PSYCHOTHERAPY & COUNSELLING SERVICES
Therapy for Unhelpful Patterns of Behaviour
Toronto & across Ontario • Online Sessions
Burlington • In-person Sessions
Do you find yourself constantly putting others’ needs before your own, struggling to ask for help, or feeling burnt out?
These patterns—whether it’s difficulty focusing, avoiding certain situations, or holding back your true thoughts and feelings—can keep us stuck, disconnected, and exhausted.
What are patterns of behaviour?
Patterns of behavior are habits or responses that we develop, often unconsciously, to cope with difficult situations or relationships. These patterns might include things like people-pleasing, avoiding certain tasks or conversations, or always stepping into a caretaker role. While these behaviors may have helped you feel safe or valued at one time, they can also become barriers to living a balanced, fulfilling life.
If you’re struggling with any of these patterns, you’re not alone. Therapy offers a space to explore these habits, understand where they come from, and begin building new ways to respond that feel more aligned with your needs.
Is it normal to feel stuck in these patterns?
Absolutely. Many of us develop patterns in response to past experiences or as a way to navigate challenging relationships. For example, caretaking or people-pleasing might have helped you feel secure in relationships, while avoiding certain topics or not asking for help may have protected you from conflict or judgment.
However, over time, these patterns can lead to feelings of burnout, frustration, or even a sense of losing touch with your own needs. Therapy can help you break free from these cycles, offering a path toward more fulfilling relationships with yourself and others.
You are the person who gets to determine if a pattern is helpful or unhelpful in your present day life, and in the context of the type of life you want to build!
In our experience, you may find therapy helpful if you notice patterns such as:
Difficulty focusing: You often feel scattered or unable to concentrate on what’s important to you.
Avoidance: You find yourself avoiding tasks, conversations, or even people as a way to manage discomfort or fear.
Caretaking in relationships: You consistently put others’ needs first, even at your own expense, and feel responsible for their well-being.
People-pleasing: You struggle to say "no" or set boundaries, fearing conflict or disappointment from others.
Difficulty asking for help: You often feel like you need to handle everything on your own, even when you’re overwhelmed.
Holding back feelings: Sharing your thoughts or feelings feels risky, so you tend to keep them to yourself, even with people close to you.
Challenges in relationships: You experience frequent tension, misunderstandings, or difficulty connecting in your relationships.
Self-blame: You tend to take responsibility for things beyond your control and often feel at fault.
Feeling burnt out: You’re emotionally and physically drained, often feeling like you have nothing left to give.
When should I get help for unhelpful patterns and behaviours?
How can Yellow Leaf Therapy help with unhelpful patterns?
In therapy, we’ll take a compassionate look at these patterns to understand their origins and how they’ve impacted your life. Through mindfulness-based and trauma-informed approaches, I can help you explore healthier ways to relate to yourself and others.
Therapy with me can support you by:
Building awareness of unhelpful patterns: Understanding why these behaviours developed and how they’ve served you, as well as the limitations they might be creating now.
Developing healthier boundaries: Learning to say "no," ask for help, and set boundaries that feel empowering rather than draining.
Fostering self-compassion: Releasing the habit of self-blame and developing a kinder relationship with yourself.
Improving communication skills: Finding ways to share your thoughts and feelings openly without fear of conflict or judgment.
Connecting with your own needs: Reconnecting with your desires, priorities, and sense of self, so you can make choices that support your well-being.
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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
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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)
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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).
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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.
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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.