I.
You both know how it ends
Money, the in-laws, the phone at dinner. Whatever starts it, you could both say how it will end.
EFT for Couples · Online across Ontario · English & فارسی
Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples in Ontario
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) works with the cycle between you, not the case against either of you: the moves you each make when an argument starts, and the softer feelings they are protecting. With Tina, Ghazal or Roya, online across Ontario, 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).
What EFT Works With
The topic changes. The pattern doesn't.
II.
One reaches, one pulls away
One of you presses, the other goes quiet. To the partner who withdraws, the pressing feels like an attack; to the partner who presses, the quiet feels like being left, and each reaction confirms the other's worst fear. In EFT, that loop becomes the thing you work on together.
III.
Quiet distance
Not much fighting, not much closeness either: a politeness that feels like distance. When both of you have stopped reaching for each other, the silence is itself a cycle, and EFT works with it as one.
IV.
When the pressure comes from outside
A family with strong views about your relationship, roles that changed after a baby, the strain of immigration: pressure from outside can tighten the cycle between you, and it belongs in the work too.
In Their Own Words
The same method, three voices.
Tina Abadi, RP
My training is grounded in cognitive behavioural and solution-focused work, with attachment-based and compassion-focused work alongside it, and further training in Emotionally Focused Therapy for couples.
With couples, the work slows the argument down far enough that you can both hear what sits underneath it. It is practical and skills-based.
Structure only helps if the room is safe first. My approach is warm, person-centred and inclusive, and it is shaped by working with people across cultures and languages, including people living in more than one at once. Nothing you bring has to be explained twice or apologized for.
Ghazal Sheikhtaheri, RP (Qualifying)
Most of the couples who find their way to my practice are not there because they have stopped loving each other. They are there because, somewhere along the way, love stopped being enough to protect them from the pattern they keep falling into.
In couples therapy, my client is not you, and it is not your partner. My client is the relationship: the third thing in the room that you built together, and that both of you are now hurting inside of. Schema therapy is the foundation of my work, and with couples I bring Emotionally Focused Therapy alongside it.
Sessions are available in English, in Farsi, or in both, because many of us switch mid-sentence in real life, arguing in one language and softening in another. You should never have to translate your inner world to be understood in it.
Roya Dadollahi Sarab, RP
Emotionally Focused Therapy is how I work with couples: we focus on the pattern between you, and on building a healthier connection. I bring a culturally responsive lens to it.
When roles shift after moving to a new country, money gets tighter, or the people you used to lean on are far away, I see those as circumstances the two of you are facing together. Progress doesn't have to be perfect, and you don't need to have it all figured out before we begin.
What a Session Looks Like
How EFT unfolds, session by session.
Each of the three works a little differently, but EFT couples therapy tends to follow a familiar shape. It starts with a free 15-minute call with Ghazal, Tina or Roya, by video or phone, with both of you or just one: you talk about what is happening between you, ask how the therapist works, and decide whether working together feels right. There is no obligation. From there, this is roughly how it goes.
I.
The first session
Expect to tell the story of your relationship: how you met, the years that were good, when things started to change, and what you each want from coming here. Each partner also gets room to describe things from their own side, and your therapist explains how confidentiality works and where its limits are. Many couples choose 90 minutes for this first session, since it has the most ground to cover.
II.
Mapping the cycle
Early sessions look for the pattern that keeps repeating: one of you pursues and the other withdraws, both of you attack, or whatever your version is. A fight that is over in a minute or two at home is slowed down step by step in session, not to decide who is to blame but to see the loop you are both caught in.
III.
What sits underneath
From there, the work stays with what each reaction is protecting: the softer layer under the anger, criticism or silence, the part that is harder to say out loud. Nobody is named the problem. The aim is for each of you to say what is underneath, and for the other to hear it.
IV.
Responding differently
Later sessions often catch the cycle as it starts, right there in the room, and try a different response before the old one takes over. Not perfectly, and not without friction: the goal is not a relationship without conflict, but one where conflict can be met honestly and repaired instead of running the same loop.
V.
Format and pace
Sessions are usually weekly: 60 minutes ($225) or 90 minutes ($350), by secure video, in English, Farsi or a mix of both. You can share one screen, or each join from your own private space if that is easier, provided each of you can speak freely and has a stable internet connection. There is no set number of sessions and no minimum commitment, and you review how it is going with your therapist as you go. Nobody here will promise you an outcome, or a timeline.
An Honest Fit
Who EFT suits, and when something else fits better.
It may suit you if
- You keep having the same argument in different clothes, and you want to understand the pattern more than win the point.
- You'd rather start now than wait for things to get worse: "we want to communicate better" is reason enough.
- Nothing is exactly wrong, but you miss each other.
- Something outside the two of you, such as a move to a new country or pressure from family, is part of what is straining the relationship, and you want a therapist who understands that context.
- Trust has been damaged, by a betrayal, by dishonesty or by years of unspoken resentment, and you both want to work on it.
- You are both willing to come, even if one of you is less sure than the other.
Something else may fit better if
- Either of you is afraid of the other. Couples therapy works when both partners can speak honestly without fear. If that isn't true for you, come to the free consultation on your own and tell the therapist privately; they will talk with you about what kind of support fits. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
- One of you mainly wants to work on your own anxiety, low mood or history. Individual therapy may fit better, and Tina, Ghazal and Roya all see individuals too.
- What you want most is to trace where each partner's pattern began, long before this relationship. Schema therapy for couples may fit better than EFT alone. At NoorMinds that is Ghazal Sheikhtaheri, RP (Qualifying), currently booking by waitlist (3–4 weeks).
- You'd like to meet in person. All sessions at NoorMinds are online, by secure video, anywhere in Ontario, from the Greater Toronto Area to Ottawa, Hamilton, London, Windsor and beyond.
- You are hoping the therapist will decide who is right. EFT doesn't take sides, and your therapist won't act as a referee between you.
Still unsure? Bring the question to the free consultation: if the therapist you speak with isn't the right fit, they'll tell you, and point you to the one who is. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, the Suicide Crisis Helpline, available 24/7. You can ask 988 for an interpreter. میتوانید از ۹۸۸ درخواست مترجم کنید.
In Farsi
زوجدرمانی هیجانمدار، به فارسی
من رویا هستم، رواندرمانگر ثبتشده، و در کار با زوجها از درمان هیجانمدار استفاده میکنم. تمرکز ما روی الگویی است که میان شما تکرار میشود و هدفمان ساختن پیوندی سالمتر است. رویکردم گرم، مشارکتی و حساس به فرهنگ است.
وقتی بعد از مهاجرت نقشها تغییر میکنند، فشار مالی بیشتر میشود یا کسانی که به آنها تکیه میکردید حالا دورند، اینها را شرایطی میبینم که شما دو نفر با هم از سر میگذرانید. همهی جلسهها آنلاین برگزار میشوند و فرقی نمیکند در کجای انتاریو زندگی کنید. میتوانیم به فارسی یا انگلیسی صحبت کنیم، یا بین این دو زبان جابهجا شویم؛ اگر یکی از شما فارسی صحبت نمیکند، جلسه به زبانی پیش میرود که هر دو با آن راحت هستید. غزل و تینا هم با زوجها به فارسی کار میکنند. تینا و من همین حالا مراجع جدید میپذیریم و غزل در حال حاضر با لیست انتظار ۳ تا ۴ هفته نوبت میدهد. مشاورهی رایگان ۱۵ دقیقهای را میتوانید با غزل، تینا یا من رزرو کنید؛ میتوانید با هم در این تماس شرکت کنید، یا فقط یکی از شما.
Related Care
Explore related care
Couples Therapy in Ontario
The general couples therapy page: the situations couples come in with, the practice's approach and common questions, for when you have not yet chosen a method.
Schema Therapy for Couples
With Ghazal: for tracing where each partner's pattern began, often long before this relationship.
Farsi Couples Therapy
The language-first page, for Persian and Iranian couples who want to work in Farsi.
Tina Abadi, RP
Tina's profile: CBT and solution-focused work, and Emotionally Focused Therapy for couples that is structured and practical.
Ghazal Sheikhtaheri, RP (Qualifying)
Ghazal's profile: schema therapy, psychoanalytic and Emotionally Focused work, for individuals and couples.
Roya Dadollahi Sarab, RP
Roya's profile: CBT, ACT and DBT skills, support for newcomers, and Emotionally Focused Therapy for couples.
When Love Isn't the Problem
Ghazal on the pattern couples keep falling into, what happens in the room, and how schema couple therapy reaches the older layer underneath.
Therapy Cost & Insurance in Ontario
The fees, how coverage and receipts work, and what to ask your insurer, including about Ghazal's RP (Qualifying) designation.
When Should Couples Start Therapy?
Ghazal on the signs it's time to start, and why you don't need a crisis to begin.
Fees
Straightforward and stated upfront
Free15-min consultation
$225Couples · 60 min
$350Couples · 90 min
Insurance receipts provided after every session, and separate receipts can be issued for each partner where plans allow. Many extended health plans in Canada cover psychotherapy with a Registered Psychotherapist. Tina Abadi and Roya Dadollahi Sarab are fully Registered Psychotherapists; Ghazal Sheikhtaheri holds the Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) designation, which some plans reimburse the same way and some do not, so please confirm before your first session with her.
Questions
Common questions
What is Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)?
EFT is an approach to couples therapy that works with the pattern between you rather than the topic of the fight: the cycle you both get caught in, such as one partner pursuing while the other withdraws, and the softer feelings each reaction is protecting. As those feelings are said and heard, the work turns to new ways of responding to each other, aimed at emotional safety and a more secure bond. Tina, Ghazal and Roya all use it with couples. It is not the same as EFT tapping, which only shares the initials.
Is it too late for us?
Nobody can answer that for you in advance, and your therapist won't promise an outcome either way. What EFT offers is a structured, honest place to look at the pattern between you at a time when honesty has become hard at home, so that each of you can get clearer about what you want next, whether or not your answers match. In the free consultation you can talk about where things stand between you, even when one of you feels more hopeful than the other.
How do we choose between Ghazal, Tina and Roya?
All three use Emotionally Focused Therapy with couples, and all three work in English and Farsi. Ghazal may suit you if the pattern seems to go back further than the relationship itself: she works from schema therapy and brings EFT into it with couples. Tina may suit you if you want the work structured, practical and skills-based. Roya may suit you if migration, family expectations or new roles are part of the strain; she brings a culturally responsive lens. Tina and Roya are booking now; Ghazal is booking by waitlist (3–4 weeks). Not sure? Book a free consultation with Ghazal, Tina or Roya, and whoever you speak with will point you to the right fit.
Can one of us start on our own?
Yes. One of you can come to the free 15-minute consultation on your own, to ask what EFT involves before raising it at home. EFT works with the pattern between you, so the sessions themselves are for both of you; if your partner isn't ready yet, individual sessions with Ghazal, Tina or Roya can help you understand your side of the cycle in the meantime.
Can we do EFT in Farsi, or in a mix of languages?
Yes. Tina, Ghazal and Roya all work in English and Farsi (فارسی), online across Ontario. A session can stay in one language or move between the two. You don't both need to speak Farsi: if one of you doesn't, sessions adapt to the language you share.
How soon can we get an appointment, and how many sessions will we need?
Tina and Roya are booking now; Ghazal is booking by waitlist (3–4 weeks). Sessions are usually weekly. How many you need depends on what you are working on, and there is no minimum commitment: you and your therapist review progress together and decide on the pace. You can talk about realistic expectations in the free consultation, including when you are working through a betrayal or years of distance.
How much does it cost, and is it covered?
$225 for a 60-minute couples session, or $350 for 90 minutes, after a free 15-minute consultation; individual sessions are $180 for 60 minutes. Many extended health plans cover psychotherapy with a Registered Psychotherapist. Tina and Roya are Registered Psychotherapists; Ghazal holds the Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) designation, which some plans reimburse the same way and some do not, so please confirm before your first session with her. Psychotherapy with a Registered Psychotherapist in private practice is not covered by OHIP, and NoorMinds does not currently offer direct insurance billing: you pay for the session and submit the receipt. Receipts are provided after every session, and separate receipts can be issued for each partner where plans allow. You don't need a referral, although some plans ask for one before they reimburse.
What if one of us is in crisis?
Therapy is for ongoing support, not emergencies, and calls and messages to NoorMinds 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.
Next Step
Start with the pattern, not the verdict.
Book a free 15-minute consultation with Ghazal, Tina or Roya, together or on your own. Tina and Roya are booking now; Ghazal is booking by waitlist (3–4 weeks). 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.