PSYCHOTHERAPY & COUNSELLING SERVICES

Therapy for Feeling Stuck

Toronto & across Ontario • Online Sessions
Burlington • In-person Sessions

Do you find yourself feeling caught in overthinking, constantly second-guessing every decision?

Are you struggling to sleep, or facing an internal conflict that feels impossible to resolve?

What does it mean to feel stuck?

Feeling stuck can encompass a range of experiences, including overthinking, wrestling with internal conflicts, or feeling as though life’s decisions are heavy and difficult to make. Sometimes, these feelings are linked to unresolved issues from the past or to the natural stress that comes with big life changes. They may also be tied to questions around identity—wondering who you are or who you want to become.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or uncertain about how to move forward, you don’t have to face it alone.

Is it normal to feel stuck?

Absolutely. When we go through life transitions, it’s normal to experience emotional, psychological, and even physical stress as we adapt. Transitions often bring up difficult feelings—like anxiety, sadness, or confusion—as we adjust to new roles or perspectives. Overthinking, trouble sleeping, and even physical symptoms can be responses to stress, especially if past trauma adds layers to our experience.

Our ability to cope during these times depends on factors like our past experiences, available support systems, and even intergenerational resilience. It’s common to feel stuck, but with support, these transitions can also offer opportunities for growth and rediscovery.

You might benefit from therapy if:

  • You’re constantly overthinking: If your mind feels like it’s constantly racing and you’re struggling to find peace, therapy can help you understand and manage these patterns.

  • Making decisions feel impossible: Difficulty making decisions, even simple ones, can signal that support might be beneficial.

  • You’re not sleeping well: Stress and unresolved thoughts can disrupt your sleep and leave you feeling fatigued.

  • You’re going through big life changes: Major changes in work, relationships, or identity can bring up big questions and emotional stress.

  • You’re processing complex trauma: If past experiences are affecting your present thoughts, feelings, or sense of self, therapy provides a safe space to work through them.

When should I get help for feeling stuck?

How can Yellow Leaf Therapy help with feeling stuck?

I offer a compassionate and non-judgmental space to explore what’s holding you back. Using mindfulness-based, trauma-informed techniques, I help you find relief from overwhelming thoughts and emotions, and support you in moving toward a life that feels more grounded and fulfilling.

Therapy with me can support you by:

  • Learn ways to create space from anxiety when thoughts or feelings are overwhelming

  • Practice ways to notice anxiety rather than being overwhelmed by anxiety

  • Build insight about anxiety as a protective pattern of response or part of you that has helped you deal with difficult or traumatic things in the past

  • Notice and build connection with different parts of who you are

  • Work together to identify or move toward your values, goals, and hopes

  • Social Worker, Psychotherapist

    Session Location:

    Ontario, Canada - Online

    Rate for Individual Therapy:
    $160 / 50-minute session
    covered under many health benefit plans

More about our approach

  • I primarily work with mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches.

    My therapy approach is trauma-informed and grounded in an anti-oppressive framework.

    I believe that who we are is shaped by the world around us and the generations before us. This means, for example, that our strengths and difficulties can be connected to both our individual lives as well as to various larger structures and systems. I have experience supporting clients in curiously and gently noticing and reflecting on the stories that we have learned about ourselves and others, how they shape our lives, and how they may be (or may not be) supporting our well-being.

    Therapeutic modalities and frameworks that inform my approach include:

    • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

    • Trauma-informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST), which can be known as “parts work”

    • Sensorimotor Psychotherapy

    • Internal Family Systems (IFS)

    • Ego State Therapy

    • Attachment Theory

    • Feminist Therapy

    • Anti-oppressive Practice (AOP)

    • Emotion-focused Family Therapy (EFFT)

    • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

    • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

  • I have completed my Master of Social Work (MSW) and am a Registered Social Worker (RSW) with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW) [Registration Number: 843711]. This means that I am required to follow the standards and code of ethics outlined by the OCSWSSW.

    I engage in ongoing professional development and training. Some of my completed and ongoing trainings include:

    • ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy) for Perfectionism and People Pleasing [Russ Harris]

    • Level 1: Trauma-Informed Stabilization Therapy (TIST) [Janina Fisher, PhD]

    • Level 2: Trauma-Informed Stabilization Therapy (TIST) [Janina Fisher, PhD]

    • ACT for PTSD, Anxiety, Depression & Personality Disorders [Dr. DJ Moran]

    • EFFT (Emotion-Focused Family Therapy) [Dr. Adele Lafrance]

    • DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy) [Broadview Psychology]

    • CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) [Broadview Psychology]

    • Attachment and Families - Strategies for Engaging and Helping [CRTI Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute]

    • Shame and Self-loathing in the Treatment of Trauma [Janina Fisher, PhD]

    I engage in regular clinical supervision with Oona Fraser, M.A., R.P. (CRPO registration# 003448).

  • Mindfulness is popularly defined as noticing what is occurring in the present moment without judgment.

    Many Western therapies that are widely used, such as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and some forms of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) - use aspects of mindfulness.

    Mindfulness has also been an important presence in many spiritual, religious, and knowledge traditions for thousands of years. Within these spaces, mindfulness often has additional meanings that were often removed when mindfulness began to be used by Western therapies. For example, Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Buddhist Master, says that an important aspect of mindfulness is to support the insight of ‘interbeing’ – in other words, to notice the interconnection between all beings.

    I am a spiritual person (though I do not identify with a particular religion) and daily practices such as meditation help me to nourish myself so that I can be attuned and present.

    In our work, I approach mindfulness from a secular (non-religious) perspective. In our therapy sessions, we use mindfulness to, for example, notice the different parts of you and notice how these different parts are present in your moment-to-moment experience through thoughts, emotions, or sensations. Noticing with mindfulness may also support you in noticing interconnection between yourself, your experiences, and the experiences of others around you.

  • In my work, a trauma-informed approach broadly means that we move at a pace that feels comfortable for all parts of you.

    It means that you can ask questions, pause, or change your mind at any time.

    It means that we work together to notice what support feels helpful, or unhelpful to you, and to respect that understanding.

NEXT STEPS

Ready to get started?

The first step to starting therapy with us is to book a 15-minute, no-cost introductory virtual consultation. This call will briefly go over what brings you to therapy as well as any questions you have in getting started.