Couples Therapy in Etobicoke

Couples therapy that starts with the pattern between you

Couples come to us for many reasons: the same argument on repeat, a distance that has crept in over the years, a breach of trust, a decision you cannot agree on, or a stretch of life (a new baby, a move, an illness, a loss) that has pulled you in different directions.

Couples therapy, sometimes called couples counselling or marriage counselling, gives the two of you a structured, non-judgmental space to slow those moments down, understand what is driving them, and practise responding to each other differently. At EPS Family Health that work is led by registered psychologists and delivered by a team that also includes supervised clinicians and registered social workers, using research-based approaches such as Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

You do not need to be married, and you do not need to be certain that therapy is the right step. A conversation with our intake coordinator will help you decide.

What couples work on with us

• Communication and recurring conflict
• Emotional distance and feeling more like roommates than partners
• Trust, including rebuilding after infidelity
• Intimacy and affection
• Life transitions: becoming parents, blending families, career changes, retirement, relocation
• Parenting differences and extended-family stress
• Decisions about the future of the relationship
• Grief, illness or burnout that is affecting the relationship

We welcome married and unmarried couples, couples of all backgrounds and identities, and couples at every stage, from newly committed to decades together.

Who provides couples therapy at EPS

EPS Family Health is a psychologist-led clinic. Every clinician who sees couples is either a psychologist registered with the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO) or works under the supervision of one. Your intake call matches you with the clinician whose training and availability fit the two of you.

Dr. Alma Roldan, Ph.D., C.Psych.
Clinical and Counselling Psychologist, registered with the CPBAO. Director of Adult Clinical Services and co-founder of EPS Family Health. Dr. Roldan works with couples and individuals on relationship struggles, anxiety, depression, grief and burnout, drawing on Emotion Focused Therapy, CBT and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

Dr. Kristine Iaboni, Clinical and Counselling Psychologist
Registered with the CPBAO and practising since 2008. Dr. Iaboni provides couples therapy and individual therapy for adults, with training in EFT, ACT, CBT and mindfulness-based therapy. Her work with couples includes relationship difficulties, infidelity and intimacy concerns. She is LGBTQ+ positive and brings culture, religion and values into sessions when that matters to you.

Bernadette Comiskey, M.Psy., Clinical Associate
Works under the supervision of Dr. Alma Roldan, Ph.D., C.Psych. and Dr. Ed Roldan, Ph.D., C.Psych. Bernadette holds a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology and is completing a doctorate in Counselling Psychology at the University of Toronto. She takes an integrative approach that draws on EFT, ACT, CBT, DBT and Family Systems.

Tell us whether in person or video works better for the two of you, and we will match you from there.

How we work with couples

Our couples work draws on research-based approaches. Your clinician will explain what they are using and why, and will adapt it to the two of you rather than fitting you to a method.

Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT). An attachment-based approach developed for couples. EFT focuses on the cycle a couple gets caught in (for example, one partner pursues while the other withdraws), helps each of you understand the emotions underneath it, and builds new ways of reaching for each other.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Looks at the thoughts and assumptions each of you brings into conflict, the behaviours that follow, and more workable alternatives you can practise between sessions.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Helps each partner clarify what matters to them and to the relationship, and act on those values even when difficult feelings are present.

DBT-informed skills. Practical tools for managing strong emotions in the moment, so that hard conversations stay conversations.

Mindfulness-based approaches. Noticing your own reactions as they happen, which creates room to respond rather than react.

Where it would help, your clinician may suggest a few individual sessions for one or both partners alongside the couples work.

What a first couples session looks like

1. Before your first session. After you send the form below, our intake coordinator will call or email to understand what is bringing you in, answer questions about fees and availability, and match you with a clinician. You will receive intake and consent forms to complete before your first appointment.

2. The first session. Both partners attend. Your clinician will ask about the history of your relationship, what each of you hopes will change, and what has and has not helped so far. The aim is for both of you to feel heard. Nobody is there to decide who is right.

3. Individual check-ins. Some clinicians, particularly those working from an EFT model, meet briefly with each partner on their own early in the process. This is a normal part of getting a full picture, and your clinician will tell you if it is part of their approach.

4. A shared plan. Within the first few sessions you and your clinician will have a shared understanding of the pattern you want to change and a plan for the work, including how often to meet. Sessions are usually weekly or every two weeks to begin, and spaced out as things settle.

Fees and insurance

Couples therapy at EPS is $200 to $265 per 50-minute session. The exact fee depends on your clinician and on session length; some couples sessions run 75 minutes. Your clinician will confirm the fee with you before your first appointment.

Our services are not covered by OHIP. Because every EPS clinician is a registered psychologist, a registered social worker, or supervised by a registered clinician, most extended health plans reimburse all or part of the fee. You receive a receipt after every session outlining the service provided, and any amount your plan does not reimburse can be claimed as a medical expense on your tax return.

Our fees follow the guidelines of the Ontario Psychological Association and the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.

In person on Bloor St W, or by video

Etobicoke clinic
3101 Bloor St W, Suite 208
Toronto, ON M8X 2W2
In the Bloor Medical Centre, a couple of blocks west of Royal York subway station on the Bloor-Danforth line.

Video
Secure video sessions are available to couples anywhere in Ontario, with both partners in the same room or joining from different places.

We see couples from Etobicoke, Toronto's west end and Mississauga, and across Ontario by video.

Questions couples often ask

Do we both have to attend?
Couples therapy works with the relationship, so yes, both partners attend couples sessions. If your partner is unsure, it is common for one person to make the first call and for the intake conversation to answer the other's questions. If your partner is not ready, individual therapy is available and can still help with the relationship.

Is marriage counselling different from couples therapy?
No. People use "marriage counselling", "couples counselling" and "couples therapy" to describe the same work. We use whichever term feels right to you, and you do not need to be married.

How many sessions will we need?
It depends on what you are working on and how often you meet. Some couples come for a focused block of sessions around a specific decision or transition; others work together over several months. Your clinician will talk this through with you in the first few sessions and review it with you as you go.

Is what we say confidential?
Yes. Your sessions are confidential within the limits set out in Ontario law, which your clinician will explain at the start. Your clinician will also explain how they handle anything shared in an individual check-in, so there are no surprises.

How is couples therapy different from individual therapy?
In couples therapy the relationship is the focus, and both of you are the client. Your clinician will not take sides. If one of you also wants individual support, we can arrange that with a different clinician so each process stays clear. See our adult therapy page for more.

Will our insurance cover it?
Most extended health plans reimburse psychological services, and many cover registered social workers too. Coverage for couples sessions varies by plan, so check whether your plan lists "psychologist", "psychological associate" or "social worker", and whether there is an annual maximum. We provide a receipt after every session.

Can we start with video and move to in person later?
Yes, as long as your clinician also sees couples in person at the Etobicoke clinic. Tell us at intake and we will plan for it.