I.
Schema therapy as a primary framework
This isn't an occasional technique. Ghazal pursued advanced schema therapy training in Germany and uses it as the foundation of her clinical work.
Schema Therapy · Markham
Schema Therapy in Markham
The same painful cycles keep returning: in relationships, at work, in the voice that says you still haven't done enough. Schema therapy traces those patterns to their root. Virtual sessions for Markham and across Ontario.
Ghazal is currently booking by waitlist (3–4 weeks).
Ghazal Sheikhtaheri
Founder & Clinical Director
RP (Qualifying) · CRPO #21300
Sound Familiar?
Signs Schema Therapy could help
- You keep ending up in the same painful relationship dynamics: different person, same hurt, same pattern.
- You have a harsh inner critic that tells you you're not good enough, no matter what you achieve.
- You feel emotionally disconnected from your partner, your friends, or even yourself.
- You sacrifice your own needs to keep others happy, then feel resentful or invisible.
- On paper your life looks fine: the job, the home, the family you were expected to build. Something deeper still feels fundamentally wrong.
These patterns aren't random, and they aren't your fault. Schema therapy can help you understand where they come from and begin to change them.
Book with GhazalAbout the Approach
What is Schema Therapy?
Schema therapy addresses the deep emotional patterns (called "schemas") formed in childhood that continue to shape your relationships, self-image, and reactions to stress. It goes beyond surface-level symptoms to work with the root causes, combining cognitive, emotional, and experiential techniques.
Schema therapy is especially relevant for:
- Recurring relationship difficulties
- Chronic self-criticism and low self-worth
- People-pleasing and difficulty setting boundaries
- Emotional avoidance or numbness
- Patterns that haven't responded to other therapy
Wondering whether the pattern you keep running into is a schema? A short conversation is a good place to find out.
Book with GhazalYour Therapist
Trained, regulated, and experienced
Training
Advanced Schema Therapy Training
CASMH Health Institute, Germany. Ghazal pursued advanced, specialized training in schema therapy at one of Europe's recognized centres, bringing a depth of expertise to her work with clients in Ontario.
Education
Dual Master's Degrees
MSc Clinical Psychology (Kharazmi University, Iran) and MA Counselling & Psychotherapy (Yorkville University, Canada). A clinical foundation built across two countries and training systems.
Registration
CRPO Registered
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. Practicing under active clinical supervision, the standard path for all new CRPO registrants.
Experience
10+ Years Clinical Experience
Over a decade of work with individuals and couples across diverse backgrounds. Ghazal brings experience with trauma, relationship patterns, self-worth, and the unique pressures of immigration and cultural identity.
Why NoorMinds
Why choose NoorMinds for Schema Therapy
II.
Root-cause focus
Rather than managing symptoms, schema therapy addresses the underlying patterns, creating the possibility of deep, lasting change.
III.
Bilingual sessions
Available in English and Farsi (فارسی). Emotional work is most effective in the language your feelings live in.
IV.
Warm, structured approach
Schema therapy is both compassionate and systematic, balancing emotional depth with clear therapeutic direction.
A free consultation is the easiest way to see if this is the right fit.
Book with GhazalHow It Works
How to Start Schema Therapy
I.
Free consultation
15 minutes to discuss what you're experiencing and whether schema therapy might be a good fit.
II.
Assessment & pattern mapping
In early sessions, we identify your core schemas and the coping strategies you've developed around them.
III.
Ongoing therapy
Weekly 60-minute sessions combining cognitive restructuring, experiential exercises, and compassionate re-parenting techniques.
What to Expect
What Schema Therapy Looks Like in Practice
In the early phase, we work together to map out the core patterns, or schemas, that are shaping your life. This might include patterns like abandonment, emotional deprivation, self-sacrifice, or defectiveness. Most people recognise their patterns quickly once they have a framework for them.
From there, sessions move into deeper emotional work: understanding where these patterns formed, what needs went unmet, and how your coping strategies developed. Schema therapy uses a combination of cognitive techniques, chair work, imagery, and guided reflection to work with these patterns at both a thinking and feeling level.
Over time, the goal is to develop what schema therapists call the "Healthy Adult" mode: a stronger internal voice that can meet your own needs, set boundaries, and respond to old triggers differently.
Related reading: Why We Keep Repeating the Same Relationship Patterns · When Crisis Activates Our Inner Schemas
Pricing
Simple, transparent pricing
$180Individual Session
$225Couples · 60 min
$350Couples · 90 min
Free15-Min Consultation
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
Questions
Schema Therapy FAQ
What's the difference between schema therapy and CBT?
CBT focuses on changing thoughts and behaviours in the present. Schema therapy goes deeper. It addresses the childhood origins of your patterns and uses emotional and experiential techniques alongside cognitive ones. Many clients find schema therapy reaches places that CBT alone didn't.
How long does schema therapy take?
It depends on the complexity of your patterns. Some clients see meaningful shifts in 3-6 months. Deeper, more entrenched patterns may take longer. We'll discuss realistic expectations during your consultation.
Is schema therapy right for me?
If you notice recurring patterns in relationships, struggle with self-worth, or feel stuck despite previous therapy, schema therapy may be an excellent fit. A free consultation can help us determine this together.
Are sessions online?
Yes. All sessions are virtual and available in Markham and across Ontario.
Do you offer sessions in Farsi?
Yes. Sessions are available in Farsi (فارسی), English, or both.
My parents sacrificed a lot to build a life in Markham, and I feel guilty whenever I rest. Is that something schema therapy works with?
Yes. Guilt about rest, and a sense that your life has to repay a sacrifice, often connect to schemas such as unrelenting standards and self-sacrifice. Schema therapy looks at where those rules came from with respect for your family, not blame, and helps you build a kinder internal voice alongside them. Ghazal Sheikhtaheri, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), CRPO #21300, offers schema therapy online in English and Farsi to clients across Ontario.
Can I do schema therapy online from Markham, or do I need to come to an office?
There is no office to visit. All of Ghazal's schema therapy sessions are online by secure video, including experiential work such as imagery and chair work, which can be done from a private room at home. Clients join from anywhere in Markham or elsewhere in Ontario.
Next Step
Ready to understand your patterns?
A 15-minute call to talk about what you're experiencing. No commitment, no pressure.
Book with GhazalOr 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.
Schema Therapy Across Ontario
NoorMinds provides virtual schema therapy to residents throughout Ontario. Select your city to learn more:
Markham
Schema Therapy in Markham: where the standards began
Many adults in Markham grew up as the children of people who started over. In a city where close to six in ten residents are immigrants, many younger adults were raised in homes shaped by migration: parents who retrained, worked long hours, or set aside a career so their children could have a better chance. Most people raised this way feel deep gratitude. Many also carry a rule they never chose, something like "I have to make it worth it," and it can quietly run their lives.
Schema therapy has names for rules like that. Unrelenting standards is the sense that nothing you do is quite enough. Self-sacrifice is putting everyone else's needs first as a matter of course. Emotional inhibition is holding feelings back so as not to burden anyone. None of these is a cultural trait; they are patterns that can form in any family under pressure, and they made sense when they formed. The trouble is that they keep running long after the conditions that created them have changed.
These patterns often show themselves most clearly at turning points. You start a family and hear your parents' words coming out of your own mouth at homework time. You are passed over for a promotion and the disappointment feels out of all proportion. You try to tell your parents about a choice they will not like and find yourself twelve years old again. Schema therapy uses moments like these as a way in: they show which schema is active, which coping mode takes over, and what the younger part of you still needs.
Markham's cost of living can keep those patterns fed. In the 2021 Census the median owner-estimated home value was around $1.1 million, and about 48% of renter households put 30% or more of their income toward housing. When the rent or the mortgage genuinely demands more, it is hard to tell a realistic worry from an old voice insisting that rest must be earned. Schema therapy helps separate the two, so you can take real pressures seriously while noticing when a childhood rule is setting the bar.
Ghazal Sheikhtaheri, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), CRPO #21300, uses schema therapy as her primary framework, with advanced training from the CASMH Health Institute in Germany. Sessions use imagery, chair work and guided reflection to reach the feelings under a pattern, not only the thoughts about it, and they can be held in English or Farsi. All sessions are online, for people in Markham and across Ontario; there is no office to visit.
Local support in Markham
These services are run independently of NoorMinds; they are here in case you want community support alongside schema work or between appointments.
- CMHA York Region & South Simcoe: case management, clinical therapy and peer support for adults and youth across York Region, Markham included.
- Oak Valley Health (Markham Stouffville Hospital): hospital-based adult outpatient mental health services.
- Krasman Centre: peer support run by people with lived experience of mental health challenges, serving York Region.
- Your Support Services Network: runs York Region's 24/7 community crisis response service, by phone, text and chat.
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