Before you begin
Frequently asked questions about therapy
Find practical information about fit, formats, fees, privacy, and beginning therapy. For a question not covered here, contact the practice without including private health information in an initial email.
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24 questions available
01
Fit and approach
Who does the practice work with?
I provide individual psychotherapy for adults and relationship therapy for couples. People may seek support for anxiety, burnout, low mood, grief, boundaries, self-doubt, major transitions, identity questions, painful past experiences, or recurring relationship patterns. Context involving culture, faith, migration, family, and intergenerational expectations can be included when relevant.
Do I need to identify with a particular label or diagnosis?
No. Terms such as people-pleasing, burnout, anxiety, or trauma are possible ways of describing an experience, not identities you must accept before beginning. You can start with what has been happening in daily life and decide together what language is useful.
What does culturally responsive therapy mean here?
It means that culture, racialization, migration, language, faith, spirituality, family roles, community, and social conditions can be considered without being treated as the cause of every concern. I aim to ask rather than assume. Shared language or cultural familiarity may help, but it does not guarantee complete understanding or fit.
What is psychodynamic therapy?
Psychodynamic therapy looks at how earlier relationships, roles, and ways of coping may still shape present emotions and relationships. The purpose isn't to remain focused on the past, but to understand what has become familiar or automatic so you have more choice in how you respond now.
Will therapy tell me to cut off my family or put myself first?
No. Therapy is not a demand to choose independence over belonging. We can consider your needs, responsibilities, values, safety, relationships, and the real consequences attached to different choices. A boundary may protect connection rather than end it.
What is Ruba’s professional title and registration?
Ruba Chihabi is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario, registration no. 19051. Therapy is available in English and Arabic.
02
Services and formats
What happens in individual therapy?
Individual therapy focuses on your experiences, relationships, concerns, and priorities. Sessions may explore current situations, emotions, earlier experiences, protective responses, family or cultural context, and practical ways of responding. The approach is relational and psychodynamic, with emotion-focused, IFS-informed, and DBT-informed work used when helpful.
How is couples therapy different?
Couples therapy focuses on the relationship and the patterns that develop between partners. The work may involve slowing recurring cycles, understanding each partner’s protective response, addressing impact and accountability, and practising repair or clearer communication. Couples therapy does not guarantee reconciliation.
Is virtual therapy available?
Yes. Online individual and couples therapy is available to clients who are physically located in Ontario at the time of the session. In-person appointments are available in Kitchener. Current format and scheduling options are confirmed directly.
Do you offer therapy in Arabic?
Yes. Sessions are available in English and Arabic. Language preference can be discussed during the consultation, and we can also discuss whether moving between languages would be useful or comfortable for you.
Where are in-person sessions held?
In-person sessions take place by appointment at 944 King Street West, Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 1G4. Contact the practice before booking if you need current information about mobility, sensory, or other access considerations.
03
Getting started
What is the free consultation?
It is a free 30-minute virtual conversation. You can briefly describe what you are looking for, ask about the approach, and review format, scheduling, fees, and possible fit. It is not a therapy session and does not commit you to ongoing care. Individual and couples consultations use separate booking links.
What happens in the first session?
We review informed consent and confidentiality, discuss what prompted the appointment, and begin understanding the relationships, experiences, context, and priorities that may matter. You can ask questions and begin without sharing every part of your history at once.
What if I don’t know what I want from therapy?
You can begin with a recent situation, a recurring feeling, a relationship pattern, or the sense that your current way of coping is difficult to sustain. A clearer focus can develop over the first conversations and can change later.
How many sessions will I need?
There is no standard number that fits everyone. Length and frequency depend on the concern, your circumstances, preferences, and the kind of work we agree to undertake. We can discuss an initial plan and revisit it over time, but no particular outcome or timeline can be promised.
Can I tell Ruba if something is not working?
Yes. You can bring disagreement, hesitation, discomfort, or a wish to change direction into therapy. I may ask what did not fit, clarify what I intended, and work with you to decide whether an adjustment or a different next step would be useful.
04
Fees and scheduling
What are the session fees and lengths?
Individual therapy is $160 for 50 minutes. Couples therapy is $180 for 50 minutes. The virtual consultation is free and lasts 30 minutes. Fees are in Canadian dollars.
Can insurance cover psychotherapy?
Coverage varies by plan. Ask your insurer whether services provided by a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) are covered, whether a referral is required, what annual limits apply, and whether couples sessions or missed-appointment fees are eligible. The practice cannot guarantee reimbursement.
Does the practice offer direct billing or require a referral?
Direct billing is not offered. A receipt is emailed after payment for you to submit to your insurer. You can self-refer, although an insurer may have separate referral requirements for reimbursement.
What is the cancellation policy?
- 48 hours or more: no fee.
- Less than 48 hours: 50% of the session fee.
- No-show: full session fee.
Each client may use one free same-day cancellation per calendar year. This exception does not apply to a no-show. If you don’t contact the practice, the full session fee remains payable.
Are consultation openings the same as ongoing availability?
No. Consultation times can be viewed in Jane, but an available consultation does not guarantee that a preferred recurring appointment or format will be available. Ongoing scheduling is confirmed directly.
05
Privacy and urgent support
Is therapy confidential?
Psychotherapy is confidential within legal and professional limits. Before therapy begins, I explain informed consent, record handling, and circumstances in which disclosure may be required or permitted. You can ask questions about confidentiality before deciding what to share.
Can I send private health information by email?
Ordinary email is best used for general questions and scheduling. Avoid sending detailed personal or health information in an initial message. Consultation and client-portal links open Jane, which has its own privacy terms and is used within the practice’s clinical privacy processes.
Can the practice help during a crisis or emergency?
Intentional Living Psychotherapy is not a crisis or emergency service, and email, voicemail, and Jane messages are not monitored continuously. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency department. If you are thinking about suicide or are worried about someone who may be, call or text 9-8-8 anywhere in Canada. Use the crisis-resources page for current local and national options.
Have enough information to consider the next step?
A free consultation gives you time to ask any remaining questions and decide whether the service, approach, and current availability fit what you are looking for.