I.
EFT-informed approach
Emotionally Focused Therapy is the gold standard for couples work, backed by decades of research showing lasting improvement in relationship satisfaction and secure attachment.
Online across Ontario · English & فارسی
Couples Therapy in Whitby
Build a relationship that feels safe again. Between a mortgage, children and two jobs, it is easy to become a well-run household and a lonely couple. Online couples therapy for partners in Whitby, using Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Schema Therapy, in English or Farsi.
Ghazal SheikhtaheriGhazal
Founder & Clinical Director
RP (Qualifying) · CRPO #21300
Waitlist · 3–4 weeks
Both partners are welcome on the free 15-minute call, or just one. Tina and Roya are booking now; Ghazal is booking by waitlist (3–4 weeks).
Sound Familiar?
Do any of these feel familiar?
- You keep having the same argument over and over: different topic, same hurt, same shutdown.
- You feel more like roommates than partners, going through the motions but emotionally miles apart.
- One of you pursues while the other withdraws, and neither of you knows how to stop the cycle.
- Trust has been damaged by betrayal, dishonesty, or simply years of unspoken resentment.
- It feels like one partner is doing all the emotional work, and the other doesn't see the problem.
- Nearly every conversation is about schedules, bills and whose turn it is, and you can't remember the last one that was about the two of you.
- Cultural or family expectations add an invisible layer of pressure that outsiders don't understand.
The Approach
What couples therapy looks like at NoorMinds
Couples therapy here is built on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), the most researched and evidence-based approach for couples. EFT helps you and your partner identify the negative interaction cycles that keep you stuck, and creates new patterns of emotional connection and safety between you.
Ghazal also integrates Schema Therapy into couples work, which helps each partner understand the deep emotional patterns formed in childhood, and how those patterns get triggered in the relationship. When you understand why your partner's behaviour hits so hard, and why your reactions feel so automatic, real change becomes possible.
Couples in Whitby meet online, which matters when there are children at home: no sitter to book, no drive to squeeze between work and school pickup. You choose a private room, close the door, and the session can move between English and Farsi as the two of you need.
Why NoorMinds
Four reasons couples choose this practice
II.
Deeper pattern work
Schema Therapy helps each partner understand the childhood wounds driving their reactions, so you stop blaming each other and start understanding what's really happening.
III.
Culturally sensitive
As an Iranian immigrant herself, Ghazal understands how cultural background shapes relationship expectations: family involvement, gender roles, and the weight of unspoken rules.
IV.
Bilingual sessions
Available in English and Farsi (فارسی). Both partners don't need to speak Farsi. Sessions adapt to whatever language mix works for your relationship.
Pricing
Simple, transparent pricing
Free15-min consultation
$225Couples · 60 min
$350Couples · 90 min
Insurance receipts provided. Many extended health plans cover psychotherapy with a Registered Psychotherapist. Ghazal holds the Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) designation, so please confirm your plan covers it. Full fees & insurance details
90-Minute Extended Session · $350
By popular demand. The extended format gives couples more room to slow down, move through difficult conversations without feeling rushed, and explore the deeper patterns shaping the relationship. Many couples choose the 90-minute format for their first session, when there's the most ground to cover.
Separate receipts can be issued for each partner where plans allow.
Questions
Common questions
What is Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)?
EFT is the most researched couples therapy approach in the world. It helps partners identify the negative cycles keeping them stuck, like pursue-withdraw or attack-attack patterns, and guides them toward new ways of responding that create emotional safety and secure attachment. Research shows 70-75% of couples move from distress to recovery with EFT.
Does online couples therapy actually work?
Yes. Research shows online couples therapy is as effective as in-person sessions. Many couples find virtual sessions more convenient and less stressful: you're in your own space, there's no drive to fit around school runs, and scheduling becomes easier. All you need is a private room and a stable internet connection.
My partner is reluctant. Should I wait until they're ready?
It's common for one partner to be more ready than the other. A free 15-minute consultation can help. Sometimes hearing what therapy actually involves makes it less intimidating. If your partner isn't ready yet, individual therapy can also help you understand your own patterns and shift the dynamic from your side.
How long does couples therapy take?
It depends on the depth of the issues. Some couples notice meaningful shifts within 8-12 sessions. More complex situations, like healing after betrayal or long-standing disconnection, may take longer. We'll discuss realistic expectations during your consultation.
Do both partners need to speak Farsi?
No. Ghazal, Tina and Roya all work in English and Farsi. Sessions can be conducted in English, Farsi, or a mix of both, whatever works for your relationship. If one partner speaks Farsi and the other doesn't, sessions adapt naturally.
What's the difference between couples therapy and individual therapy?
Individual therapy focuses on your personal patterns and wellbeing. Couples therapy focuses on the relationship itself: the dynamic between you, the cycles you get caught in, and how to create a more secure bond together. Some people benefit from both simultaneously.
We're both working and raising young kids in Whitby, and we only talk about logistics. Is that a reason to try couples therapy?
It can be. When a relationship runs on logistics for long enough, partners can start to feel like co-managers rather than a couple, and small hurts pile up without being talked about. Couples therapy looks at the pattern underneath, so you can find your way back to each other. Ghazal Sheikhtaheri, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), CRPO #21300, Tina Abadi, RP, and Roya Dadollahi Sarab, RP, all work with couples online in Emotionally Focused Therapy, in English or Farsi.
Our families come from different cultures and expect different things from our marriage. Can couples therapy help with that?
Yes. For intercultural couples, the argument is often not really about the holiday plans or the in-laws but about loyalty, belonging and what each of you was raised to believe a marriage owes the family. Ghazal, who immigrated from Iran, works with that cultural layer directly rather than treating it as background. Sessions are online from your home in Whitby, in English, Farsi or a mix.
Next Step
Ready to reconnect?
Start with a free 15-minute consultation. One partner can book it alone, or you can join together from home in Whitby. No commitment, no pressure.
Or call (647) 699-5142 · WhatsApp · Email
Calls and messages aren’t monitored for emergencies. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, the Suicide Crisis Helpline, available 24/7.
NoorMinds offers online couples therapy to partners in Whitby, throughout Durham Region and across Ontario, from Toronto to Ottawa, Hamilton and London. Culturally sensitive, evidence-based care in English and Farsi.
Couples Therapy Across Ontario
NoorMinds provides virtual couples therapy to partners throughout Ontario. Select your city to learn more:
Whitby
Couples therapy for Whitby partners
Whitby has grown steadily, to 138,501 residents at the 2021 Census, up 7.9% in five years. If you moved here for more room, a yard or a particular school, you probably also took on a large mortgage. The Census put Whitby's median owner-estimated home value at about $850,000 in 2021, and the average resale price across Durham Region sat near $900,000 in mid-2025. Numbers like that shape a relationship: which job cannot be risked, whether extra shifts are really optional, and whether any money or energy is left over for the two of you.
Then there is the load at home. When both partners work and the children are young, one person often becomes the default parent, the one who remembers the permission form and the dentist, while the other feels criticized for helping the wrong way. Emotionally Focused Therapy treats that as a cycle between you rather than a flaw in either of you, and helps each partner name what is underneath: exhaustion, loneliness, the fear of not mattering. Ghazal also draws on Schema Therapy here, to explore why the imbalance lands so hard, often because of the roles each of you watched growing up.
Whitby is also changing quickly. Racialized residents were about a quarter of the town in 2016 and 35.4% by 2021. For intercultural couples, that change can be close to home: two sets of family expectations, two ideas of what a marriage should look like, sometimes two languages at the dinner table. Having made that crossing herself, from Iran to Canada, Ghazal knows how much culture shapes what partners expect of each other.
Sessions happen online, from your own home in Whitby. Ghazal Sheikhtaheri, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), CRPO #21300, combines Emotionally Focused Therapy with Schema Therapy. Tina Abadi, RP, offers Emotionally Focused Therapy in a structured, practical style, and Roya Dadollahi Sarab, RP, offers it with a culturally responsive lens; all three work in English and Farsi. If you would also like to know about counselling through the Region or community agencies, a few are listed below.
Local support in Whitby
Independent organizations serving Whitby, not affiliated with NoorMinds, that couples may find useful alongside or between sessions.
- Family Services Durham (Region of Durham): counselling and psychotherapy from the Region of Durham for couples, families and individuals.
- Carea Community Health Centre: primary care and counselling, including a site in Whitby.
- Community Development Council Durham: family and newcomer programs across Durham Region.
Also serving nearby
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