Where Healing
Is Possible
Individual psychotherapy rooted in warmth, expertise, and the belief that every person is capable of growth.
A warm space
to do the real work.
Hi, I'm Gabrielle.
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) · Ottawa & OntarioI see you, over there, carrying so much more than anyone around you realizes. You're the capable one, the responsible one, the one everyone else leans on. On the outside you seem fine, but inside there's a quiet heaviness that's hard to ignore. Maybe you learned early that you had to be strong, self-sufficient, to keep your emotions held deep inside. And for a long time, that worked. But those strategies are starting to cost you more than they give back, and you're beginning to wonder if there might be another way.
I work with high-functioning adults navigating anxiety, complex and relational trauma, perfectionism, grief, difficult family and relationship dynamics, and the profound shifts and challenges that come with the perinatal stage (pregnancy, postpartum and parenting). These aren't just clinical categories to me. They're some of the most tender and human experiences there are, and I take it as a privilege to sit with people through them.
As a relational therapist, my goal is to create a space where you can set some of it down even just for a little while - whatever has been swirling around in your head or weighing on your heart - and we'll make sense of it together. My approach is warm, gentle, and flexible, blending evidence-based tools with deeper emotional work including EMDR, IFS and parts work, inner child and attachment healing, and somatic nervous system regulation. I will always meet you where you are, honouring your story and your pace so that our work feels caring and supportive every step of the way.
When you feel truly seen, heard, and understood, and meet your pain face-to-face with compassion and care, my hope is that you find a path towards healing that doesn't feel rushed and actuallysticks. Every part of you is welcome here, including the ones that feel a little harder to love sometimes. You are worth so much more than just surviving.
Training & Credentials
I am committed to ongoing learning to provide the highest quality, evidence-based care.
Education
- Master of Arts in Counselling, Psychotherapy & Spirituality, Saint Paul University, 2024
- Bachelor of Arts Honours in Psychology, Carleton University, 2019
Registration & Membership
- Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO)
- Member, Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (CCPA)
Specialized Training
- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Levels 1 & 2
- Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP/CCTP-II), Level 1 & Level II (Complex Trauma), Dr. Janina Fisher
- Working with the Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, Dr. Lindsay Gibson
- Certified Narcissistic Abuse Treatment Clinician (NATC), Dr. Ramani Durvasula (in progress)
Continued Learning
- Regular participation in clinical supervision
- Ongoing professional development workshops
- Consultation with specialists in trauma, perinatal care, and relational therapy
My Therapeutic Approach
My approach is integrative, drawing from multiple evidence-based modalities to meet you exactly where you are. The therapy that serves you best should reflect your unique story, nervous system, and goals.
EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, an evidence-based approach for processing traumatic memories and reducing their lasting impact.
Somatic Therapy
Recognizes that trauma and emotions live in the body. Works with physical sensations to support nervous system regulation and healing.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Views the mind as a system of "parts", helping you develop a compassionate relationship with all aspects of yourself, including the painful ones.
Narrative Therapy
Helps you separate yourself from your problems and reauthor the stories you tell about yourself and your life.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Builds psychological flexibility through acceptance, mindfulness, and value-driven action, moving toward the life you want.
Inner Child Work
Gently reconnects you with the younger parts of yourself that were hurt, neglected, or misunderstood, offering them the compassion and care they always deserved.
EFIT: Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy
Drawing from attachment theory, EFIT helps you understand and transform the emotional patterns that shape how you relate to yourself and others.
Mindfulness-Based Approaches
Cultivates present-moment awareness and compassionate attention to your inner experience, supporting regulation, clarity, and a more grounded way of being.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Teaches practical skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, and healthy relationships, particularly helpful when emotions feel intense or overwhelming.
Why "Belle Âme"?
Belle Âme is French for "beautiful soul."
I chose this name because I believe deeply in the inherent beauty and resilience of every person who walks through the door, or logs on to a session. Whatever you've been through, whatever you're carrying, your soul is worth tending.
Healing isn't about becoming someone else. It's about coming home to who you already are.
The Values Behind the Work
Inclusivity
I provide affirming, anti-oppressive care to people of all backgrounds, identities, cultures, and experiences. You belong here, exactly as you are.
Safety
A genuine therapeutic relationship is built on trust, consistency, and confidentiality. This is a space where you can be fully yourself without judgment.
Empowerment
Therapy is about building your capacity, not creating dependency. The goal is for you to thrive, within and beyond our work together.
Growth
Change is possible. Every session is a step forward, even when it doesn't feel that way. I've seen it, and I believe it deeply.
Compassion
Everything we do is rooted in compassion, for you, for the parts of you that are hurting, and for the courage it takes to show up and do this work.
Relationship
The therapeutic relationship is itself a vehicle for healing. I believe deeply in the power of genuine human connection as the foundation of change.
Trauma-Informed
All of our work is shaped by an understanding of how trauma lives in the body and mind, and a commitment to never retraumatize in the name of healing.
Authenticity
I show up as a real human in the room, curious, warm, and honest. I believe genuine connection matters, and I bring my full self to our work together.
The GB Quiz — Get to Know Me
A few questions, a few honest answers. Because therapy works best when you feel like you actually know the person sitting across from you.
- ACoffee, always
- BTea, obviously
- CBoth — it depends on the day
- DNeither, I only drink water
- AWatching the wild personalities on reality TV
- BA fascination with Freud
- CA high school English class
- DMy own therapy experience
- AA long walk with good music or an audiobook
- BCooking something new
- CQuiet time alone with no agenda
- DSocializing in a big group of people
- EEverything except D (introverts and HSPs unite!)
Anywhere next to a body of water, an open field, or rolling hills.
Sitting on the floor playing with my kids.
Next to a window listening to pouring rain.
"What parts of you are in the room with us today? What might they want us to know? Is there something they might need from us to feel listened to / acknowledged / understood / cared for?"
"Two things can be true at once."
"The tears showing up right now tells us that this, right here, matters."
- AFunny animal videos, all day everyday
- BAwkward silences that go on just a bit too long
- CBloopers and outtakes from anything
- DWhen autocorrect really commits to a bad choice
Right now, for books, I am really loving anything by Dr. Lindsay Gibson or Dr. Ramani Durvasula, but Brené Brown and Nicole LePera's books also have a piece of my heart. A guilty pleasure podcast is Other People's Problems with Dr. Hillary McBride, which really kept me going early on in my journey to become a therapist and still gets me choked up sometimes. Resources that never miss IMO would definitely include the RAIN meditation by Tara Brach, the physiological sigh, and honestly any somatic tool for regulation (superhero stance, shaking it off, temperature, etc.).
That the parts of me I struggle to love are always the ones that need my love the most.
It makes sense that receiving kindness or asking for help feels unfamiliar and scary sometimes. New experiences take time to adjust to, but that doesn't mean I don't deserve them.
There is nothing (and never was anything) wrong with me for wanting to be seen, understood, and loved just as I am.
It's okay to show up in a messy, imperfect, deeply human way.
...and many more :)
Ready to Take the First Step?
I offer a free 15-minute consultation to explore whether we're a good fit. No pressure, just a conversation.