BUT PLEAST CALL ME GERRI (pronounced “Gary”…. sorry this is confusing! I blame the Bulgarian-English translators when we were emigrating!) Anywhoo…

I like to think of us as mountain climbers. We are all climbing our own mountain, and we are all at different points along the journey. Sometimes it helps to have someone on the mountain next to you - who can see you climbing - who can help you find the next foothold, listen to the story of your journey, and help you find the strength to continue.

That’s where I come in!

The journey to pregnancy, labour/delivery, and the postpartum period all come with unique challenges and can be difficult to navigate. As a mother of two young children (after a 5-year fertility journey), I understand how difficult it can be to feel and think things that scare you, or to have your core identity shift so drastically in an instant.

Let me help you find the next foothold in your journey, find what keeps you grounded, and provide the tools and strategies that may help you go from surviving to thriving during this time.

I am a Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (#13760). I particularly specialise in individual and couples fertility therapy in Ottawa and across Ontario.

Selected Training:

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) - Foundational + Grief and Loss - Russ Harris

Compassion Focused CBT (CFT) training by Dr. Dennis Tirsch and Dr. Paul Gilbert

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Externship for couples

Gottman Level 1

Perinatal Loss: Attachment-Informed Treatment Framework - Dr. Sunita Osborn

Foundations of Perinatal Mental Health training (PMHT)

Previous Education:

Before becoming a psychotherapist, I was always interested in mental health and even did a PhD at the University of Ottawa, working on the effects of our immediate environment on depression and anxiety. Since completing my PhD in 2016, I have also been a sessional lecturer at the University of Ottawa where I teach undergraduate classes in Family Psychology, Psychopathology, Psychology of Women, and Development through the Lifespan to name a few.

I’m a passionate, knowledgeable, enthusiastic, often humorous, and empathic therapist.