Connections Registry

The path that leads to seeking therapy is not an easy one. Life can be difficult. Sometimes, the reason is obvious, but other times our own behaviour is a mystery. We can face depression, anxiety, difficulties in relationships, lack of self-esteem, or face traumatic events. At times, individual help is required and other times it is help with our relationships that is needed. Couples’ relationships are the central focus of my professional life. I had the honour to be invited inside the lives of several couples throughout the years. I have witnessed the anguish of broken relationships, the hard work necessary to repair them, and the immense satisfaction in the process of healing a relationship. My goal is to reach both men and women of all ages, in any kind of relationship (newly committed, long-standing, same-sex or straight, very satisfied or very dissatisfied) and help build the relationship to become as happy and secure as possible. For over 10 years, I have had the privilege of experiencing my clients healing, growing, and finding meaning in their relationships or their personal lives. These are my areas of expertise and I look forward to the pleasure of helping you with your relationship and accompanying you on this great journey. I also can provide therapeutic services in French or English.

In individual therapy, I see clients who have all sorts of struggles. It could be depression, anxiety, self-esteem issues, trauma related problems (physical, sexual, mental, or sexual). My specialized area of practice is post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), combat stress, or operational injuries. I enjoy working with individuals who have sacrificed their life and sometimes mental health to serve and protect their fellow citizens. Knowing that experiencing trauma has an impact on relationships, and also that social support is a real antidote to the development of PTSD, I also do couples therapy with trauma survivors. I am comfortable working with a diversity of people and inclusive of all gender identities or expressions, sexual orientations, and races/ethnicities (gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity), and any kind of warriors (military, police officer, firefighters) and first responders.

In terms of couple therapy, I have experience with a variety of issues including repairing the relationship in case of infidelity or other betrayals, desire and sexual problems, adjustments to the arrival of children, difficulties managing finances, and issues with relationships with in-laws. I also work with a wide range of clinical populations including those with a medical illness (chronic pain, cancer, diabetes etc.), addiction, PTSD, and various types of trauma exposure. I have also had the pleasure of working with same-sex couples, straight couples, and couples from many ethnic cultures.

The most important part of my practice is empathy. I will unconditionally value your experience and engage myself to make you feel valued, fully accepted, and understood. I am an integrative psychologist, but my core is really experiential/humanistic. This means that my role is to fully absorb your experience by hearing, seeing, and understanding you as you are in the moment, while being aware that all behaviours or dysfunctions are ways to cope with problems when nothing else is available. I will see you as a survivor of your own existence. I am flexible to provide you the optimal context in therapy, whether you want to modify your thoughts and behaviour, or manage your emotions in a satisfying way. I can provide cognitive behavioural treatments in a humanistic perspective. The second most important thing in my practice is to follow evidence-based therapy approaches to treat specific problems. Scientists and clinicians agree that despite the therapist’s own preference, some treatments work better than others depending on the specific clinical problem. I will follow evidence-based research practices for treatments, while staying flexible. I will adapt the best treatment for you which also respects your personal goals. For couple therapy, I use emotionally focused therapy. This is an empirical and well-researched approach and is like a road map that provides an understanding of adult attachment and helps to process change in a relationship, regardless of gender, culture, sexual orientation or clinical population.

In our first encounter, we will explore your issues in your relationship and establish your goals together. I will conduct a scientific-based assessment of your struggles so you will be able to understand the nature and the reasons for your difficulties (anxiety, depression, couple dissatisfaction etc.). After exploring your current situation and the presenting problems and symptoms, I will provide you with my professional opinion that is supported by evidence-based therapy approaches and we will agree on the approximate number of sessions we will have together. My objective for our first session will be to get to know you better, connect with you by being empathetic and attuned to your problems in order to create a safe environment to explore your difficulties. My goal is also to enable trust in your own capacities through the healing process. During treatment, the priority is to decrease your distress (physical or psychological symptoms). Depending on your issues and your goals, I will use different types oof interventions (cognitive restructuring, mindfulness, exposure, activity scheduling, enactments, emotional management, experiential exploration etc.). During the treatment, I will continuously re-evaluate how you are feeling to ensure the positive evolution of your symptoms. In the last phase of therapy, we will do a consolidation of your mental state, find meaning in your experience, and work on a plan to prevent relapse.

Over the last 10 years, I have worked in various private practices, hospitals and clinics including Montfort Hospital, Center of Psychological Services at the University of Québec in Hull, Eastern Ottawa Psychological Center, Medical Sainte-Anne Clinic, Y2 Consultants Psychologist and the 555 Multi Clinic in Hull. I currently work as a psychologist at the Center for Interpersonal Relationships. In addition to my practice, I have also taught undergrad classes at the University of Québec in Hull and supervised Master’s degree students at the University of Ottawa.