Couples Therapy

Eligibility and Fees

My fee for couples is $185 per 50-minute session, or $210 for a 70-minute session (tax-exempt). Most couples find that longer sessions allow them to explore issues more deeply.

I offer sessions in-person near downtown and in the West End (Carlington) of Ottawa, and virtually to couples located anywhere in Ontario.

As a Registered Social Worker, my fees are covered by many extended health plans. At the end of each session, I will provide you with a receipt that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement, if applicable.

Please get in touch with me via the contact page to get started.

Issues

Although no two relationships are alike, all committed couples will experience stressors that will test their willingness, intimacy, and trust.

I can help with:

frequent arguing that comes up around daily-life stressors, such as finances, in-law dynamics, and division of childcare or housework.
repair after infidelity or betrayal when a couple feels hopeless that they can recover their sense of stability after one partner's secret comes to light.
problematic patterns of communication. You might feel like the harder you try to hammer out the issue (or pretend it doesn't exist), the worse your interactions feel.
improving closeness and relationship health when, after years of teamwork, perhaps one or both of you feel like something is missing, or are asking yourself, "Where are we going? Is this all there is?"

Approach

I primarily draw from Emotionally Focused Couple's Therapy (EFT, or EFCT), and I am in the process of becoming a Certified EFT Therapist.

EFT is an empirically validated relationship counselling framework that uses a non-blaming, non-pathologizing approach to help couples to understand and change the negative patterns that keep them stuck.

Good candidates for EFCT are couples who are motivated to change, and who are willing to take risks to be vulnerable with each other. The name of the most popular introduction to EFT is called "Hold Me Tight", and neatly evokes the spirit of this type of work.

What to Expect

My couple's work is intended to be shorter term, with most couples seeing improved connection in 8-20 sessions, but this can vary depending on the complexity of your concerns.

Exclusions

I do not support the practice of providing couples counselling where there is recent or ongoing intimate partner violence.

If you are experiencing violence or fear in your relationship and don't know where to start, you may find the list of resources on the Ontario government website helpful.