Defensiveness in Relationships: 3 Tips That Actually Work
Communication is often the key issue couples raise during therapy and the main skill they want to work on [1] [2]. Many couples find themselves stuck in the criticism-defensiveness cycle…
Online Therapy in Ontario
From your first experiences to your last moments in life — the space to pause, breathe, and think.
Before you commit to the process, we start with a short, simple conversation. Here's what to expect with the first few steps.
A short complimentary call. No pressure, no intake form marathon. Share what's on your mind. We listen. You start to feel ready to do the work.
We pair you with someone whose approach fits who you are and what you need — or you take the leap and choose who you want to start with.
Ongoing sessions at a rhythm that fits your life. A space that's yours to pause, think, and breathe, with support to work through it all.
People come to Inner Room with a wide range of concerns, from everyday stress to complex life experiences. We are here to offer the exact tools and support you need to move forward.
One-on-one sessions for anxiety, stress, burnout, and the weight of keeping it together. Your therapist listens more than they talk – because you already know more than you think.
Areas of focus
For couples dealing with conflict, emotional distance, or life changes. A structured space to talk productively and honestly with support and strategies for better communication.
Areas of focus
One-on-one sessions for the woman everyone else leans on - carrying the weight of caregiving, grief, life-stage change, and the roles that no longer fit. Passing it off as being “fine”.
Areas of focus
One-on-one for the man everyone counts on, and for the weight of always holding it together. Anger, loneliness, depression that doesn't look like sadness, midlife, and the pressure to provide.
Areas of focus
Support for focus, time management, and executive functioning – particularly for adults with ADHD. Structured therapy to discover more about yourself, not just productivity coaching.
Areas of focus
Therapy for students managing academic pressure, identity questions, and the stress of figuring it out. Reduced rates are available to help bridge the gap.
Areas of focus
We believe that therapy works best when the fit is exact. We're deliberate about what we do, and just as honest about what we don't so that we can co-create an authentic space for fearless experimentation. If you've worked with a therapist before and felt like the sessions were technically fine but nothing quite shifted, the problem is usually fit. Boutique practices work because the matching is carefully selected. That also means we're not the right place for everyone, and we'd rather tell you that now than two months in.
Here's how both sides look.
You meet all of your obligations and are holding things together. Privately, you're beyond exhausted and it's more than just taking a 'vacation'. Your self-worth is measured by your outputs or productivity, and you've been carrying this long enough (and alone) that it feels like the norm. Sometimes you worry "is it just me? Am I being too sensitive or dramatic about this?" Christina Myshkevich knows exactly what that's like and works exclusively with this.
Focus issues, time blindness, the emotional weight of a suspected late diagnosis, the gap between what you know you're capable of and what you can actually get done in a given day, and the sheer tiredness from masking it for everyone else. You want strategies that work with how your brain actually functions, not advice to 'just try harder.' Mo Alharoun specializes in ADHD and neurodivergence, and no formal diagnosis is required to start.
You can name the thing you keep doing. You've probably explained it to your whole group of trusted advisors, and you understand it - intellectually. Yet, it keeps happening. Vivian Zhang works with exactly this: the anxiety that lives underneath performance, the relational loops that just keep happening, and the type of stress that you can't seem to put a name to which has you doubting yourself and your decisions.
Talk-based approaches have helped to a point, but something isn't fully landing. Or you're in a period of reproductive change. The ground has shifted more than you expected. Shawna Martin brings 30 years of clinical experience and a body-informed approach to trauma, grief, and women's health.
All Inner Room therapists work virtually with residents across Ontario, Canada. No commute, no waitlist, weekly sessions from the comforts of your own safe and secure space.
Inner Room is a scheduled outpatient practice. We do not have 24/7 crisis coverage and we are not a substitute for emergency care. If you're experiencing active suicidal thoughts, self-harm urges, or a mental health emergency, we want you to be safe. Reach out to:
Once you're in a more stable place, we'd be glad to talk about whether ongoing therapy with us makes sense.
Inner Room therapists are Registered Social Workers. We provide psychotherapy, not diagnoses or prescriptions. If you need an official neuropsychological report or medication management, you'll need a registered psychologist or psychiatrist.
Active eating disorders, unmanaged psychosis, or severe substance dependence typically require multidisciplinary medical teams, intensive outpatient programs, hospital-based services, or a specialist in these areas.
We don't conduct custody evaluations, forensic assessments, or court-mandated reports.
Inner Room is a fully virtual practice. If you prefer meeting in a physical office, the Psychology Today Ontario therapist directory is a good place to find care near you.
The consultation is 15-minutes with any of our therapists. If we're the right fit, you'll know or we'll point you in the direction for a better fit.
Best for High-functioning people who look fine on the outside but are quietly exhausted. Good fit if you're burned out, highly-sensitive, or neurodivergent and tired of holding everything together by masking.
Meet Christina
Best for Trauma, grief, and women's health (perinatal, postpartum, and peri-/menopause included). Brings 30 years of clinical experience and a body-informed approach when talk therapy alone hasn't been enough.
Meet Shawna
Best for Adults dealing with anxiety, ADHD, or identity questions. Especially students, neurodivergent folks, and anyone whose life doesn't fit the standard template. Speaks Arabic. Former lawyer (and knows that background matters).
Meet Mo
Best for Perfectionism, performance anxiety, relationship patterns, and the kind of stress that's hard to name. Works in English, Mandarin, and Shanghai dialect. Takes on couples, individuals, and interracial or multicultural situations.
Meet Vivianadults live with an anxiety disorder
Kessler et al., Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005
adults have symptomatic ADHD
Song et al., Journal of Global Health, 2021
wait years before seeking help
Gottman Institute
Be seen for who you actually are, not the role you play at work or at home.
Focus on tangible tools for stress, burnout, and conflict. Not generic advice.
Work with a registered social worker who listens more than they talk.
Reconnect with the parts of yourself that got buried under heavy obligations.
Find solid ground and stability in the things that currently feel unmanageable.
Navigate your relationships with more authenticity and significantly less effort.
Sessions with a Registered Social Worker (RSW) are covered by most extended health benefit plans in Ontario. Submit your official receipt directly for fast reimbursement:
Clear session rates and straightforward benefit reimbursement. No hidden fees or surprises.
Mo, Christina & Shawna ($170) • Vivian ($195)
Structured relational support with Christina or Vivian
Targeted executive functioning & neurodivergent support
Mo, Christina & Shawna ($170) • Vivian ($195)
Mo, Christina & Shawna ($170) • Vivian ($195)
Accessible support for post-secondary students in Ontario
Guides & Resources
Therapist-written, free to read, no email required.
The body keeps the score you can't out-think.
The slow leak, and what refills it.
Two people, one room, better fights.
When the hormones rewrite the mood.
More in the library
8 guides total
Secure video or phone sessions from wherever you are. Confidential, flexible, and covered by most extended insurance plans.
Available to Ontario residents.
Outside Ontario? Find a therapist near you on Psychology Today.
Secure video or phone sessions from wherever you are. Confidential, flexible, and covered by most extended insurance plans.
Available to Ontario residents.
Outside Ontario? Find a therapist near you on Psychology Today.