Individual therapy in Ottawa and online across Ontario

What individual therapy can make room for

Individual therapy is a one-to-one conversation about your experiences, concerns and what you would like to work on. There is room for a current difficulty as well as questions that have followed you for some time. We can look at the way you respond to situations, what those responses mean to you, and whether they leave room for your needs now.

Sometimes the starting point is practical: a conversation you are avoiding, a decision you cannot settle on, or the difficulty of saying that you need help. Other times, you may want to understand why something affects you so strongly. You don’t need to arrive with a clear explanation of how everything fits together.

Concerns we can explore together

Attachment and relationship patterns

Relationships can bring questions about closeness, trust and how much room there is for your own needs. You might find yourself agreeing to things you don’t want, holding back during conflict, or feeling uncertain about where you stand with someone.

In individual therapy, we can explore your experience of relationships with partners, family, friends or colleagues. For example, we might look at what you wanted to say in a recent conversation, what made it difficult to say it, and what happened afterward. Your own feelings and choices can be a focus even when the other person is not participating in therapy.

If you are looking for sessions together as a couple, learn about our referral to Masood at Ripple Effect.

Read more about therapy for attachment and relationship patterns.

Self-worth, self-criticism, guilt and shame

You may understand that a mistake is ordinary and still spend days questioning what it says about you. Praise may be difficult to accept, while criticism stays with you. Or you might feel guilty about taking time for yourself even when you are exhausted.

We can pay attention to the standards you hold yourself to and how you respond when you cannot meet them. This can include considering the difference between taking responsibility for something and treating it as a judgment of your whole self. There is also room to explore what makes kindness toward yourself feel uncomfortable or undeserved.

Explore therapy for self-worth and self-criticism.

Anxiety, stress and life transitions

Anxiety may show up around decisions, uncertainty or the possibility of disappointing someone. Work stress and burnout can make it difficult to know which expectations are manageable and which have become too much. Changes in relationships, work or identity may bring questions about what you want and what others expect of you. Read more about therapy for life transitions and identity.

We can begin with the situations that are taking up the most space in your life. Anxiety and stress can be shaped by more than one part of your experience. We’ll take time to understand yours rather than assume where they come from.

Learn more about therapy for anxiety and stress.

Trauma and difficult earlier experiences

Earlier experiences may be relevant to what brings you to therapy. We can discuss whether and how you would like to approach them, alongside what is happening in your life now. You can say when a topic feels difficult to discuss or when you would prefer to stay with a present concern.

How we approach the work

Maiah takes an integrative, trauma-informed approach. Her work draws on an attachment lens, Internal Family Systems (IFS), mindfulness and somatic practices. These approaches offer different ways to explore an experience. We’ll discuss what seems relevant to your concerns and preferences rather than expect you to choose a method before we have met.

An attachment lens

An attachment lens brings attention to how you experience connection, support and uncertainty in relationships. We may explore what you expect when you ask for help, how you respond to distance or disagreement, and which experiences have shaped those expectations.

The aim is to understand the circumstances around a pattern. A response that makes sense in one relationship may feel restrictive in another. Your experience with a particular person also matters; we won’t assume every relationship follows the same pattern or reduce you to an attachment label.

Internal Family Systems and conflicting feelings

Internal Family Systems, often called parts work, offers language for different feelings or responses that can exist at the same time. You might want to set a boundary and also worry about hurting someone. You may want support while another response urges you to handle everything yourself.

We can explore these competing concerns without rushing to decide that one is right and another should disappear. This might involve noticing what each response is concerned about and how it affects a choice you are facing. We can use language that makes sense to you; you do not need to study the model before starting.

Mindfulness and somatic practices

Mindfulness can involve noticing thoughts and feelings as they arise, including the judgments that quickly follow them. Somatic practices bring attention to physical experience where it is useful to the conversation. For example, noticing that you become tense or lose track of what you wanted to say during a disagreement may give us another way to understand that moment.

Any exercise should have a reason within the work. We can discuss what it involves and whether it feels useful to you, and make adjustments when it does not fit.

What happens in sessions with Maiah

Your first session gives us time to get to know each other and discuss what has brought you to therapy. We’ll talk about your concerns, relevant background and what you hope to work on. You can bring questions about Maiah’s approach or about the therapy process itself.

As the work develops, a session might stay with one recent experience rather than cover everything that has happened that week. We might return to a difficult interaction, notice a familiar self-critical response, or consider a choice that feels complicated. Some conversations will be more reflective; others may focus on something you want to approach differently outside the session.

We can also revisit the direction of therapy. It is useful to hear when a question misses the point, when an approach feels helpful, or when your priorities have changed. The number and frequency of sessions are things to discuss with Maiah in relation to your needs and circumstances.

Maiah holds a Master of Education in Counselling Psychology from the University of Ottawa. Read about her background and approach.

In-person therapy in Ottawa or online across Ontario

In-person sessions take place at 9 Melrose Ave in Hintonburg, Ottawa. You can find the full address and a directions link on our Contact page.

Online sessions are available across Ontario. When considering online sessions, think about whether you have a private place where you can speak comfortably, as well as a reliable internet connection. For some people, avoiding travel makes appointments more manageable; others prefer having a separate place to come for therapy. You can discuss the format with Maiah during the consultation.

Both options are available for individual clients aged 16 and up.

Session fees and insurance receipts

Individual psychotherapy sessions are $200 for 50 minutes. The initial 15-minute phone consultation is complimentary.

We provide a detailed receipt that you can submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement. Coverage depends on your plan. Please confirm whether it covers services provided by a Registered Psychotherapist and whether any limits or additional requirements apply.

For brief answers about booking and appointments, visit our FAQs. If you have a question that is not answered there, you can contact us before booking.

Begin with a phone consultation

A consultation gives you an opportunity to share a little about what you are looking for and ask questions about working with Maiah. You might want to ask how she would approach a particular concern, what the first session involves, or whether the session format suits your circumstances.

We offer complimentary 15-minute phone consultations through Aligning Tides Counselling and Psychotherapy’ Jane booking page. Select New Client Consultation (Phone) – 15 Minutes.