Individual Pay-What-You-Can Therapy

Perinatal Wellbeing Ontario is committed to offering barrier-free access to individual therapy services. Our fall 2024 students currently have immediate availability and are offering pay-what-you-can ($25, $50 or $75) virtual therapy for all people in Ontario. You can email them to book a free meet and greet phone call.

Please select the fee level that best matches your financial reality:

$25

This fee might be right for you if:

You are able to meet basic needs (e.g. food, housing, clothing, transportation), but have little-to-no expendable income for extras (e.g. entertainment, eating out, etc.).
Paying for therapy will likely involve making some sacrifices, but will not create hardship.

$50

This fee might be right for you if:

You are able to meet your household’s basic needs and have some expendable income for extras.
Paying for therapy can be added to your budget with limited sacrifices.

$75 (Full fee)

This fee might be right for you if:

You are able to meet your household’s basic needs and have expendable income for extras.
You have access to private health insurance benefits for mental health services (Note: Receipts for therapy services will be issued under the name of a registered social worker.)

$100 (Pay-it-forward)

This fee might be right for you if:

You are in a position to pay for the cost of your care and help to expand access to support for your fellow community members. (Thank you!)

*** We do not want fees to be a barrier to accessing therapy support. We have fully-funded spaces available if you are unable to pay any fees at this time. ***

PWO is grateful to Alexis J. Cunningfolk (www.wortsandcunning.com) for their thoughtful approach to using sliding scale fees as a social justice tool. Our pay-what-you-can model draws inspiration from this work.

Sydney Tricand (she/her)

Hi! My name is Sydney (she/her), and I am a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) currently completing my MA in Counselling Psychology. Having experienced the complexities of the perinatal period with my three young sons, I have a firsthand understanding of loss, birth trauma, a NICU stay, body feeding challenges, a shifting sense of identity, and the uncertainty and overwhelm that accompanies it all.

My approach to therapy is integrative, rooted in attachment and polyvagal theory, with a focus on the impact that our relationships both past and present have on us. My goal is to help you find more ease and joy in this vulnerable and intense time of life, alleviating feelings of stress, guilt, anxiety, and low mood, while encouraging a greater understanding of yourself both as an individual and as a parent.

I strive to create an authentic, warm, and collaborative space that is trauma-sensitive and inclusive, where you can feel safe to explore your thoughts and emotions. Together, we will tailor our sessions to suit your unique needs and goals, ensuring that you feel heard, understood, and nurtured. My hope is for our sessions to be a place of connection, expanded capacity, non-judgmental exploration, and hopeful healing.

I acknowledge the courage it takes to recognize when you need help and to take the step to ask for it. I am so glad you are here.

Sydney's current availability is (all times ET):

Tuesday 9:30am-4:30pm (last session starts at 3:30pm)
Friday - 9:30am-3:00pm (last session starts at 2pm)

*Evening session at 5:30pm available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays

To book a free 15-minute meet and greet, please email me at SydneyTricand@gmail.com.

Rae Jardine (she/they)

Hello! I’m Rae (she/they). I am a Social Service Work student from Confederation College.

I am a solo parent and have worked in the sexual and reproductive health and rights space for six years under several hats, including Community Organizer, Sex Educator, Doula, and Executive Director of a nonprofit.

Having had a chaotic start to parenting myself, experiences close to my heart include the impact of trauma on perinatal experiences, burnout, solo parenting, and raising multiracial/cultural children.

I strive to create counselling relationships that are based on trust and mutual respect. I value showing up human and aim to foster a radical space to connect with yourself and untangle all the good, bad, and ugly perinatal transitions offer.

Social justice, feminist, intersectional, and systemic frameworks guide my work. I pull from relational, trauma-informed, and anti-oppressive approaches, as well as the innate belief that everyone is the expert in their own experience. Together, we’ll explore and collaborate using your own strengths.

Rae's current availability is (all times ET):

Wednesday - 11am-4:30pm (last session starts at 3:30pm)

Thursday - 9:30am-4:30pm (last session starts at 3:30pm)

Friday - 9:30am-4pm (last session starts at 3pm)

If you’re interested in working with me, let’s chat to see if I’d be a good fit to support you. Contact me directly for a 15-minute meet-and-greet session at RaeJardine@proton.me.

Karin Thoms (she/her)

Karin is a mother of two who has personally navigated the challenges of Perinatal Depression and Anxiety, experiencing these difficulties with both her children and enduring a first-trimester miscarriage. These life-changing experiences inspired Karin to leave her longstanding career in Human Resources and dedicate her professional life to supporting parents during the perinatal period.

With extensive experience in peer support and client care, Karin is currently pursuing studies as a Social Service Worker. She is committed to providing compassionate, nonjudgmental, and empathetic support to those in the perinatal community. Drawing from her personal journey, Karin is passionate about advocating for parents, ensuring they have the resources and support needed during pregnancy, postpartum, and early parenthood. Her mission is to ensure that no one faces these experiences alone.

Karin's current availability is (all times ET):

Monday 9am – 1pm (last session starts at 12pm)

Friday 9am – 4pm (last session starts at 3pm)

To book a free 15-minute meet and greet, please email me at karin@kthomscounselling.com.

Jenn Wright-Maley (she/her)

Hello! I’m Jenn (she/her). I am glad you’ve found your way here to seek support. As a mother of three young kids, I’ve experienced the highs and lows of navigating pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenting. Our mental health as parents matters.

I have worked in perinatal health for more than 20 years as a doula, in public health, as a nurse, and as a midwife. Transitioning to my current role as a therapist-in-training aligns with my passion for supporting people through the major milestones of creating a family. In my 13 years working as a full-scope midwife, I have had the honour of holding space for people through life’s most beautiful and most painful moments.

Therapy embodies the two things I value most: authenticity and connection. It requires the vulnerability of engaging in an honest relationship with self and others. It is an evolving, collaborative relationship. My goal is to cultivate a space of safety, curiosity, and compassion for you to explore your struggles and needs. I am committed to providing inclusive, trauma-sensitive care that honours you, your identities and your background.

Areas of interest of mine include birth trauma, grief, parenting and relationship challenges. My style is grounded in relational and attachment-informed therapeutic approaches. It takes courage to reach out. If you’re interested in working with me, let’s chat to see if I’d be a good fit to support you. I am not currently accepting new clients.

Isis Essery (she/her)

Welcome. I'm Isis (she/her), a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) with a deep passion for supporting individuals and families through the complexities of the perinatal period - from fertility challenges and loss to pregnancy, postpartum, parenting, and beyond.

I come to this practice both as the child of a parent who struggled with their mental health and as a parent with my own struggles and journey through parenting. As a recovering perfectionist, I have a special interest in working with other new parents who are trying to do the best they can for their children while navigating anxiety, low mood, overwhelm, intrusive thoughts, disconnection and the relentless demands of the unachievable perfect parenting/mothering culture.

Coming from a background in neuroscience and art, I love finding ways to help my clients heal and grow through the integration of science, mind/body awareness and creative expression.

I am currently working with clients in Ontario and Northwest Territories and offering

pay-what-you-can therapy while I complete my master’s level practicum at Perinatal Wellbeing Ontario. I am not currently accepting new clients.

Kimberley Orton (she/her)

My name is Kimberley (she/her), I am a Master of Arts Counselling Psychology candidate and am thrilled to be doing my practicum with Perinatal Wellness Ontario. I am a parent and have been involved with birth work, sexual and reproductive health, and perinatal wellness for nearly 20 years.

With a diversity of expertise and a deep understanding of the unique emotional challenges that arise during this time, I can offer you a collaborative, trauma-aware, brave, safe, and nurturing space to explore and address concerns such anxiety, depression, fear, feelings of loss of self, relationship issues, partner experience, body image challenges, adjustment difficulties and how trauma and grief reside in the body to help make the invisible visible and empower you to centre yourself as the expert of your own, unique experience. I hold an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC and have a keen interest in storytelling and the ways we choose to share our stories as a way toward wellness.

Through evidence-based, feminist-based, relational-cultural, narrative, and person-centred counselling, I aim to help you find balance and voice during your transformative reproductive and perinatal journeys and will support you to navigate the complexities of fertility, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenthood, develop coping strategies, and enhance developing and fulfilling relationships to self, expectations, and others.

I'm not currently accepting new clients.