Individual Therapy

What people actually bring in

Almost nobody arrives with a tidy sentence explaining what is wrong. Most people arrive with something that has been going on long enough that they have stopped expecting it to pass on its own.

• Anxiety and worry that has moved from occasional to constant, including health anxiety and the 3am version that will not switch off
• Low mood, flatness, and the sense of going through the motions of a life that looks fine from outside
• Burnout, and the particular exhaustion that sleep does not fix
• Grief and loss, including losses other people think you should be over by now
• Trauma and experiences that still shape how you react years later
• Self-esteem, self-criticism and shame
• Big transitions: a career change, a diagnosis, a separation, an empty house, a new baby
• ADHD, and the frustration of a brain that will not do what you tell it
• Anger that arrives faster and bigger than the situation calls for
• Relationship patterns you can see clearly and still keep repeating

If what you are carrying is not on that list, that is not a reason to stay away. Lists like this are always incomplete.

You do not need a reason good enough

This is the single most common thing people apologise for in a first session: the sense that other people have it worse, that this is not a real problem, that they should be able to manage. Distress is not a competition, and there is no severity threshold you have to clear before you are allowed to ask for help.

Coming in early, while something is still manageable, is usually easier work than coming in once it has taken over. Nobody will tell you that you have wasted their time.

What a session actually involves

The first session is mostly you talking and your therapist listening and asking questions. You will not be handed a worksheet in the first ten minutes. Together you work out what is actually going on, what you want to be different, and what a realistic plan looks like. You set the pace, and no topic is off the table.

Both therapists work collaboratively and draw on a range of evidence-based approaches, including cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, solution-focused work, mindfulness-based approaches, motivational interviewing, narrative therapy and strength-based practice. Which of those appear depends entirely on what you bring, not on a fixed protocol.

• In person at Suite 304, 678 Belmont Avenue West in Kitchener. The office is on the third floor and stairs are required, so if that is a barrier, online is a straightforward alternative.
• Online anywhere in Ontario, which suits shift work, childcare, no car, or living outside the region.
• Walking sessions on the Iron Horse Trail, weather permitting. Some people talk more easily side by side than face to face.
• 50-minute and 80-minute sessions. Eighty minutes is worth considering if you tend to need a while to get going.

What confidentiality actually means

What you say in the room stays in the room, with limits that get explained at the start rather than discovered later. A therapist may have to act without your consent where there is a risk of serious harm to you or someone else, where a child needs protection, or where a court orders records released. Those limits are narrow, and they are the same for every regulated therapist in Ontario.

What it costs, and what is covered

Current rates are listed on the booking page. Sessions are 50 or 80 minutes, with a reduced rate for students, and the fee is shown before you confirm anything. See current rates.

OHIP does not cover this. Psychotherapy from a Registered Psychotherapist in private practice is not an OHIP-covered service. OHIP covers mental health care delivered by physicians, meaning your family doctor and psychiatrists, plus care inside hospital programs. A referral from your family doctor to a psychiatrist costs you nothing and is worth asking about.

Most extended health plans do. Check your plan for the words "Registered Psychotherapist" and for your annual maximum. We offer direct billing to most major providers, so where it applies you are not paying up front and waiting. If you are covered for a Registered Psychotherapist but not a Qualifying registrant, ask your insurer specifically, since plans differ on that point.

No HST. Psychotherapy and counselling therapy services became exempt from GST/HST across Canada on 20 June 2024.

If you are a victim of violent crime, Victim Services of Waterloo Region administers the Victim Quick Response Program+, which funds short-term counselling. KW Therapy is a registered provider, so if you are approved you may use it here. Approval comes from Victim Services, not from us.

How to start

1. Book a free 15-minute consultation, or email leanne@kwtherapy.ca or teodora@kwtherapy.ca. Say a little about what is going on so we can point you to the right person.
2. The consultation is a conversation, not an assessment. There is no obligation to book a session afterwards, and no follow-up if you decide not to.
3. If we are not the right fit, we will say so and point you somewhere better. That happens, and it is not a failure.

Common questions

This page describes psychotherapy services offered by KW Therapy in Kitchener, Ontario. It is general information, not clinical advice, and reading it is not a substitute for an assessment by a regulated health professional. Leanne Wiese is a Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO #15522) and Teodora Kostadinovska is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) (CRPO #19697); both can be confirmed on the CRPO public register. Page last reviewed 27 July 2026.

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