Unfinished business
Self-critical and self-esteem issues (e.g., perfectionism)
Emotional issues
Life transitions
Relationship difficulties (e.g., with spouse, family, in the workplace)
Pregnancy, perinatal, and postnatal issues (e.g., postpartum depression and anxiety)
Self-improvement and growth
Motivation to make a change
Stuck making an important decision
Just plain stuck
Frequently Asked Questions
How will sitting and talking bring about change?
In sessions, we will not just be sitting and chatting. Effective therapy is not a passive process and I am not a passive therapist. I believe that each of us has an innate resilience and wisdom, and I can help you clear away the blocks and barriers preventing you from accessing your strongest self. I can offer you the guidance and support you need to really hear yourself, as well as the tools that can help you heal, resolve, and grow.
Will this be a long process?
I use a highly effective, short-term therapy approach that, with your commitment and engagement, creates lasting change. As we get started, you and I will establish clear goals and direction for our work together. The goals may shift and take new forms, but we will keep your destination in mind as we work through your path to mental health and change. I will call on my training and experience with research-based models and maps to help you experience early relief from struggle as well as meet your overall goals.
I’m worried that focusing on my emotions will make me feel even worse.
Delving into emotions allows us to heal the pain from the inside so that you can genuinely move forward. When it comes to emotional pain and problems, “The only way out is through.” For immediate relief, you may need a temporary solution or strategy, but I do not see work-around solutions that put Band-Aids on problems as solutions. And, I believe that, with a willingness to engage in the therapy process, enduring core change is possible. And, I know this takes courage. When you finally deal with underlying sources of problems, you will find that symptoms of distress, anxiety, depression, and dread no longer show up in such overwhelming ways or prevent you from living the life you want. You can experience life in a new, more balanced way.
You Can Move Forward and Feel Better
I invite you to call me at (416) 931-0690 for a free 15-minute phone consultation. We can discuss any questions you have about individual counselling and my practice in Oakville, ON.