Therapy for adults

Individual therapy with Kristin Denault, Registered Social Worker. In person in Huntsville, virtually anywhere in Ontario.

Sometimes the problem is clear. A relationship has ended. Work has become difficult. Someone you love is struggling. You are grieving a loss or facing a decision you don't know how to make.

Other times, it is harder to explain.

You may be getting through your days and doing what needs to be done, but something isn't working the way it used to. You may be spending a lot of time thinking about what is happening, trying to understand other people, or figuring out what you should do next.

Therapy gives us somewhere to look at that more carefully.

One of the things I notice in my work is that people rarely arrive with one neatly contained problem.

Work may be difficult at the same time that a relationship is changing. You may be worried about a parent while trying to be present for your own children. You may be dealing with a loss while still having to go to work every morning. Something that would be manageable on its own can feel very different when it lands on top of everything else.

Sometimes part of our work is simply understanding the amount you are actually dealing with.

That matters. It changes the question from “Why am I not handling this better?” to a more useful question: “What is happening here, and what do I need?”

Many of the people I work with are very good at paying attention to other people.

They can tell me what their partner is feeling. They know what their boss is likely to do. They notice changes in their children. They anticipate reactions and think several steps ahead.

They have often spent a great deal of time trying to understand what is happening around them.

It can be much harder to answer questions about themselves.

What am I feeling?

What do I want?

What is this costing me?

What am I actually responsible for?

Those questions can become particularly difficult when you have spent a long time adapting, managing, solving problems or responding to what other people need.

Therapy can help bring some of that attention back to your own experience.

Therapy during separation, divorce, and relationship breakdown

People come to see me when something in their life needs more attention than they can give it on their own.

That includes difficulties at work, changes in important relationships, separation or betrayal, family responsibilities, grief and loss, uncertainty about what comes next, and periods when several parts of life have become difficult at the same time.

Anxiety, anger, sadness, resentment or exhaustion may be part of what brings you in. I am interested in the circumstances around those feelings too.

We may look at patterns that keep repeating. We may talk about boundaries or responsibility. We may look at what you can change, what you might be able to influence, and what is outside your control.

Sometimes the work is about making a decision. Sometimes it is about understanding why something is affecting you as much as it is. Sometimes the situation itself cannot be fixed, and we need to work out how you want to live within it.

I am an active therapist. I will listen carefully, but I won't spend the entire session silently nodding while you do all the work.

I ask questions. I tell you what I notice. I may point out a pattern or ask you to consider something from another angle. When some explanation, research or practical information would be useful, I will bring that into the conversation.

I will also challenge you at times. That doesn't mean I know what you should do. My job is to help you understand what is happening well enough that you have more room to decide what you want to do with it.

I don’t assume that every difficulty can be solved by changing the way you think about it.

Sometimes a workplace really is unhealthy. Sometimes another person’s behaviour is hurtful. Sometimes the expectations placed on you are unreasonable. And sometimes the choices available to you are constrained by very practical realities. You may need the job that is making you miserable because you also need to pay your mortgage.

I’m a social worker, and that shapes how I understand people. We live within families, workplaces, communities and larger systems. Money matters. Power matters. Gender and race can shape our experiences and the expectations placed on us. So can the institutions we depend on.

Therapy should leave room to examine those realities rather than turning every problem into an individual one.

Your own patterns and choices still matter. Part of our work may be understanding where you have room to act, what you may be able to influence, and where the limits are real.

I provide in-person psychotherapy from my office in Huntsville, Ontario.

Virtual appointments are available to adults throughout Ontario.

Sessions are 50 minutes, with longer sessions available when appropriate.

Individual psychotherapy: $145 / 50 minutes

If you are considering therapy, you can start with a free 30-minute consultation. We can talk about what is bringing you in, what you are looking for, and whether I seem like the right therapist for you.