Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapists in Ontario
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Stacey Sanderson
Registered Psychotherapist, Registered Social Worker, Subject Matter Expert
I am Subject Matter Expert in complex, relational trauma, narcissism and high conflict divorce. If you are in a toxic relationship, I can help you navigate the process while learning the powerful boundaries and strategy you need to get to the next chapter in your life feeling confident and empowered. I will help you understand the attachment patterns that are keeping you stuck.
Sydney Tricand
Registered Psychotherapist
Are you navigating the tender seasons of family building, pregnancy, postpartum, or early parenthood? You might feel overwhelmed, unlike yourself, or wonder if you’re experiencing postpartum anxiety or depression. A tough birth, NICU stay, feeding issues, or grief may have shaken your sense of self, body, or relationships. Are you hoping to feel more seen and understood in this vulnerable time?
Masood Suliman
Registered Psychotherapist
As a Registered Psychotherapist and the founder of Ripple Effect Counselling & Psychotherapy in Hintonburg, Ottawa, I provide a safe space for healing and growth. I hold an MA in Counselling Psychology and utilize trauma-informed approaches, including Somatic Experiencing and EMDR. Together, we can work through life's challenges and create meaningful, lasting change.
Susan Merli
Registered Psychotherapist and Executive Coach
Feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or stuck in patterns that no longer work? I help professionals and individuals navigate anxiety, stress, and life or career transitions. As a Registered Psychotherapist and Executive Coach, I offer a supportive, practical space to gain insight, build resilience, and move forward with clarity and confidence.
Fanis Makrigiannis
Hypnotherapist
Mind Spirit Body Hypnosis is a virtual practice based in Oshawa, Ontario, serving clients across Ontario and the US. Founded by Fanis Makrigiannis — Certified Hypnotherapist, NLP Master Practitioner & EMDR Practitioner — offering support for anxiety, trauma, weight loss, sleep, confidence, smoking cessation, and habit change. Fully virtual. Ages 10 and up.
Karen Szabo
Registered Psychotherapist
Karen offers warm, collaborative therapy in Barrie and virtually across Ontario for individuals, couples, and families navigating relationship patterns, motherhood, trauma, life transitions, and disconnection. Her approach is human, grounded, and depth-oriented, helping clients understand what is happening beneath the surface and move forward with more self-trust.
Laura Shaw
Registered Psychotherapist
Do you have high expectations and a brain that won’t shut off? I specialize in supporting women (20s-40s) navigating anxiety, life transitions, and suspected (or confirmed) neurodivergence (ADHD or AuDHD). My approach is neuro-affirming, mind-body centered, and specifically tailored to help you stop overthinking and start living authentically. Let's build a life that actually feels like you!
Li Li
Registered Psychotherapist
Li offers relational psychoanalytic and trauma-informed somatic/EMDR/IFS/EFT therapy, to support individual, couples and families in communities such as immigrants, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent (ADHD), and professionals, whose experiences resonate with her own life journey the most. She holds a compassionate, culturally attuned space where clients can express freely and rediscover their authentic self.
Megan Gauthier
Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist
*Accepting new client in-person in Guelph and virtually across Ontario* Therapy for people who struggle with self-doubt, overthinking, and repeating painful relationship patterns.
Katharine De Santos
Registered Psychotherapist
Healthy Minds Psychotherapy was founded in 2018 with the mission of providing psychotherapeutic care to individuals from diverse backgrounds, fostering resilience in each person and our community as a whole.
Catherine Sullivan
MSW, RSW
Trauma and EMDR therapy in the West End of Ottawa.
Feel Your Way Therapy
Registered Psychotherapist
Feel Your Way Therapy is a Toronto-based psychotherapy clinic offering individual, couples, child, and family therapy. Our diverse team of therapists provides support for anxiety, trauma, ADHD, depression, stress, and relationship issues, using evidence-based approaches in a compassionate and client-centered way.
Michael Peddle
Registered Psychotherapist (RP), Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC), Certified IFS Therapist
Since 2011, I’ve supported clients through trauma and attachment wounds using IFS as my core approach. I integrate EMDR, SFBT, and evidence-based techniques to help people heal burdens, strengthen inner safety, and reconnect with their most grounded, empowered selves.
Mohamad Shabib
Canadian Certified Counsellor
Mohamad Shabib is a trauma-informed counsellor specializing in PTSD, addiction, and complex trauma. He integrates CBT, EMDR, and evidence-based approaches with a culturally responsive lens shaped by refugee and public health experience. He supports vulnerable populations, including refugees and first responders, in healing, resilience, and recovery.
Serena Welsh
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
Hi, I'm Serena! I'm a Masters-level therapist in Ottawa working with teens, adults, and couples. I specialize in relationship concerns, emotion regulation, trauma, BPD, and Bipolar Disorder. My approach is warm, flexible, and judgment-free. Reach out for a free, 15-minute consult to see if we could be a good fit.
Now + Next Psychotherapy & Neurofeedback
Registered Psychotherapist
Now + Next is a psychotherapy and neurofeedback clinic in Downtown Toronto offering personalized, neuroscience-informed care. We integrate evidence-based therapy, neurofeedback brain training, and practical strategies to help you better understand yourself, improve emotional well-being, and create lasting change. In person in Toronto and virtually across Ontario.
Heather Andrew
Registered Clinical Social Worker MSW RCSW
Heather Andrew is the founder of Aspen Wellness Centre. Heather has been a Mental Health Therapist for over eight years, supporting clients with a variety of needs including complex trauma, ADHD, PTSD, grief, anxiety, depression, family conflict and more. Heather is passionate about providing trauma informed care to her clients and is a fierce advocate for mental health awareness.
Laila Crawford
Registered Psychotherapist
I am a warm, friendly and non-judgemental therapist who believes in moving with you rather than trying to move you. I practice from an Existential therapy lens, and utilise ACT, CBT, EMDR for trauma, and EFT for couples therapy. I help clients with any and all presenting concerns - often seeing folks with AuDHD, anxiety, addictions, intimacy issues, trauma, couples, and career/life transitions.
Joey Mercer
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
I support adults and young adults healing from addiction, social anxiety, and depression, and guide trauma recovery through an EMDR-informed lens. As a non-Indigenous person working with Indigenous clients, I strive to honour a Two-Eyed Seeing perspective and practice with cultural humility. Recovery doesn't happen to you, it happens because of you. I'll be there beside you.
Aurora Village Therapy & Wellness Centre
Registered Psychotherapist
Aurora Village Therapy & Wellness Centre offers a welcoming space in Aurora dedicated to healing mind, body, and spirit. Our team of skilled psychotherapists and wellness practitioners provides evidence-based therapy and holistic care. We support individuals, couples, and families in building resilience, balance, and deeper connection.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
What is EMDR therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured, evidence-based therapy developed to treat trauma and PTSD. It works by having you recall distressing memories while following a therapist's guided bilateral stimulation — typically side-to-side eye movements, though taps or sounds may also be used. This process is thought to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they lose their emotional intensity and become integrated as ordinary past events rather than intrusive, present-tense experiences.
What conditions does EMDR treat?
EMDR has the strongest evidence base for PTSD and trauma — it is recognized by Health Canada, the World Health Organization, and the Canadian Psychological Association as an effective trauma treatment. Research also supports its use for anxiety disorders, phobias, panic disorder, depression, OCD, grief, and chronic pain with trauma components. Therapists trained in EMDR increasingly use it for a broad range of concerns beyond classic PTSD.
Do I have to talk about my trauma in detail during EMDR?
One of the significant advantages of EMDR is that it does not require you to describe traumatic events in detail. You hold the memory in mind while engaging in bilateral stimulation — you do not need to narrate it to your therapist. This makes EMDR accessible for people who find it difficult or distressing to talk about what happened, while still allowing effective processing of the traumatic material.
How many EMDR sessions are typically needed?
The number of sessions depends on the number and nature of the traumatic memories being addressed. A single-incident trauma (such as a car accident or assault) may be substantially resolved in 3–12 sessions. Complex or developmental trauma — involving multiple events over a long period — typically requires more sessions, often as part of a phased treatment plan that first builds stability and coping skills. Your therapist will assess your situation and discuss realistic timelines with you.
How is EMDR different from talk therapy?
Unlike traditional talk therapy — which focuses primarily on verbal discussion of thoughts, feelings, and experiences — EMDR works through structured bilateral stimulation to process memories stored in the nervous system. It is more body-oriented and does not rely on insight or verbal articulation as its primary mechanism of change. Many therapists integrate EMDR with talk-based approaches, using conversation for stabilization and context while using EMDR protocols for direct trauma processing.
