Counselling Services
What To Expect
Located on Bay Street & Algoma
You can find me at 179 Algoma St. South. I am located in the same building as Structr Fitness (formerly the Afloat building), behind the Madhouse on Bay and Algoma. Parking is available in our parking lot alongside the building. You can find the door to my unit alongside the parking lot wall — there is a large sign that says Kaitlyn Toneguzzi Counselling and Consulting- you can’t miss it!
Once you come in, you’ll be right inside the waiting room. Feel free to take off your shoes and make yourself a coffee or tea. If my office door is closed, you can grab a seat on the couch and I will come and get you shortly.
Your First Session
In our first session, we will get a lot of the basics out of the way. We will go over confidentiality, the limits of confidentiality (legal and ethical limits of information privacy), and what to expect in our sessions. I will ask you a lot of questions about your life — who you are, what you do, questions about your family — and questions about what is bringing you in.
This can feel daunting for some people, especially if you’ve already told your story to other counsellors you have seen in the past, but it’s a very helpful part of our work together. I like to get the full picture because it gives me a lot of context clues and “puzzle pieces” to work with while we figure out how we can get you through what’s troubling you. During this process, you can also ask me some questions if you’d like.
How will I know if counselling will work?
I always tell people — as dumb as it sounds — that finding a counsellor is like finding a pair of shoes: you have to find one that’s comfortable and fits your style. Usually in the first couple of sessions you will figure out if we “click” or not. If we do, great! If we don’t, that’s okay! I can always help you find someone who better fits what you need out of counselling. It’s also okay if you don’t feel comfortable opening up right off the bat.
You don’t know me yet, so if you don’t dive in and trust me right off the hop, that’s totally okay.
The pain of change has to be worth more than the pain of staying the same.
If we are going to work together, I need you to be willing to work on the skills you need to help yourself. Eventually, my job is for you to feel confident enough to fly my nest and to know you have the capacity to help yourself. I could let you come in each week to simply vent, but I’m not in the business of keeping people stuck and sick. If you are willing to put the work in to do the skills-based work required for recovery, you will see results. I know that the work is hard because I’ve been on that side of the therapist’s office. I’ve undergone some of the treatments I do myself in my clinic (Exposure Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy). I know that these treatments are hard, but I also know that living on the hamster wheel of illness is even harder. The pain of change has to be worth more than the pain of staying the same. When people are ready to change, that’s where I’m there to give them the tools they need to do so.
What kind of counselling do you provide?
Once we figure out what’s bringing you in, we can start to plan how we want to address the problem. We can use any number of therapies I am trained in, depending on the problems you are coming in with.
This includes Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) for PTSD, Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) for PTSD and Complex PTSD, and Gottman Level 1 for couples counselling.
What is your Therapeutic Approach?
I am usually pretty upfront with my clients that if we are going to work together, you’re going to have to do some actual work. I don’t mind being a “sounding board” for problems if that is all you are looking for, but I always joke with my clients that buying a journal is probably cheaper for venting! I love helping people build skills to manage their issues independently — that way you are able to learn more about the skills and tools that best fit your needs, and you won’t need to rely on counselling long-term to manage your problems.
It’s easy to see a counsellor long-term and never really feel like you’re “getting anywhere”: I want to make sure our work together is as effective and helpful as possible. My style is usually to do a bit of venting to get a sense of what’s going on in your life, and compliment it with some evidence-based skills to address your issues. I can have a bit of a blunt approach to my work, but I have a pretty easy-going personality.
My clients tell me that they appreciate that I will give them a reality check and hold them accountable, but that I also validate them to no end.
What payments options do you provide?
Payment is due at the time of the session. I am able to take cash, credit, or e-transfer. I am not able to direct-bill yet (working on it!) so if you have private benefits, you will need to pay at the time of service and submit your receipts to your provider on your end. I do offer coverage for Veterans as a provider through Veterans Affairs, as well as for those with status through Non Insured Health Benefits (NIHB).
How can I help you?
To help you narrow down your search of finding “the one”, here are some of the things I can most certainly help you with:
- Trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Complex-Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD)
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Anxiety
- Panic
- Phobias
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Depression
- Suicidal Ideation and Self-Harm
- Addictions and Substance Use
- Grief and Loss
Have a Question?
Feel free to reach out
If you have any questions about what we can achieve together, please feel free to reach out to me and schedule an intake call. I’d love to hear from you!