Welcome to your space
for working through the stubborn knots that feel harder to untangle alone
Virtual Therapy Based in Ontario
I’m Stephanie, a registered social worker helping people navigate anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, life transitions and the emotional side of living with a chronic gastrointestinal GI condition. If you’re dealing with more than one thing at once (because life is messy like that), you’re in the right place.
I’ll share my story first, so you can feel comfortable sharing yours..
I’ve been working in mental health and providing psychotherapy for over five years. I’m not here to tell you what to do, I’m here to help you figure out what you actually need. Whether you’re dealing with one big thing or ten different things at once, we’ll work through it together.
A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with celiac disease. That experience taught me firsthand what it’s like when your body doesn’t cooperate and the emotional impact that comes with that. That’s part of why I also specialize in working with people who are navigating GI conditions like celiac, Crohn’s, colitis and IBS.
But whether you’re dealing with a diagnosis or just trying to figure out why life feels harder than it should, I’m here for all of it.
Here’s what I’ve noticed…
A lot of people put off therapy because they think their problems aren’t “serious enough” or they should be able to handle things on their own. Meanwhile, they’re lying awake at 3am running through the day’s conversations on repeat, feeling like they’re failing at relationships that should feel easier or living their daily life with anxiety taking up camp on their chest.
When they finally do look for help, they get overwhelmed with the long list of options and types of support. Which is completely normal.
Let me be clear about what I do: This is about real conversation with someone who takes the time to help you make sense of what you’re feeling, give you a different perspective when you’re feeling stuck and not make you feel weird about whatever you’re dealing with. Yes, including the stuff you’re embarrassed to say out loud.
We work one session at a time, at your own pace and without any pressure to have it all figured out.
I help adults young and old in Ontario to navigate anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, major life transitions - and especially the mental health side of living with chronic digestive conditions - so they can build stronger connections, feel less alone and create a version of ‘normal’ that works for them.
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If you’re feeling anxious all the time, stuck with endless spirals in your head or feeling like you’re disconnected from your life, we’ll work on understanding what’s underneath those feelings and finding simple ways to feel more grounded.
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Life is full of relationships - partners, family, friends and co-workers. If you’re feeling disconnected, misunderstood or stuck in frustrating patterns, we’ll work on figuring out what you need and how to confidently ask for it without feeling like you’re being ‘too much’.
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Transitions are hard, even when they’re good. Together, we’ll process what you’re feeling and find ways to adjust to changes in your life without getting lost in the chaos.
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If you have celiac disease, Crohn’s, colitis, IBS or another chronic digestive condition - I especially get it. We can talk about the grief of losing your ‘old normal,’ the anxiety around food and social situations, relationship strain when people don’t understand and the mental load of advocating for yourself constantly.
You don’t need to have a GI condition to work with me. And if you do have one, you don’t only have to talk about it. The specialty just means you won’t have to spend extra time explaining why cross-contamination is a big deal.
What you can expect from working with me…
No judgement. Seriously, you can tell me anything and I will be unfazed.
Real, straightforward conversation at your own pace.
Space for the whole messy picture. You don’t have to be dealing with just one clean issue. Life doesn’t work that way and therapy shouldn’t either.
Curiosity over assumptions. I’ll never pretend to know your experience better than you do.
To get a little technical, I work within these modalities:
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ACT is about learning to stop fighting your thoughts and feelings and instead figuring out how to move forward in a way that actually lines up with what matters to you. It's less about "fixing" yourself and more about building a life that feels worth showing up for.
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EFT helps you get underneath the surface of what you're feeling so you can understand your emotional patterns and express yourself more clearly, especially in the relationships that matter most. If you've ever felt like you're reacting in ways you can't quite explain, this is where we start to untangle that.
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CBT looks at the connection between how you think, how you feel and what you do - and helps you start to shift the patterns that are keeping you stuck. It's practical, collaborative and gives you tools you can actually use outside of sessions.
Therapy Process - How to get started
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Step One:
Book your free 15-minute introduction call. There’s no pressure here, the goal is to learn more about each other and make sure I’m the right fit for you.
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Step Two:
Schedule your first session. These are 50 minutes, held virtually and 100% focused on whatever matters most to you.
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Step Three:
Therapy isn’t a quick fix by any means, but we’ll take it one session at a time working through whatever you need support with.
Virtual therapy across Ontario • Flexible scheduling
Frequently Asked Therapy Questions
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While GI conditions are a specialty of mine, I work with people on anxiety, depression, relationships, life transitions and lots of other challenges. The specialty just means that if you are struggling with the psychological impact of a digestive disorder, you won’t have to explain it from scratch.
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That is completely normal. Part of my job is creating space where you can talk about the uncomfortable things, including the ‘gross’ stuff, without feeling judged. We’ll always go at whatever pace feels right for you.
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I'm a Registered Social Worker (RSW) which means I provide psychotherapy just like Clinical Psychologists and Registered Psychotherapists do. We all use similar approaches. The main difference is our training background. Social workers tend to take a holistic view of how your environment, relationships and systems impact your mental health. RSWs are most commonly covered on insurance plans, however, be sure to check with your provider ahead of time so there aren’t any surprises.
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That’s exactly why I recommend starting with a free 15-minute intro call. We’ll chat about what you’re dealing with, I’ll explain how I work and you can get a sense of whether we’re a good fit. If it’s not a good fit, that’s totally ok. Finding the right therapist matters more than finding just any therapist.