Trauma-Informed Therapy in Ottawa
Therapy in Ottawa that centres your safety, pace, and control. In person and online.
✓ Same-week ✓ Direct billing ✓ Sliding scale ✓ Licensed therapists
Book a free consultationTherapy in Ottawa that centres your safety, pace, and control. In person and online.
✓ Same-week ✓ Direct billing ✓ Sliding scale ✓ Licensed therapists
Book a free consultationEvery clinician is registered with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) or the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW).
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
Therapy that moved too fast. A therapist who didn't seem to understand the impact of what you were describing. Feeling re-traumatized rather than helped. These experiences are real, and they shape whether you're willing to try again. A trauma-informed approach takes this seriously from the first session.
Trauma often involves having had control taken away. In trauma-informed therapy, you are never pushed toward material you're not ready for. The pace is yours. "I'm not ready to talk about that" is always an acceptable answer.
Trauma-informed therapy is not only for people with PTSD or major traumatic events in their history. It's for anyone whose past experiences — big or small by any external measure — are still affecting how they feel, how they relate to people, or how they move through the world.
Trauma-informed care is built on several core principles that shape everything from how sessions are structured to how a therapist responds when something difficult comes up.Safety is the first priority. Before any therapeutic work can happen, there needs to be a sense that the relationship and the space are safe — that your therapist is not going to overwhelm you, judge you, or push you toward things you're not ready for. This is built over time through consistency, honesty, and appropriate limits.Trust and transparency matter in a particular way. A trauma-informed therapist explains what they're doing and why, checks in regularly about how the work is landing, and treats you as the authority on your own experience. Your perceptions are taken seriously, not questioned or minimized.Choice and control are built into how sessions work. You choose what you talk about, how fast you go, whether you want to take a different direction. The power differential in therapy is acknowledged rather than ignored.Cultural humility and responsiveness are part of the approach. Trauma occurs in social contexts — contexts shaped by race, gender, identity, immigration status, disability, and other dimensions of experience. A trauma-informed therapist understands this and doesn't approach clients as though trauma exists in a vacuum.For clients whose symptoms include post-traumatic stress specifically, see our page on PTSD therapy in Ottawa.
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.
QUESTIONS
Trauma-informed therapy is an approach that assumes trauma may be present and centres safety, choice, and your pace in everything we do. It shapes how care is delivered, so the process itself doesn't re-create feelings of powerlessness.
It prioritizes physical and emotional safety, transparency, and collaboration, letting you stay in control of what you share and when. This foundation makes it possible to work on difficult material without becoming overwhelmed.
Trauma therapy directly treats trauma; trauma-informed therapy is a way of practising, centred on safety and your pace, that applies to any therapeutic work. At Auren, both inform how we work.
Widely cited principles include safety, trustworthiness and transparency, choice, collaboration, and empowerment, with sensitivity to culture and identity. In practice, this means you stay in control of the process.
It benefits anyone, whether or not you identify a specific trauma, because it makes therapy safer and more collaborative. It's especially valuable if past experiences make vulnerability feel risky.
By prioritizing safety and trust, a trauma-informed approach helps people engage more fully and reduces the risk of feeling re-traumatized in therapy. It's considered best practice across mental health care.
Look for someone who explains the process, moves at your pace, respects your choices, and never pressures you to disclose more than you're ready to. Our free consult lets you sense whether that feels true before committing.
No. A core part of trauma-informed care is that you control what you share and when. We can do meaningful work without a detailed account of what happened.
It's less a single technique than a stance, often paired with grounding and regulation skills, somatic work, EMDR, and attachment-based approaches, all delivered with safety and choice in mind.
OHIP generally doesn't cover psychotherapy with RPs or RSWs, but many extended health plans do. Check your plan for RP or RSW coverage. Auren direct-bills many insurers and provides receipts.
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.
