Feeling tension, distance or misunderstandings within your family?
You may care deeply about each other but struggle to feel heard or understood. Family therapy offers space to work through difficult conversations, strengthen communication and find a way forward together.
Family Therapy
Family relationships can be deeply meaningful, but they can also face stress, conflict, and change. Family therapy provides a supportive space to improve communication, rebuild understanding, and strengthen connection.
• Strengthen Family Communication
We help families create space for open, respectful conversations so everyone feels heard and understood.
• Navigate Conflict Together
Our therapists guide families through difficult conversations and recurring conflicts with greater clarity, empathy, and care.
• Build Healthier Relationships
Family therapy helps strengthen trust, deepen connection, and support healthier patterns within your family system.
At Inner Core Therapy, we work with families of all kinds, including nuclear, blended, adoptive, queer, and chosen families, to help you navigate challenges and move forward together in Ottawa and online across Ontario.
Do these thoughts sound familiar in your family?
Why do our conversations always turn into arguments? It feels like we keep having the same conflict over and over.
It should not be this hard to understand each other. Somewhere along the way, communication in our family started to break down.
Why does it feel like no one is really listening? I want my perspective to matter too.
We care about each other, but lately it feels like we are more distant than connected.
How did things become so tense at home? I miss when our family felt closer, and things felt easier.
At Inner Core Psychotherapy, we provide supportive spaces where families can slow down, better understand one another, and build healthier ways to communicate, work through conflict, and reconnect.
Why Choose Inner Core Psychotherapy For Family Therapy in Ottawa?
Family life can be deeply rewarding, but it can also bring tension, misunderstanding, and change. When communication breaks down, or conflict becomes hard to navigate, family members may feel frustrated, distant, or unsure how to move forward.
Family therapy offers a supportive space where each person can be heard and respected. At Inner Core Psychotherapy, we help families explore what is happening beneath the surface, improve communication, and develop healthier ways of relating to one another. Whether your family is navigating ongoing conflict, parenting challenges, life transitions, or rebuilding trust, therapy can help create a clearer path forward together.
We are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive space for families of all kinds, including queer families, blended families, adoptive families, and chosen families. Our goal is to support meaningful conversations, strengthen relationships, and help families reconnect with care and understanding.
Our compassionate, experienced therapists work alongside families to create a supportive space where everyone feels heard, understands one another better, and builds healthier, more connected relationships.
Positive Changes That Can Follow Family Therapy
Family therapy can help bring greater clarity, understanding, and connection to your home life. As families communicate more openly and better understand one another’s perspectives, it can become easier to work through challenges together and develop healthier ways of relating.
Over time, families may build stronger relationships, improve emotional awareness, and feel more supported within the household.
As your family begins to grow and reconnect, you may experience:
Frequently Asked Questions About Family Therapy
Family therapy sessions last 50 minutes and cost $220. Payment is due at your appointment. We offer direct billing whenever possible, depending on your insurance plan.
Explore our Frequently Asked Questions for more information about insurance, direct billing, payment and cancellation policies.
Many extended health insurance plans cover sessions with a Registered Psychotherapist. You may have coverage through your employer, your partner's plan, personal insurance, a college or university student health plan or another source.
Before your first appointment, ask your insurer:
-
Does my plan cover services provided by a Registered Psychotherapist?
-
How much or what percentage is reimbursed per session?
-
What is my annual coverage limit, and how much remains available?
-
When does my annual coverage reset?
-
Is direct billing available under my plan?
Knowing these details can help you plan your appointments and understand any costs you will need to pay yourself.
Explore our Frequently Asked Questions for more helpful information about appointments, insurance, policies and what to expect.
The following insurance plans and benefit programs may cover sessions with a Registered Psychotherapist:
-
Belairdirect
-
Benefit Plan Administrators
-
Beneva | SSQ
-
Canada Life PSHCP
-
Canada Life
-
Canadian Armed Forces
-
Canadian Construction Workers
-
Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance
-
CINUP
-
Coughlin & Associates Ltd.
-
Cowan
-
Desjardins
-
Empire Life
-
Equitable Life of Canada
-
First Canadian Health
-
First Nations Health Authority
-
GMS Carrier 49
-
GMS Carrier 50
-
Green Shield Canada
-
GroupHEALTH
-
GroupSource
-
Industrial Alliance
-
Interim Federal Health Program
-
Johnston Group
-
LiUNA Local 183
-
LiUNA Local 506
-
Manion
-
Manulife
-
Maximum Benefit
-
Medavie Blue Cross
-
MÉDIC Construction
-
Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB)
-
People Corporation
-
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
-
RWAM Insurance Administrators
-
Simply Benefits
-
SunLife
-
TELUS Health
-
The Co-operators
-
The Personal Insurance Company
-
Union Benefits
-
UV Insurance
-
Veterans Affairs Canada
If your insurer is on this list, it does not guarantee coverage or direct billing. Before your first appointment, confirm with your insurer whether your sessions are covered and how much they cover.
Explore our Frequently Asked Questions for helpful answers about getting started, appointments, policies and what to expect.
Our private psychotherapy services are not covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), Ontario's publicly funded health insurance program.
Depending on your eligibility, coverage may be available through the following programs and benefits:
-
Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB): Mental health counselling coverage for eligible First Nations and Inuit clients.
-
Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP): Temporary health coverage that may include mental health counselling for eligible refugees, refugee claimants and certain other groups.
-
Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC): Psychotherapy coverage for eligible Veterans through approved benefits.
-
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP): Eligible serving or former members may have coverage through their RCMP health benefits or programs administered by VAC.
Our therapists are registered providers with these programs. Each program has different rules about who qualifies, how much it pays and whether approval is needed before sessions begin. Depending on your coverage, you may need to pay part of the session fee yourself.
Please get in touch with us before your first appointment so we can discuss the program you plan to use and any arrangements needed.
Explore our Frequently Asked Questions for helpful answers about appointments, payment, policies and what to expect.
Family therapy can involve parents, adult children, siblings, extended relatives or chosen family. We welcome diverse family structures, including blended, adoptive and LGBTQIA2S+ families. You do not need to fit a particular definition of family to seek support.
Your therapist will take time to understand your relationships, values and what brings you to counselling. During your consultation, you can discuss who might participate and whether our services suit the ages and needs of the family members involved.
At Inner Core Psychotherapy, our trauma-informed approach centres on safety, choice and respect, creating space for each person's experiences without assuming what your family should look like.
Who participates depends on your family’s concerns and goals, as well as the therapist’s assessment. Some conversations may involve several family members, while others may involve a smaller group. Your therapist will discuss the arrangements with you, including consent and how confidentiality will be managed.
If someone feels hesitant, a consultation can provide an opportunity to ask questions and understand the process. Participation should be voluntary, and you can discuss what support is available if a family member chooses not to attend.
At Inner Core Psychotherapy, we work collaboratively to develop a plan that respects each person’s needs, boundaries and readiness to participate.
Relationships between parents and adult children can become strained by shifting roles, expectations, boundaries, or past experiences. Family therapy provides space to explore these concerns and understand what each person needs from the relationship now.
Your therapist can guide conversations about independence, caregiving, closeness, and unresolved hurt. Together, you can work toward clearer communication and boundaries without assuming that everyone must share the same perspective or desire the same level of contact.
At Inner Core Psychotherapy, we offer compassionate support to help family members make thoughtful choices about how they relate to one another, with respect for each person’s autonomy and well-being.
After your free consultation, if we agree that we are a good fit to work together, we will schedule your first appointment. You will receive digital intake forms and instructions on completing them. Please submit the requested forms at least one day before your session so your therapist has time to review them.
During your first session, your therapist will explain consent, confidentiality and practice policies, including how privacy is managed when working with family members. You will have space to ask questions and discuss what would help you participate comfortably.
Your therapist will begin by learning about your family's relationships, strengths, current challenges and what each person hopes will change. Together, you will identify meaningful goals. You do not need to agree on everything or resolve your difficulties in the first appointment.
At Inner Core Psychotherapy, we aim to make getting started as smooth as possible by supporting respectful conversations and helping each person feel heard and respected.
Explore our Frequently Asked Questions for helpful answers about getting started, appointments, fees, insurance and what to expect.
Family therapy focuses on understanding relationships and patterns rather than identifying one person as the problem. Your therapist will create space for different perspectives and help you explore how interactions affect each family member.
This does not mean harmful behaviour is overlooked or that everyone is equally responsible for what has happened. Your therapist will support respectful participation, discuss boundaries, and consider whether joint sessions are appropriate when safety concerns arise.
At Inner Core Psychotherapy, our trauma-informed approach prioritizes safety, dignity and accountability while helping your family work toward greater understanding and connection.