Your path forward starts here.
Attachment-focused individual therapy for teens and adults in Gravenhurst and across Ontario. Sessions available in person or virtually.
How we'll work together.
Who I work with
You may appear fine and functional in most areas of your life, yet internally feel lost, anxious, numb, overwhelmed, or unsure of yourself. Perhaps you overthink decisions, struggle to set boundaries, or find yourself repeating relationship patterns or behaviours you don't fully understand, until things seem to fall apart...again.
Even your growing self-awareness can feel like a gift and a burden. You see the patterns that keep holding you back, yet despite your best (and often exhausting) efforts to change, you end up feeling frustrated, stuck or defeated. Or maybe you can't quite explain what's wrong, but you just know what you're doing isn't working anymore. You are not broken. These patterns didn't come out of nowhere; they developed for a reason.
Together, we will slow things down and make sense of how your attachment history and nervous system responses shape the way you relate to yourself and to others. From this deeper understanding, the real change you're looking for becomes possible.
A note for the teens out there: Being a teenager is intense. (But you already know that.) Friendships can change overnight, family dynamics can feel complicated, and you may be figuring out love and relationships while who you are and what comes next after high school. All of this happens alongside constant weight of pressure and expectations from others and from yourself. It's normal to feel lost, confused, or overwhelmed a lot of the time. Therapy can be a space where you're truly heard and understood. You don't have to perform or pretend you're okay. We'll make sense of what's happening together, at your pace, without judgment.
What we'll do
Rather than just managing symptoms, we'll explore the protective patterns and parts of you that are currently shaping your life. From a foundation of safety and genuine understanding, we can begin building more secure, grounded ways of responding and relating to yourself, to others, and to the challenges you face.
My approach is rooted in attachment theory and integrates:
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Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
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Internal Family Systems (IFS)
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Somatic and polyvagal-informed work
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ACT and DBT when helpful
I tend to work well with clients who come in with:
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trauma and unresolved emotional experiences
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questions around identity, relationships or life direction
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self-defeating attachment and relationship patterns
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anxiety and nervous system dysregulation
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stress and burnout
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grief and loss
About me.
I'm a Psychotherapist and Registered Social Worker (MSW) with over 15 years of experience supporting teens (13+) and adults through emotional and relational challenges. I work with thoughtful, self-aware individuals who are curious about themselves and motivated to grow, but feel stuck in patterns that no longer fit.
I believe that at any given moment, we're all simply doing the best we can with the tools we have. At times, the tools that once helped us cope begin to hold us back. They may no longer fit the lives we're living or who we've become. Therapy isn't about fixing you (remember - you're not broken), but about understanding how your patterns developed, what they've offered you along the way, and how to create the safety needed to respond in new, more flexible ways. From that place, change feels natural and real, rather than like a temporary fix.
My approach is collaborative, honest, and grounded. I focus on creating a space where you feel deeply understood as you are, not judged or rushed. Together, we'll explore what's been keeping you stuck, strengthen your capacity to regulate and respond differently, and support more secure and fulfilling relationships with others and with yourself. If you're curious, ready to understand yourself in a new way, and wanting meaningful change, I'd be glad to work with you.
Our meeting space.
Second Story Counselling & Psychotherapy
170 Muskoka Road North, Gravenhurst
