Therapy and Intervention

I specialize in working with children, adolescents, adults, and families and provide services to those residing in the greater Halifax area. I offer a variety of interventions based on my understanding of presenting concerns and client needs. Below is a list of presenting issues for which I offer treatment services:

Please refer to the about me page to learn more about my theoretical approach to assessment and therapy.

Costs: Please be aware that MSI does not cover the costs of seeing a Psychologist. Payment must be made at the end of each session and at a rate of $140 per therapy session, which is standard for most Halifax Psychologists. If you have an extended health plan (i.e. Maritime Life, Blue Cross), my services may be fully or partially reimbursable. Although I have a sliding scale and pro bono policy for clients who do not have insurance coverage and cannot afford my regular fee, these appointment slots are very limited and are typically triaged after being wait-listed. Please contact for more information.

What to expect

Session Structure

Sessions start at your scheduled time and are billed for 60 minutes, though we meet for only 50 minutes of that hour. The remaining ten minutes is still your time; I use 5 minutes at the end of each session to write notes, including any hypotheses I might have about directions to take; I use the other 5 minutes at the beginning of each session to review notes (because it may have been 2 weeks since we saw each other) and make plans for the session. This is common practice and is the most efficient way to make use of the time that we have.

The First Session

The first session usually begins with brief introductions, followed by an initial discussion of Privacy, Confidentiality, and Consent. Although these issues are important to understand in the first session, I treat them as ongoing things to be mindful of and encourage you to ask any related questions at any time. Another important point in the first session is to determine who the 'client' is. This is easy to answer for a single adult seeking therapy, but can be challenging when children and families are involved.

The format of the first session is a little bit different than the ones to follow. Since I know very little about you, I will be asking a lot of questions, do a lot of listening, and will be taking a great deal of notes. To some, the first session can be a bit frustrating, because they may feel that they've explained so much, but have received little feedback. To others, it may be a huge relief to explain their concerns, challenges, or problems and feel heard or understood. At any rate, I make every effort to provide some sort of feedback in the first session, whether it is to an adult client, adolescent client, or the parents of a child client.

In this first session, I will also have a good idea as to whether I feel capable of helping you. The reality is that all therapists cannot be experts at every type of problem. This means that occasionally, I will need to refer you to another clinician who might specialize in treating a particular problem. Although a few clients might see this as a waste of a first session, I typically do not bill for a first session needing a referral; it is also an excellent way to get the therapist that will best meet your individual needs.

One of the most pressing questions for most clients at the end of that initial session is: how long will therapy take? Like most therapists, I will be unable to provide a firm answer. What I can tell you is that an average length of therapy is 8-12 sessions, though it could be longer or shorter depending on the presenting concern, severity, and how longstanding it is. By the end of this first session my hope is that you will feel comfortable enough to continue with a second session.

The Second Session Onward

The second meeting begins to look more like a typical therapy session, so if you were unsure about the first meeting with a therapist, you might want to wait until after the second before deciding that the client-therapist fit is not quite right.

More on my Philosophy

It is a privilege for me to do the work that I do and I continually strive to improve my skills and my ability to help those in need of it. I am passionate about the profession of psychology, though it is concerning to me that our training programs have become increasingly focused on what I would call 'symptom management,' rather than exploring root causes that might underlie surface symptoms. It seems to me that many clinicians focus on superficial and observable change by using what I would call 'gimmick' or 'band-aid' therapies. The problem with this approach is that band-aids eventually fall off. In my experience, if one focuses entirely on subduing a symptom, another often emerges in its place. For example, a person who is depressed may learn some tricks to shake themselves out of their depression, only to notice emerging symptoms of inexplicable anxiety or other issue(s).