Family Therapy in Ottawa
Sometimes the problem isn't one person in the family. It's the space between everyone.
✓ Same-week ✓ Direct billing ✓ Sliding scale ✓ Licensed therapists
Book a free consultationSometimes the problem isn't one person in the family. It's the space between everyone.
✓ Same-week ✓ Direct billing ✓ Sliding scale ✓ Licensed therapists
Book a free consultationEvery clinician is registered with a regulatory college — the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO), the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW), or the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO).
We want therapy to be financially accessible for everyone. Reduced rates are available case-by-case based on need and availability.
We submit directly to most major insurers, so you don't pay out of pocket upfront.
Our office is in Ottawa. All client records are stored in Canada and handled under PIPEDA and PHIPA.
Therapy is a space to slow down and look at what's underneath. These are some of the patterns people bring into the room.
FOR WHEN SOMETHING FEELS OFF
Arguments between family members that happen repeatedly without resolution. Everyone has a different version of what's wrong. Tensions have built to the point where home doesn't feel like a place anyone wants to be.
Your child or teenager is clearly having a hard time, and the family's attempts to help haven't been working. Everyone is trying, but the dynamic has gotten stuck. Involving the whole family in the work can address things that individual therapy alone may not reach.
A divorce or separation, a remarriage and blended family, a move, a loss, a serious illness. Transitions stress family systems even when everyone handles their part individually. Family therapy can address the shared experience.
Family therapy at Auren Wellness takes a systemic view — it looks at patterns between people, not just what's happening inside any one person. A child who is acting out, a teenager who has withdrawn, a parent who is struggling — these are often part of a larger dynamic that involves everyone in the home. We draw on family systems approaches. These are intended to help families identify unhelpful patterns and develop clearer, more functional ways of relating, and to work with the emotional bonds between family members — with the aim of helping people understand what they need from each other and how to reach for it in ways that can be received. We aim not to take sides. We work for the family, which sometimes means being honest about what each person is contributing to the dynamic. That can be uncomfortable. It's also usually what moves things.
Email, phone, or fill out our booking form. There's no script and no pressure. You can share as much or as little as you want.
A real person, not a bot, will reply as soon as we can with a few options for a free 15-minute consultation.
We listen. You ask questions. No paperwork, no obligation. If we're not the right match, we'll point you toward someone who might be.
Direct billing where possible. Evening and weekend availability. Virtual or in-person in Ottawa.
Sessions are 50 minutes in length. Rates vary by therapist and are confirmed during your free consultation. We accept e-transfer and credit cards, and direct-bill most insurers.
Sliding-scale spots are available based on need. Ask during your free consultation.
Same 50-minute format, structured for two participants and shared concerns.
Registered Psychotherapist and Registered Social Worker services are covered by most extended health plans in Canada. We recommend confirming your specific coverage before your first paid session. Sun Life, Manulife, Canada Life, Green Shield, and most major insurers include coverage.
We direct-bill where your insurer allows it. Otherwise, you pay at the time of session and submit the receipt for reimbursement.
Every session generates a receipt listing the provider's license number, suitable for insurance reimbursement.
In-person sessions are held at our Ottawa office. Virtual sessions use a secure, PIPEDA-compliant video platform. You can switch between the two.
We ask for 24 hours notice on cancellations. Late cancellations and no-shows are charged the full session fee.
After the free 15-minute consultation, your first paid session is intake-focused. Bring questions, anything you have already tried, and any goals you have in mind.
Everyone's experience is different. Explore the focus that fits what you're navigating, or book a free consult and we'll help you find the right starting point.
Book a free consultationQUESTIONS
Not necessarily. Family therapy can begin with the people who are willing to attend. Sometimes one or two members join later as things progress. We'll figure out the right configuration during your consultation.
That's very common. You don't need consensus to start. Part of what family therapy does is create space for different perspectives to be heard — including disagreement about whether there's even a problem. Coming in without full buy-in from everyone is completely normal.
Yes. Family therapy in the context of parental separation typically focuses on co-parenting — how to stay functional as parents while navigating the end of the relationship, how to support children through the transition, and how to communicate in ways that protect the kids from being caught in the middle.
Individual therapy addresses what's happening inside each person. Family therapy addresses what's happening between people. For many family concerns, both are useful. But patterns that live in the space between family members — the communication cycles, the power dynamics, the emotional distance — are often easier to address when everyone is in the room together.
It varies. Many families see meaningful change in eight to fifteen sessions. Others work over a longer period. We'll give you a realistic picture of what to expect once we understand the situation. ---
Not necessarily. Family therapy is flexible — some sessions include everyone, others involve only certain members, depending on what's most useful. Your therapist will talk through who attends and when as the work unfolds.
That's common, and you don't need to agree to benefit. Family therapy works with what's happening between people rather than deciding who's right. Different views of the problem are part of what the work explores.
Sessions are 50 minutes. Rates vary by therapist and are confirmed during your free 15-minute consultation. We accept e-transfer and credit, direct-bill where your insurer allows, and hold a limited number of sliding-scale spots. Full details are on our fair-fee page.
Psychotherapy isn't covered by OHIP, but most extended health plans cover sessions with a Registered Psychotherapist or Registered Social Worker. Check whether your plan lists those services under mental health, and we'll direct-bill where your insurer allows.
It depends on what you're working through. Some families come for a handful of sessions focused on a specific issue; others stay longer. We review how things are going regularly, and you're not locked into a fixed number of sessions.
Therapy is a longer-term relationship. If you're in acute distress, please reach the services below first. They are free, confidential, and available right now.
