Psychotherapy · Counselling · Coaching

Some floors of life are harder to reach. You don't have to take the stairs alone.

Psychodynamic, trauma-informed psychotherapy with Luigi Garde, Registered Psychotherapist. Virtual sessions in English and Tagalog for youth, teens, adults, couples, and families.

Luigi Garde smiling by the shore of Lake Ontario

The Life Elevator

Floors, not failures.

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Take a breath

Before anything else, breathe with this for a moment.

A slow breathing guide: a circle expands and contracts over gently moving water
Registered PsychotherapistCollege of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario, #12735
Spiritual PsychotherapyTransformational Arts College, Masters-level training
B.A. (Hons)University of Toronto, Philosophy, English, Political Science
4th Dan, Japan Karate AssociationTeam Canada, international competitor

About

A place to think out loud, and to be taken seriously.

Luigi Garde looking out over Lake Ontario

I'm Luigi Garde, a Registered Psychotherapist whose work is grounded in psychodynamic therapy. My approach is holistic and trauma-informed: I meet clients where they are, and I hold space for the full weight of what they're carrying, their emotions, their history, the patterns that repeat without permission.

There are seasons when life asks more of us than it usually does. Psychotherapy, in those seasons, becomes a place to trace a pattern back to its root, and to meet the parts of yourself that stay quiet everywhere else. I work with anxiety, depression, self-worth, relationship difficulties, and life transitions, not by handing over answers, but by staying curious alongside you until the shape of the thing becomes clear.

For over 31 years I've trained in Karate, competing internationally for Team Canada. That world taught me what pressure does to a mind, and how a mind can be trained to meet it. I bring that into mindset coaching for athletes and performers.

I work with people of all backgrounds and ages, and I try to build a room where everyone who enters it feels heard and genuinely supported. Sessions are available in English and Tagalog, so you can speak in whatever language your feelings actually live in.

Choose your floor

What I understand, from where I sit

Challenges are floors, not failures. Here are some of the ones people most often arrive on.

1

Always needing to be enough

Standards that never let up, in sport, at work, at home. We trace where that pressure came from and build something more forgiving.

2

Family

Feeling unheard or like the odd one out at your own table. Drawing boundaries with the people who raised you, and protecting your peace.

3

Relationships, with others and with yourself

The patterns that surface with a partner, in closeness and in conflict, and the quieter relationship you keep with your own worth. Both deserve attention, and they're more connected than they look.

4

Standing between worlds

Expectations shaped by culture, migration, and the generations before you. A space to work out what is actually yours.

5

The overthinking mind

Understanding everything except how to move. We build the bridge from insight to action.

6

Burnout

Work taking more than it gives back. Finding a version of balance that includes you.

7

A different kind of mind

ADHD, deep reflection, or a lifelong sense of being wired differently. Strategies that fit the mind you actually have.

8

Pressure

The moment right before it matters most. Tools for focus and composure when everything is on the line.

Services

Ways we can work together

Individual Psychotherapy

One-on-one psychodynamic, trauma-informed therapy for adults, teens, and youth. Anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, self-worth, relationships, and life transitions.

Couples & Family Therapy

Looking at the patterns that repeat between you, the roles each person has settled into, and what it would take to build something more honest together.

Performance Coaching

Mindset coaching for athletes and performers, drawing on sport psychology and decades of international competition. Confidence, focus, and resilience under pressure.

Rates

Clear fees, and access that stays open

Effective September 20, 2026. All fees in CAD. Fees are set in line with standard rates across Ontario and reflect the work a case involves, including preparation, report writing, and care coordination.

Individual Psychotherapy & Coaching

30 minutes
$90
60 minutes
$180
75 minutes
$225
90 minutes
$270
120 minutes
$360

Dyad, Couples & Family

60 minutes
$210
75 minutes
$265
90 minutes
$315
120 minutes
$420

Sliding scale

Cost should never be the floor that keeps you from care. A lower fee is available case by case when cost is a barrier. It's based on financial need, and having insurance never raises your fee.

Receipts are claimable through most extended health plans. Direct billing where available.

Getting started

Three steps to your first session

  1. 01

    Free consultation

    A short call to talk through what's bringing you in and see whether we're the right fit.

  2. 02

    Consent & intake

    Two short forms that lay the groundwork for how we'll work together.

  3. 03

    Your first session

    Virtual, secure, and at a time that works for you. No downloads needed.

Book a free consultation

Book a session

Choose a time that works for you

Book your free consultation or your next session directly below. New to working with me? Start with the free consultation so we can make sure we're the right fit.

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FAQs

Common questions

What is psychotherapy?

A talk-based relationship between you and a Registered Psychotherapist, working together toward change in how you think, feel, relate, and live. From the Greek psyche, soul or breath, and therapeia, healing.

How is therapy different from coaching?

Therapy explores how past experience shapes present patterns. Coaching focuses on present behaviour and specific goals ahead. Psychotherapy is regulated in Ontario by the CRPO; coaching is not.

Is it covered by insurance?

Psychotherapy isn't covered by OHIP, but receipts are claimable through most extended health plans. Please confirm with your provider.

How long will I be in therapy?

It depends on you. Some concerns resolve in a handful of sessions; deeper patterns take longer. We'll talk about it at the consultation, and the door stays open whenever you need to come back.