How this works
HOW IT WORKS
HOW IT WORKS
You’ve probably seen psychoanalysis in movies — someone lying on a couch, staring at the ceiling, while a bearded man in a tweed jacket says “and how does that make you feel?” That’s not this.
Here’s what this actually looks like:
We meet online. Regularly.
Sessions happen over video call. You don’t need to commute, find parking, or sit in a waiting room. You need a private space, a screen, and a stable internet connection. That’s it.
We meet once or twice a week — consistency matters in this kind of work because the patterns we’re looking for don’t reveal themselves in occasional, sporadic conversations. They surface when there’s a steady, reliable space for them to emerge. A little like fishing.
The first session
I’ll ask you one question: What brings you here?
Sometimes it takes the full session to answer. Sometimes it takes five minutes — and then the real answer starts to surface underneath. Either way, my job in that first session is to listen, not to assess you against a checklist.
You don’t need a diagnosis. You don’t need to have your thoughts organized. You don’t need to “be ready.” You just need to show up and say whatever comes to your mind.
What happens after that
You talk. I listen. Not passively — I’m tracking patterns, connections, contradictions, the things that repeat across what you tell me. Sometimes I’ll reflect something back. Sometimes I’ll sit with a silence and let it do its work. There are no exercises, no worksheets, no homework between sessions.
This probably sounds strange if you’re used to goal-oriented therapy. The logic here is different: we’re not managing symptoms. We’re understanding why they exist. When you understand the engine underneath, the symptoms often lose their grip on their own. That understanding can only come from inside yourself.
How long does it take?
Honest answer: longer than short-term therapy. Months, sometimes years. That’s not a sales pitch — it’s the nature of the work. Deep patterns took a long time to form. They don’t dissolve in six sessions.
But “longer” doesn’t mean “indefinite and vague.” You’ll feel shifts. You’ll start noticing things — in how you relate to people, in what triggers you, in the stories you tell yourself. The work has texture and movement, even when it doesn’t have a neat progress chart. The experience you are looking for is: “Huh. I hadn’t thought of that before.”
What it costs
Sessions are 45 minutes. My fee is CAD 220 per session. I offer a limited number of sliding-scale spots for those who need them — ask me about it during the consultation.
I’m a Registered Counsellor with the Association of Counselling Therapy of Alberta (ACTA), which means sessions may be covered under your extended health benefits if your plan includes registered counselling. I’ll provide official receipts for every session. Coverage varies by plan — check with your provider before assuming, but many plans do cover it.
Is online as good as in-person?
For this kind of work — yes. Psychoanalytic counselling is a conversation. It doesn’t require physical presence. What it requires is consistency, honesty, and a practitioner who’s actually paying attention. The medium is secondary to the relationship.
Some people actually find online easier — you’re in your own space, which can lower defenses. And it means we can work together regardless of where you are.
How to start
Book a free 15-minute consultation. No commitment, no pressure. We’ll talk about what’s going on for you and whether this approach makes sense. If it does, we’ll schedule a first session. If it doesn’t, I’ll tell you honestly and point you somewhere that might fit better.