So happy you found your way here
Who I Work With
Young Adults, Adults, Older Adults
Areas of Focus
Trauma & PTSD · Anxiety, OCD & panic · Depression & mood disorders · Substance use · Relationships and attachments · Family & parenting challenges · Life transitions · Grief & loss ·ADHD & neurodivergent experiences · Emotional regulation · Spiritual & existential concerns
Inclusive Care
I welcome clients from diverse backgrounds, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and Indigenous communities, with respect for each person's identity, culture and lived experience.
How I Work
I draw on Somatic Experiencing, Internal Family Systems, Emotionally Focused Therapy and other approaches to tailor our work to your needs.
Appointment Availability
Languages Offered
Insurance & Direct Billing
Hi, I'm Mary Jane. I am so happy you landed here
A little about me:
I'm originally from Saskatchewan. When I moved to Ottawa, I learned that bunny hugs were hoodies, cabins were cottages, and raincoats were not optional. I still love the shorter winters and gorgeous fall colours.
Outside of work, you'll often find me walking, gardening or planning our next canning day. Will it be apple chutney, jelly, butter, sauce and cider, or orange marmalade? I also make cards and send them by snail mail for birthdays and special occasions. I love imagining someone finding a handwritten note in their mailbox.
My favourite meal is turkey dinner with all the fixings, though I'm also happy with a steak hot off the grill. Around the card table, I'll choose kaiser, hearts or cribbage, depending on how many people are playing. On the occasional holiday, I've splurged on a game of blackjack at the casino.
I'm happy to spend a whole day fishing, even if I don't catch anything. Give me a cottage, a campsite, a spa or time outdoors with family and friends, and I'm content. I also enjoy movies based on true stories, documentaries and learning about personal finance for pleasure. There's usually an audiobook on the go, too. And if you're wondering, Diet Coke is my vice.
I've always loved plants and science, especially research on how trauma affects the brain and body. I bring what I learn from researchers into therapy and share that knowledge openly with clients. You are the expert on your life, and I want you to feel informed and involved in your care.
Before becoming a therapist, I worked with young adults on university campuses. I met students going through difficult times and wanted to support them more deeply. That led me back to university to be educated as a psychotherapist. Helping people understand themselves, heal and build more fulfilling lives is the work I feel most called to do.
How clients experience me
Clients have shared that they feel at ease in our sessions and are surprised by how comfortable they are, even when discussing things they have kept to themselves for a long time, especially when they can speak in the language they are most comfortable with. They say, "I am not feeling so alone."
People often share that they appreciate moving at their own pace without feeling rushed or pressured. My goal is to create a space where you can be honest about what's going on, even if you're not quite sure how to put it into words yet.
Clients often say our conversations help them connect the dots between past experiences, current relationships, and the patterns that keep showing up in their lives. Together, we make sense of those patterns with curiosity and compassion, not criticism.
People have said these conversations help beyond the session. They have said they feel empowered by practical tools and new ways to respond to what they're facing, while still leaving them free to decide what feels right for them.
I aim to bring warmth, authenticity, and a little humour into the therapy room when it feels appropriate. I believe meaningful change happens when you feel safe enough to be yourself and supported enough to try something different.
The clients I work well with
I work well with people who are curious about themselves and want to understand why they think, feel, and respond the way they do. You may notice familiar difficulties in your relationships, find yourself putting everyone else's needs first, or struggle to set boundaries without feeling guilty.
You might be good at explaining what happened but have a harder time noticing or expressing how you feel. We can slow down and explore those experiences together, including what you notice in your body, without expecting you to have it all figured out.
Many are chronic people-pleasers who struggle with boundaries, self-worth, or prioritizing their own needs.
Together, we build greater self-awareness, strengthen the mind-body connection, and create healthier, more authentic ways of relating to themselves and others.
If you're ready to move forward and want to get to the root of the patterns that keep you stuck, we may be a great fit.
My Experience, Education, and Credentials
I am a Registered Psychotherapist with over 14 years of experience supporting individuals, couples and families through difficult and deeply personal experiences. Before co-founding Inner Core Psychotherapy, I spent over a decade at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH), where I worked as a psychotherapist and spiritual care practitioner. I supported people facing illness, trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, loss, relationship and family challenges, identity and spiritual concerns and major life transitions.
My ten years in hospital-based care shaped the way I work today. I bring warmth, compassion, steadiness, and respect to therapy, creating a space where clients can slow down, feel understood, and explore what is happening beneath the surface. I value the therapeutic relationship and believe meaningful change is more possible when people feel safe, accepted, and supported. I offer therapy in English and French. If spirituality is meaningful to you, we can make space for it in our work together.
Degrees & Credentials:
- Master of Arts in Counselling and Spirituality | Saint Paul University
- Graduate Diploma in Couple Counselling | Saint Paul University
- Bachelor of Science in Agriculture | University of Saskatchewan
- Registered Psychotherapist | College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario
- Certified Canadian Counsellor | Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association
- Certified Spiritual Care Practitioner | Canadian Association of Spiritual Care
- Somatic Experiencing Practitioner | Somatic Experiencing International
- Meets the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario's requirements for a clinical supervisor
- Complex Trauma Certification Training Level 1 & 2 | CCTP/CCTP-II
My education and training guide my work, but life has taught me things no textbook could. Living in different countries, working alongside people through profound challenges and navigating my own transitions have deepened the humility, curiosity and compassion I bring to each person's story.
.png)
.png)
