Grief + Relationship Therapy
Virtual across Ontario and In-Person Psychotherapy in Ottawa
You are holding a lot. And most of it has never had a proper place to land.
Maybe someone you loved died by suicide and you have never fully said what that did to you. Maybe you are the one in your relationship who keeps trying, keeps explaining, keeps managing — and you are exhausted in a way that sleep does not fix. Maybe you appear completely functional from the outside and feel hollow underneath. Maybe the grief is not about a death at all. It is the life you expected that did not happen, the version of yourself you lost somewhere along the way.
Whatever brought you here, you do not need to make it smaller or easier to explain. Therapy is where it can be exactly as complicated as it actually is.
Therapy After Suicide Loss
Losing someone to suicide is not like other grief. It comes with questions that have no answers, guilt that replays the last conversation, anger that has nowhere clean to go, and a silence that can settle into families and harden there for years. I lost three family members to suicide. I am not afraid of the details of this grief, and I will not try to move you through it on anyone else's timeline. Learn more about suicide loss therapy
Therapy for Over-functioning
You are the one who holds it together. You anticipate what others need before they ask. You carry the emotional weight, the logistics, the invisible labour. From the outside this looks like competence. From the inside it can feel like a compulsion you cannot put down.
Overfunctioning is not a personality trait. It is a pattern that developed for a reason. Therapy is where we look at what that reason was, and whether you still need to carry it.
Grief Therapy
Grief is not a phase. It is a reorganization of your nervous system, your identity, your relationships, your sense of what comes next. It shows up long after the people around you assume you should be fine, and it does not care whether the loss was a death, a relationship, a childhood, or a version of your life that never happened.
There is no grief too old, too complicated, or too hard to name to bring into therapy.
Relationship Therapy
In many relationships, one person keeps trying to connect and the other keeps going quiet. Both end up feeling alone. Neither is doing it deliberately. These patterns usually started long before the relationship did. I work with individuals and couples who are stuck in dynamics they can see but cannot seem to change on their own. Learn more about relationship therapy
About Elaine Alexander
I am a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) completing a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University. I practice under the clinical supervision of Aline Maia, RP, and am registered with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO #21683).
Before training as a psychotherapist I spent over twenty years in entrepreneurship and leadership. I became a mother at forty during the pandemic. I have navigated burnout, financial pressure, complicated grief, and the particular exhaustion of being the person who holds everything together while quietly unravelling.
I came to this work through lived experience first, and rigorous training second. Both shape how I sit with clients.
I am Trauma of Money Certified and trained in Timeline Therapy and Hypnotherapy. My approach is grounded in attachment theory and trauma-informed care.
Fees, Insurance, and Booking
Individual virtual therapy for adults across Ontario and in-person therapy in Ottawa (located at 1900 City Park Drive, Ottawa, ON, Suite 408)
50-minute sessions for individuals are $170.
As a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), services are covered by most extended health benefit plans under psychotherapy. Please confirm with your provider.
You can book a consultation or session below.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Grief, suicide loss, complicated bereavement, overfunctioning in relationships, the pursue-withdraw pattern, fear of abandonment, emotional burnout, financial stress, and the long-term impact of early instability. Many clients appear high-functioning and feel exhausted underneath. That gap is often where the work begins.
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Yes. You can book a free consultation through the link on this page to see whether we are a good fit before committing to ongoing sessions.
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Yes. I provide secure virtual psychotherapy for adults across Ontario. If you are in Ottawa and prefer in-person, I have an office at Maia Counselling Centre on City Park Drive.
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As a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) in Ontario, my services are covered by most extended health benefit plans under psychotherapy. Please confirm coverage directly with your insurance provider.
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It means I hold active registration with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario and am completing my master's degree under the close clinical supervision of a fully registered Registered Psychotherapist. My practice, my notes, and my clinical decisions are supervised throughout.