About Me

I am a Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO), a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCPA), and a Training Candidate of the Canadian Institute of Psychoanalysis (QE-English).

I specialize in psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy. I have experience working with a variety of issues including trauma, anxiety, and depression. I am also skilled in crisis intervention and suicide prevention.

In my approach to therapy, I emphasize compassion, understanding, and insight. By helping clients to understand both the origin and meaning of their problems I hope to free them from the burden of the past, eliminate unnecessary suffering, and enable them to lead better and more fulfilling lives.

Services

  • Consultations

    I offer free 20 minute consultations for those who are considering working with me. These are typically virtual (phone or videoconference).

  • Psychotherapy

    I am available for in-person sessions at my office in downtown Ottawa at 356 MacLaren on Wednesday and Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons and evenings. I offer virtual sessions on most weeknights by telephone, FaceTime, or MS Teams.

  • Fees

    I offer a sliding fee scale for clients who require some financial flexibility. If you have any questions about fees or any other arrangements, it's best to contact me and set up a time to discuss.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will therapy help me?

As an analytically-oriented therapist, I work with you in therapy to clarify and understand your feelings and thoughts. In so doing, I present you with possible alternatives to the way you see yourself. You can then take this information and test it—does it make sense? Does it ring true? Is it useful? If so, you can act on it so that it changes you, helping you to resolve your issues and, over time, helping you to be more at peace with yourself and enjoy your life more fully.

Who might benefit?

Broadly speaking, psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis are the treatment approaches of choice where potential clients are not experiencing an acute mental health crisis, have a fundamental interest in getting to know themselves better, have tried other forms of therapy without success, and have complex, interpersonal difficulties that don't clearly fit into strict diagnostic categories.

How long will it take to feel better?

In general, clearly defined symptoms, especially those of recent origin, will tend to improve relatively quickly. Broader and more complex issues of long standing such as chronic depression, anxiety, and trauma tend to take longer to resolve.

Books

  • Metapsychology
    for Contemporary Psychoanalysis

    This book contains a major revision of psychoanalytic theory, replacing the outdated drive–defence model with an information processing model of mental functioning. The book argues that that the most basic human need is the need for clear thinking, and that physical drives ultimately only have significance for the mind insofar as they tend towards the one central and fundamental aim of self-knowledge.

  • Meditation:
    A Self-Study Guide

    This book is a complete, hands-on, do-it-yourself guide to meditation in both practice and theory. Unlike other books on the subject, its approach is secular, rational, and pragmatic. It borrows concepts from psychoanalysis, philosophy, and computer science to explain what meditation is and why it works. It explains meditation in such a way that absolutely everyone can benefit from it.

Contact Me

I return email and phone messages within one business day.

Contact me by email:

Contact me by phone: (613) 859-9737