​
Psychotherapy with Kim Phillips, RP
​
I work with clients with sensitivity and compassion, to help you regain your vitality, balance and calm. My approach is integrative and holistic. Drawing from Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (Trauma-Informed), Relational, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Gestalt, Emotion-Focused (EFT), Cognitive Behavioural (CBT) and Mindfulness approaches, I tailor the therapy to the individual client, bringing in concrete tools to help you manage difficulties in the moment, and working with you to enhance your awareness and understanding of the deeper patterns and frameworks that may be keeping you stuck in difficult emotions. As you become more aware of the paths that lead to difficult and stuck places for you, you gain the power to choose differently, to create new paths and to feel better.
​
Contact Me at any time to book an initial consult. This is a twenty minute meeting in which you can get to know me a bit and ask any questions you may have. There is no fee for this meeting and no commitment to continue – it is intended as a chance for you to explore the option of psychotherapy and to see whether you feel I may be a good ‘fit’ for you and your needs. It is also a chance for me to get to know a bit about you and what challenges you’re bringing to therapy, and assess whether I feel my approach is a good fit for you. If I feel I’m not the best fit I will offer to help you find someone who is.
My Approach
I have been working and studying in the psychotherapy and counselling field for the past fifteen years. I hold a Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology from the University of Toronto (OISE), have completed the four-year training program in Psychotherapy at the Gestalt Institute of Toronto, and I have done training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (specifically Level 1: Training in Affect Dysregulation, Survival Defenses, and Traumatic Memory). I am committed to continuing to expand my awareness and skills throughout my career, so I regularly take part in trainings and workshops, as well as peer consultations and discussions, within the field. I am a Registered Psychotherapist (College of Psychotherapists of Ontario, Registration # 003208), and a member of the OSRP (Ontario Society of Registered Psychotherapists) and adhere to the codes of ethics and standards of practice of both organizations.
​
My psychotherapy style and approach draws from a number of therapeutic modalities, including Sensorimotor, Relational, Mindfulness, Gestalt, Internal Family Systems, Process-Experiential, Emotion-Focused (EFT), Cognitive-Behavioural (CBT), Existential, Feminist and Anti-Oppressive Therapy.
I use a creative, client-centered, embodied relational and experiential approach and have worked with clients on challenges including panic, anxiety, depression, trauma, difficult family relationships and histories, chronic or acute shame states, self-esteem, communication and relationship challenges, developing healthy boundaries, difficulties with anger, addictive patterns, social anxiety, living with illness, difficult relationships with food and one’s body, questions and difficulties around sexuality, and/or around gender, as well as existential concerns of meaning, loss and grief, and connection. Sometimes these concerns are at a level of feeling quite debilitating, making it difficult to function in one’s life, and sometimes the concerns folks bring to therapy are less urgent but also vital and meaningful – such as grappling with life meaning, wondering how to feel more contentment and ease in your relational and emotional lives, or wanting to have more control over life-direction, or to lay to rest frustrating habits and stuck patterns.
I offer individual psychotherapy. I also offer workshops and group therapy from time to time.
​
Grounded by my mindfulness practice, and informed by my deep respect for my clients’ life experiences and for their courage to engage in this difficult work, therapy with me is practical, poignant, sensitive and direct.
Policies and Fees
Initial Consultation
I offer a free 20-minute online initial consultation to start.
Remote Sessions
Sessions with me take place online via video link, from wherever you are. I do not offer in-person sessions at this time. I am a registered with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO), so I am eligible to practice psychotherapy for clients residing in Ontario, as well as in any provinces or states that do not have their own College regulating psychotherapy (e.g. BC).
Session Fees
Psychotherapy sessions are generally 50 minutes long. The fee for psychotherapy is $165, to be paid before the session begins. Fees are payable by interac email transfer.
There is no GST/HST on registered psychotherapy services.
Cancellation Policy – 48 Hours
I require 48 hours notice of changes or cancellations to appointments, without which a fee of $90 will automatically be invoiced to you.
Here’s why: This is not a ‘penalty’ but rather is simply a way to ensure my income is ensured for the time that I am working, and my expenses are paid. Similar to buying tickets to a play or a concert, when you book a session with me I am agreeing to be there, fully prepared and present, for that time. I am very deliberate about the number of sessions I offer in any given day or week, to ensure that I am able to be fully present for each client. When I book a session with you, that time is reserved for you and not available to anyone else. The cancellation fee honours our agreement, and accounts for the expenses involved in keeping the office space open and preparing for each session.
From the perspective of the therapy relationship, it is important that you know you can depend on me, and that the work we do together is supported by a clear structure and boundaries; negotiating exceptions or special arrangements around fees can begin to muddy the relationship and the agreement.
If you are not well enough to attend in person but would like to keep the appointment, we can always meet by phone or online rather than in person.
Extended Health Insurance Coverage
Many extended health benefits plans offer some coverage of appointments with a Registered Psychotherapist (which is my designation). Inquire with your benefits provider to find out if services provided by a Registered Psychotherapist are covered by your plan. I can provide a void receipt for you to take to your benefits provider to enquire.
Note that some employers and insurance providers have not yet caught up to Psychotherapists being Regulated Health Professionals in Ontario, and are not yet listing Psychotherapy under the category that might currently include Registered Psychologists and/or Registered Social Workers. If your plan does not currently include coverage for Registered Psychotherapists, you may be able to advocate to have it included. The Registered Psychotherapists Insurance Committee (RPIC) has information and resources that can help you with this, including a form letter you can use to submit to your employer or your union.
Tax Deductions
The Canada Revenue Agency recognizes the cost of services provided by Registered Psychotherapists as a medical expense eligible for tax credit. Check with your accountant or with the CRA to verify that this is a deductible expense on your taxes.