In-Person and Online Psychotherapy Services for Individuals, Couples and Families

Professional Reviews and Verified Client Feedback are available on Luminos and Psychology Today

“We all wish to belong.  It is through those who care deeply about us that we find love and purpose in our lives. After all, we are all imperfect beings who need one another” — Haemin Sunim

“We’re all just walking each other home” – Ram Dass

Are you feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or burnt out by stress and daily life challenges?  Have you had an unexpected crisis?  Are you struggling or feeling stuck in your relationships?  Let’s talk. I’m here to help!

I’m a Registered Psychotherapist, and I work with individuals, couples, and families – offering in-person therapy in Hamilton, and online across Ontario. I strive to work collaboratively, and to listen with empathy, and compassion so that you feel comforted, supported and understood.  Our work together often involves helping you, the client, become more aware of unhelpful patterns, to develop skills to better manage stress, resolve conflicts, communicate positively, build trust and intimacy in your relationships, work toward life goals and values, and find hope.

I am also an EMDR therapist and use EMDR to help resolve trauma or other issues that might be interfering with your relationships — to yourself and others. I am also trained to offer clinical supervision to other therapists.

I help people with a variety of issues including:

Individuals (older teens and adults)

My approach is integrative, attachment-informed, trauma-informed, and relationally-informed.  Put more simply — this means I tailor my approach to meet your specific needs.  It also means I pay attention to the space between you and the people in your life, not just what’s happening inside you (but that too!). Relationships and our histories shape us, and sometimes they can hurt us. But they can also be where deep healing and growth happen.  In our sessions, I help you better understand your patterns, communicate more openly, and build stronger, healthier connections with the people who matter most.  

My approach tends to be down-to-earth, warm, and also direct, interactive, and practical.  I have been trained in and draw from a number of evidence-based models of therapy that address current coping patterns and the root cause of our problems.  These include:

  • EMDR for trauma, PTSD, anxiety
  • IFS
  • MBCBT (Mindfulness-based-CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), and MB Self Compassion)
  • CBT to educate, and to address the current day relationship between thoughts, behaviours and actions, to shift behaviours, habits, coping strategies.
  • Grief therapy
  • Narrative and Strengths-based therapy
  • For families: EFFT or Emotionally Focused Family Therapy and Family Systems 
  • For Couples and Marriage Counselling: EFT, Gottman, RLT, Tammy Nelson’s Integrative Sex and Couples Therapy. I draw from any number of models to tailor our work toward your specific needs, experiences and goals. I bring maturity and wisdom, that comes from personal experiences, and many years of treating a wide array of issues.  

While I treat clients across Ontario and also some outside of Ontario, I understand the unique stresses associated with living here in Hamilton, Dundas, Ancaster, Burlington, Toronto, and the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area. I’ve built my practice to support people in our communities who are navigating everything from family struggles to career stress to the loneliness that can creep in even when life looks ‘fine’ from the outside.”

I offer in-person therapy near Locke Street in Hamilton. I also offer video and phone counselling, and walk and talk therapy.   Please know I may offer a small, sliding scale based on income and ability to pay where possible.

Looking for a therapist in Hamilton or an online therapist anywhere in Ontario?  Please click here to email for an initial, free, 15 minute consultation or to book a first appointment. 

Consultation: An initial consultation is a brief opportunity for both of us to explore whether my approach feels like the right fit for what you’re looking for. Consultations are NOT psychotherapy. Please remember that therapy (and even a consult/screening) is often imagined as a perfectly calm space where the therapist always knows exactly what to say. In reality, therapy is a human relationship. Therapy isn’t about perfect people giving perfect advice.  It’s about two humans trying to understand something difficult together.

Email: cortney@ontariotherapist.com (remember there is no “u” in Cortney).  You can also text 647-617-2235 though please know texting is the least secure method.  Please note that the phone is the slowest way to reach me.  Email is the fastest.  Additional profile information and peer reviews can be found on Psychology Today.

Conveniently located office:

287 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON (Near Locke and Queen Streets)

 

“No dress rehearsal.  This is our life”.

– Tragically Hip

 

* Please note that if you are experiencing a life threatening emergency or acute emotional crisis, you should call 911, COAST (for kids), or go to your nearest emergency room.