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Virtual psychotherapy for adults navigating betrayal trauma, separation, divorce or have relationships with friends, family or other that have started to feel like work.
Where I focus.
Betrayal trauma
When the person who caused harm was someone you trusted or depended on. Relational, caregiver, or institutional — the dependency is what changes everything.
Read more →Divorce and separation
The end of a marriage is rarely just a legal process. There is a lot that happens in the space between deciding and done.
Read more →High-conflict divorce
When the conflict outlives the relationship. Practical tools, drawn from clinical work and several years as a law clerk in a family law practice.
Read more →Challenging relationships
Marriages, friendships, family dynamics, and patterns that keep repeating. When the relationship itself is what's making things hard.
Read more →A few sentences. See if any land.
You have spent years being the steady one, the reasonable one, the one who holds it together. Somewhere along the way you stopped noticing what it costs you.
The relationship ended, or should have. But the conflict didn't. It lives in your body, your inbox, and every exchange about the kids.
The person who caused the harm was also the person you relied on. That is not a contradiction. It is exactly what makes it so hard to move through.
You can hold a job, run a household, and show up for everyone around you. Asking for something for yourself is a different skill entirely.
Integrative, trauma-informed.
Shelby works with adults dealing with the weight of difficult relationships. That might be a marriage that has been struggling for years, a separation that keeps generating conflict, a family dynamic that has always been hard to navigate, or a long-standing pattern of putting everyone else first.
The work draws on Jennifer Freyd's research on betrayal trauma, which explains why harm from someone you depended on lands differently than other kinds of hurt. Before becoming a therapist, Shelby spent several years as a law clerk in a family law practice, which shapes how she understands what people navigating separation and family court are actually up against.
The approach is trauma-informed and integrative, drawing from ACT, DBT, somatic work, psychodynamic therapy, Gestalt, and narrative therapy. It is practical and collaborative. It goes at your pace and does not involve being told what to do.
More about how I workServices
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One-on-one sessions focused on what is actually going on, both the immediate situation and the patterns underneath it. We work on both at the same time, at a pace that makes sense for you. All sessions are virtual, delivered via secure video, and available to anyone in Ontario.
$150 | 50-60 minutes
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Psychoeducation and training for organizations on topics including betrayal trauma, high-conflict dynamics, stress management, and abuse in divorce and family court. Available to employers, legal professionals, and community organizations.
Contact for pricing
FAQs
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Book a free 15-minute consultation through the booking link. It is a low-pressure conversation to find out if this feels like the right fit. No commitment required, and no intake paperwork yet.
If you decide to move forward, you will set up an account and schedule your first full session. Before that appointment, you will receive an intake form to complete. The first session covers that paperwork, informed consent, and getting to know what has brought you in. It is a starting point, not a deep dive.
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Most extended health benefit plans cover registered psychotherapy, but coverage varies by plan. Check with your benefits provider to confirm whether Registered Psychotherapists (RPs) are covered and what your annual limit is.
Direct billing is not currently available. Sessions are paid at time of booking, and you submit claims to your insurer directly. For more detail on costs and coverage, see the cost of therapy page.
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Individual sessions are $150 for 50 to 60 minutes. This applies to all individual psychotherapy appointments.
Additional fees may apply for services outside of standard sessions, such as letters, reports, or court attendance, billed at the same hourly rate. Corporate training and consulting is priced separately. Contact for details.
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Sessions are virtual, via secure video. Each appointment is 50 to 60 minutes. In the first session, we cover the intake form together, go over how the work operates, and talk through what has brought you in.
After that, sessions follow a loose structure: a brief check-in on the week and anything from last time, the main work of the session, and a few minutes at the end to recap and note a focus for next time. Structured enough to be productive, flexible enough to follow what is actually happening for you that week.
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Yes. What you share in sessions stays between us. There are a small number of legally required exceptions that apply to all Registered Psychotherapists as mandatory reporters. These include:
• Reasonable grounds to believe a child or vulnerable person is being abused or is at risk
• A direct indication that you intend to harm yourself or someone else
• A court order requiring disclosure
In any situation where confidentiality needs to be broken, the aim is to speak with you about it first if circumstances allow.
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48 hours notice is required for any cancellation or rescheduling. If less than 48 hours notice is provided, the appointment will be billed in full.
Articles on Betrayal Trauma, Divorce, and Challenging Relationships with Family, Friends and Partners
Not sure yet? That is a perfectly good place to start.
A 15-minute consultation is a low-pressure conversation to see whether what I offer is a fit. No homework. No commitment.
Book a Free Consultation