What Is Individual Therapy?

Individual therapy, also known as one-on-one therapy or individual psychotherapy, is a personalized form of mental health support focused on your experiences, challenges, and goals. Sessions provide a confidential, supportive space to reflect, gain insight, and build coping strategies with the guidance of a trained clinician.

At the beginning of therapy, your therapist will take time to learn about you, including your background, your current life situation, your important relationships, what you’re navigating, and what you’re hoping therapy will help with. From there, you’ll work together to identify goals, explore what’s been hard, and shape the work in a way that fits your pace and priorities.

At Montreal Therapy Centre, individual therapy is offered both in person in Montreal and online across Quebec, making care accessible and flexible for clients across the city and the province.

Common Concerns Individual Therapy Can Help With

People come to individual therapy at every stage of life and for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes there’s a specific issue weighing on you. Other times, things just feel harder than they should, and you’re ready for support in figuring out why. Some of the most common reasons clients reach out to us include:

1. 1. Anxiety and stress, including generalized anxiety, panic attacks, social anxiety, health anxiety, overthinking, and the kind of low-grade worry that never quite turns off.
   2. Depression and low mood, including persistent sadness, loss of motivation, hopelessness, trouble sleeping or getting out of bed, and feeling disconnected from things that used to bring you joy.
   3. Self-esteem and self-worth, including harsh self-talk, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, body image concerns, and the sense that you’re not enough as you are.
   4. Work, career, and burnout, including chronic stress, exhaustion, difficult workplace dynamics, career transitions, and the search for more balance and meaning in your professional life.
   5. Relationship concerns, including conflict with a partner, family, or friends, dating challenges, attachment patterns, codependency, breakups, and learning to set healthier boundaries.
   6. Trauma, grief, and loss, including the death of a loved one, childhood trauma, recent painful experiences, PTSD, and the lingering effects of events that have shaped who you are today.
   7. Communication and interpersonal difficulties, including struggling to express your needs, feeling unheard, repeated patterns in relationships, conflict avoidance, and assertiveness.
   8. Life transitions and identity, including major changes like becoming a parent, separation or divorce, retirement, immigration, questions around gender or sexuality, and the bigger question of who you are and what you want next.
   9. Cultural, racial, and existential concerns, including navigating multicultural identity, experiences of discrimination, spiritual questions, and finding meaning in a world that often feels uncertain.

Whatever brings you in, therapy is a space to slow down, make sense of what’s happening, build practical coping skills, and reconnect with yourself. You don’t have to have it all figured out before reaching out. That’s part of what we’re here for.

Who Individual Therapy Is For

Beyond specific concerns, individual therapy supports many different kinds of inner work. You don’t need to be in crisis to benefit, and you don’t need to know exactly what you want to focus on before reaching out. Many of our clients come not because something is wrong, but because they want something more: more connection, more confidence, more direction, more peace. Individual therapy may be a particularly good fit if you are:

1. Seeking personal insight and self-understanding, including exploring patterns from your past, learning why you react the way you do, and building a stronger sense of who you are.
2. In the middle of a major life transition, where you’re reassessing what matters, what’s next, or who you’re becoming.
3. Looking for a private, one-on-one therapeutic space, where the focus is entirely on you and your therapist can tailor every session to your needs.
4. Committed to personal growth and skill-building, including emotional regulation, stress management, mindfulness, assertiveness, and developing healthier ways of coping.
5. Healing from something difficult, and you want steady, compassionate support as you move toward a fuller, lighter life.
6. Curious about therapy but not sure where to start, including clients who have never been to therapy before and want a thoughtful first step.
7. A young adult, professional, parent, or older adult at any stage of life, because therapy isn’t reserved for one age, gender, or background. It’s for whoever is ready to do the work.

Wherever you are in your journey, individual therapy offers a dedicated, confidential space to feel heard, understood, and supported. You don’t need to wait for things to get worse before reaching out. Sometimes the most powerful step is simply deciding you deserve a place that’s just for you.

Individual Therapy: Frequently Asked Questions

What is individual therapy?

Individual therapy, also known as one-on-one therapy, individual psychotherapy, or counselling, is a confidential form of mental health support where you meet privately with a trained clinician to work on your specific concerns, goals, and experiences. Sessions are typically 50 to 60 minutes long and may be weekly, biweekly, or at another rhythm that fits your life. Whether you’re navigating a specific challenge or looking for a steady space to better understand yourself, individual therapy offers focused, personalized support from someone trained to help you make sense of what you’re going through.

How much does individual therapy cost in Montreal?

Our standard rate for individual therapy at Montreal Therapy Centre is $165 per session. We also offer sliding-scale spots with our interns and therapists-in-training to help make care accessible regardless of income. Our sliding-scale fees range from $65 to $140 per session and are available to clients whose household income is less than $85,000 per year. You may request our sliding-scale services when completing our online intake form. Our team will follow up with instructions for submitting proof-of-income documents so that we can set your fee based on your income.

If you have private extended health insurance through your employer or a personal plan, many Quebec insurance plans reimburse part or all of the cost when you see a licensed psychologist, psychotherapist, social worker, counsellor, sexologist, creative arts therapist, or marital and family therapist. We’re happy to provide receipts with all the information your insurance provider needs.

Do I need a doctor’s referral for therapy in Quebec?

No, you do not need a doctor’s referral to see a private psychotherapist, psychologist, social worker, or counsellor in Quebec. You can book directly with us through our online intake form, and we’ll match you with a therapist based on what you’re looking for. A referral is generally only required if you’re seeking publicly funded therapy through the CLSC or public hospital network.

How long does individual therapy take?

The length of therapy depends on your goals, what you’re working on, and the pace that feels right for you. Some clients benefit from short-term, focused therapy of six to twelve sessions for a specific concern. Others choose longer-term work to explore deeper patterns, ongoing struggles, or longstanding experiences they want to understand and heal. During your first sessions, you and your therapist will discuss what kind of timeline makes sense, and you can revisit that conversation at any point as the work unfolds.

Is online therapy as effective as in-person therapy?

For most common concerns, including anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, relationship issues, and life transitions, research consistently shows that secure online therapy is comparably effective to in-person therapy for adults. We offer both formats at Montreal Therapy Centre, and many clients alternate between them depending on schedule, location, or simply what feels best on a given week. Some people find online sessions easier to fit into busy lives, while others prefer the dedicated space of an in-person office. Both work, and the choice is yours.

What is the difference between a psychologist, psychotherapist, social worker, and counsellor in Quebec?

In Quebec, mental health professionals are regulated by their respective professional orders, which ensures that all licensed clinicians meet rigorous training and ethical standards.
Psychologists hold a doctoral or master’s degree in psychology and are regulated by the Ordre des psychologues du Québec (OPQ).
Psychotherapists hold a master’s or doctoral degree in a mental health discipline such as counselling psychology, social work, or sex therapy, and have completed additional coursework and training to receive their psychotherapy permit. Psychotherapists are also regulated by the OPQ, holding a permit to practice psychotherapy.
Social workers are regulated by the Ordre des travailleurs sociaux et des thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec (OTSTCFQ).
Sexologists are regulated by the Ordre professionnel des sexologues du Québec (OPSQ).
Marital and family therapists are regulated by the Ordre des travailleurs sociaux et des thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec (OTSTCFQ).
All clinicians at Montreal Therapy Centre are licensed members of their respective professional orders and receive ongoing supervision and continuing education. When you book with us, you can feel confident that you’re working with a qualified, ethical professional.

Will my therapy be confidential?

Yes. Everything you share in therapy is confidential and protected by Quebec law and the ethical codes of our therapists’ respective professional orders. There are a few rare legal exceptions, such as imminent risk of serious harm to yourself or someone else, or situations involving the protection of a child or vulnerable adult, which your therapist will explain clearly at the start of your work together.

How do I know if therapy is right for me?

You don’t need to be in crisis to benefit from therapy, and you don’t need to have it all figured out before reaching out. If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, sad, anxious, disconnected, or simply curious about understanding yourself more deeply, therapy can help. Many of our clients say their only regret is not coming in sooner. If you’re not sure whether to book, you’re welcome to reach out with questions, and we’ll help you figure out the right next step.

What if I don’t click with my therapist?

Finding the right fit matters, and we encourage you to be honest if a particular therapist doesn’t feel like the right match. The therapeutic relationship is one of the strongest predictors of how helpful therapy will be, so we’ll happily help you switch to another clinician on our team if needed, with no awkwardness and no pressure to explain. Your comfort comes first.

How do I get started with individual therapy?

Getting started is straightforward. Complete our secure online intake form to tell us a bit about what brings you in, your preferences, and any logistical needs. From there, our intake team carefully reviews your request and matches you with a therapist on our team who is the right fit for your profile. We do our best to match clients based on areas of specialty and clinical focus, language, schedule and availability, format preference (in-person or online), and, where possible, the type of insurance receipt you need for reimbursement. For clients accessing our sliding-scale rates, matches are most often with one of our therapists in training, who work closely under the supervision of senior clinicians on our team and offer warm, attentive, evidence-based care.

Once we’ve identified a good fit, you’ll receive a call or an email to book your first session. If you’d like to speak with someone before booking, we’re happy to answer any questions by email or phone, with no pressure to commit until you feel ready.

Book Your Individual Therapy Session in Montreal

Whether you prefer in-person therapy in Montreal or secure online sessions across Quebec, we’re here to help you take the next step toward emotional wellbeing and personal growth.

Request your first appointment through our [online intake form], and our team will match you with a therapist as quickly as possible. You can also reach us by phone at 514-244-1290.