Accepting new in-person and virtual clients.
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SELF-WORTH, IDENTITY & LIFE TRANSITIONS THERAPY IN LONDON, ONTARIO
Self-Worth, Identity & Life Transitions
Not every reason for coming to therapy is a crisis. Some people arrive because something has ended, or changed, or because a way of being that once worked has stopped fitting. You do not need a diagnosis or a disaster to justify taking up the hour.
Not sure what kind of support you need? We’ll help you find the right place to start.
It is possible to lose track of who you are.
Perfectionism, people pleasing and a harsh inner voice often become so familiar that they stop registering as problems. They simply feel like your personality. It is easy to reach a point where you can describe exactly what everyone else needs from you and struggle to say what you want.
We support several areas of self-worth, identity and life transitions, and we want you to know: you are allowed to take up space here.
Self-Worth
Low self-worth is rarely a belief you can argue yourself out of, because it usually arrived early and has had years of evidence gathered in its favour. It shows up as apologising reflexively, discounting good things as luck, or assuming you are one mistake from being found out. We work with where it started rather than trying to talk you into feeling differently.
Both usually began as something sensible: keeping the peace, getting it right, being easy to have around. The cost shows up later, in resentment you are not allowed to voice and standards nobody else set. Being good at this is often why nobody has noticed you are struggling.
Identity
Questions about meaning, purpose and who you are underneath your roles tend to arrive at inconvenient times, often when things look fine from outside. Bringing them to therapy does not require having a crisis first, and you will not be steered toward a particular answer.
Some difficulties are shaped by what women are expected to absorb, manage and apologise for: caregiving that goes unnamed, anger that is not permitted, and bodies and life stages that get treated as inconveniences. We take those as real conditions of a life, not as oversensitivity.
Life Transitions
Change unsettles more than the practical arrangements. A move, a career shift, a separation, an empty house, a retirement, a diagnosis: each one quietly rearranges who you have been. The hardest part is often not the change itself but the version of yourself that no longer applies afterward.
Neurodivergence & Mental Health
Many adults arrive after years of assuming they were disorganised, careless or not trying hard enough. Coaching is practical and focused on how you actually work rather than on how you were told you should. It can run alongside therapy or on its own.
A personality disorder diagnosis often arrives with a lot of stigma attached and very little explanation. These patterns usually formed as adaptations that made sense at the time. We treat them as something to understand and work with, not as a verdict on who you are.
Support for Adolescents
Adolescence involves working out who you are while everything else is also changing, and much of that work happens where parents cannot see it. Sessions give a teenager somewhere that is theirs, with someone outside the family who
is not trying to fix them.
If you are looking on behalf of a teenager, you are welcome to call and talk it through with us first.
Your doubt is welcome here.
Your questions are welcome here.
You are welcome here.
If any of this sounds like what you're carrying,
a free 15-minute consultation call is a low-pressure place to begin.
Areas Related to Self-Worth & Identity
This overlaps with other things people come to us for, like religious trauma (where identity and belief are tangled together), grief (where a loss has changed who you are as well as what you have), or anxiety. Therapy isn't about perfect categories or starting points. We can simply meet you where you are, when you're ready.
How We Work: In-Person & Virtual Grief Counselling
In Person
We see clients in person at 130 Thompson Road in London, Ontario, inside the Thompson Medical Center (TMC+) with plenty of free parking available. Many couples prefer to attend together in person.
Virtually
Virtual sessions are available across Ontario, which can help when partners are in different places or when scheduling around children is a barrier. You can read more about virtual therapy across Ontario if you'd like.
Approach
This work is usually less about fixing a defined problem than about understanding a pattern and deciding what you want instead. Your therapist will not hand you conclusions about who you should be.
Naming what's wrong is hard. You don't have to do it alone or get it right on the first try. Let's start with a conversation, and we'll help you find the right place to start.
If you don't see your exact situation here, please reach out anyway. Chances are, we can help.
THERAPISTS IN LONDON, ONTARIO | IN-PERSON & VIRTUAL
Meet Our Therapists
Each of the therapists below supports clients through self-Worth, identity & life transitions
Registered Psychotherapist, Certified Grief Counsellor, Clinic Director
Gabrielle specializes in people pleasing and perfectionism, existential and identity issues, religious trauma and grief.
Virtual sessions only
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), Adolescent Specialist
Karissa specializes in adolescent issues, identity, people pleasing, life transitions, depression and stress.
In-person and virtual sessions
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), Neuropsychology for Counselling Certificate
Sandra specializes in couples therapy, supporting family members with addiction, anxiety, depression, and personality disorders.
In-person and virtual sessions
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), Grief Counsellor
Brenda specializes in couples and family therapy, anger management, anxiety, grief, and difficult life transitions.
In-person and virtual sessions
Not sure who might be a good fit for you?
We're here to help. Please reach out to us, and we'll help connect you with a therapist whose story, style, and approach are best for you.
Common Questions
What happens in a first session?
The first session is mostly you talking and your therapist listening. You can expect to be asked what brought you in and what you would like to address. There is nothing you need to prepare, and you always set the pace.
Is therapy useful if nothing is really "wrong"?
Yes. Plenty of people come without a crisis, because something has shifted or because a way of coping has stopped working. You do not need to justify the hour by being in enough difficulty.
What are people pleasing and perfectionism in therapy?
They are patterns, usually learned early, where safety came from keeping others comfortable or from getting things exactly right. In therapy we look at where they came from, what they are costing now, and what you would like instead.
Do you work with teenagers?
Yes. Karissa Paterson is our adolescent specialist. Parents are welcome to call and talk it through first if you are unsure whether it is the right fit.
How is ADHD coaching different from therapy?
Coaching is practical and forward-looking, focused on systems, strategies and how you actually work day to day. Therapy goes into the emotional history underneath. Many people do both, and they can run alongside each other.
How long does it take?
It varies, and often greatly, depending on the person. Some people come for a focused stretch around a specific transition, while others stay longer. You and your therapist will review your goals and progress together.
Do you offer virtual therapy across Ontario?
Yes, we offer secure video sessions anywhere in Ontario, as well as in person at our London office.
What do I do if I'm not sure where to start?
That is completely normal. We invite you to call or text (226) 224-0301, and we will help you find the best way to begin.
Contact
We would love to hear from you.
Please reach out to us in whichever way feels most comfortable to you and we will get back to you within 1-2 business days at most.
130 Thompson Road, London, ON
226-224-0301 (call or text)