Meet Kris, MSW RSW, Addiction Therapist & Couples Counsellor in Ottawa West & owner of Connect to Calm Therapy.
Kris (she/they) works with women & members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, ages 14 to 64, for individual therapy. Kris also offers therapy to partners of all genders/orientations (polycules welcome!).
Kris can support you with most mental health concerns & has added experience with concerns like addiction, past trauma (childhood abuse, sexual assault), queer relationships, gender identity, & polyamoury / non-monogamy.
In-person therapy available afternoons & evenings!
Accepting new clients? Waitlist (please e-mail for specific time frame)
Reduced fees? Yes! $75-$150 per individual session
Addiction
Reducing alcohol use
Substance use
Sobriety Plan
Managing problematic behaviours like shopping, gambling, video games, etc.
2SLGBTQ+
Gender
Sexuality / Sexual orientation
Polyamory / non-monogamy
Sexual Violence
Sexual assault
Childhood sexual abuse
PTSD & past trauma
Intimate partner violence
Education: B.A. honours Psychology, B.A. Women’s Studies. Thesis topic: Women & sexual pain. Master of Social Work (MSW) from Carleton University with courses from St. Paul University MA Counselling & Spirituality.
Primary therapy styles: Feminist therapy, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Trauma-Focused ACT, Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Emotionally-Focused individual Therapy (EFiT), & Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
Memberships/Registration: registered social worker (RSW) with the Ontario College of Social Workers & Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW), member of the Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW), member of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS).
Click here to view some of the training & reading Kris has been engaged in in addition to their university education.
Anxiety
Managing anxiety
Distress tolerance
Emotion regulation
Family
Conflict with family members or others
Parenting concerns
Couples sessions
Relationships
Assertiveness
Setting boundaries
Managing “people pleasing” behaviour
Availability
September 2024
Mondays 1-9pm (in-person)
Tuesdays 1-4pm (virtual)
Wednesdays 1-9pm (in-person)
Thursdays 1-4pm (virtual)
Fridays 1-9pm (in-person)
In-person Office
I offer in-person sessions (Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays) in Ottawa West.
This location is accessible from Nepean, Kanata, Riverside South, Bells Corners, Merivale, & Baseline. Only 5 minutes away from the Carling exit of the 417 highway, it is also easily reached by other areas like Barrhaven, Manotick, the Ottawa valley, & beyond. It is close to a major bus route.
There are many benefits of in-person therapy:
- more immersive experience
- therapist & client are able to read each other’s non-verbal cues
- not limited by technology “lags” which can affect the flow of conversation
- we are able to be fully present with each other without distractions around us
- neither client nor therapist are distracted by their mirrored view of self
- therapist can notice important details about you that give them a more complete picture of your life story
In-person therapy can be especially helpful for Couples Counselling using the Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) model, during which partners are asked to turn to each other, to notice their partner’s emotions & subtle cures, & to respond to each other’s evoked empathy.
For more information on the benefits of in-person therapy, check out this article: “The 3 Essential Benefits of In-Person vs. Online Therapy”
About the therapy office space:
- A warm environment with lots of soothing features
- Hot beverage station with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, etc.
- Comfortable sofas with pillows & blankets
- Adjoining powder room
Sorry, the space is only accessible via 1 flight of stairs.
Although there is no waiting room, there is a designated parking spot & appointments are staggered by 15-25 minutes.
