Individual Psychotherapy
One-on-one psychodynamic, trauma-informed therapy for adults, teens, and youth. Anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, self-worth, relationships, and life transitions.
Psychotherapy · Counselling · Coaching
Some stages of life are harder to move through. 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.
The Life Elevator
Your next level starts here.
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Take a breath
Before anything else, breathe with this for a moment.
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 be heard without judgement.
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 stage
What I understand, from where I sit
Challenges are stages, not failures. Here are some of the ones people most often find themselves in.
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.
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.
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.
Standing between worlds
Expectations shaped by culture, migration, and the generations before you. A space to work out what is actually yours.
The overthinking mind
Understanding everything except how to move. We build the bridge from insight to action.
Burnout
Work taking more than it gives back. Finding a version of balance that includes you.
A different kind of mind
ADHD, deep reflection, or a lifelong sense of being wired differently. Strategies that fit the mind you actually have.
Pressure
The moment right before it matters most. Tools for focus and composure when everything is on the line.
Not sure which stage you're in?
Start with a free consultationServices
Ways we can work together
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 what 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
- 01
Free consultation
A short call to talk through what's bringing you in and see whether we're the right fit.
- 02
Consent & intake
Two short forms that lay the groundwork for how we'll work together.
- 03
Your first session
Virtual, secure, and at a time that works for you. No downloads needed.
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.
Land Acknowledgement
Tkaronto, the place in the water where the trees are standing
I live and work in Etobicoke, in Tkaronto, on the shores of Lake Ontario. This is the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and it remains home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. This land is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit and is held within the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement to share and care for the land together. This covenant calls for reciprocal responsibilities across all of creation, fostering relationality and upholding the dignity of all beings.
As a therapist, I know that healing cannot be separated from history. The harms of colonization, including residential schools and the separation of families and communities, are still carried across generations. This acknowledgement is not the end of that responsibility but a reminder of it: to keep learning, to listen, and to honour Indigenous-led paths to healing.
Because my sessions are virtual, I invite you to take a moment to consider whose land you are joining from. Native Land is a good place to begin. Indigenous people seeking immediate support can reach the Hope for Wellness Help Line, available 24/7, at 1-855-242-3310.
Workshops
Coaching
Psychotherapy