When You're Managing, But Still Struggling.
Support starts with feeling understood ...
Getting Started Is Simple.
Book a free 20-minute consultation and we’ll help match you with the right therapist for your needs, schedule, and budget.
You don’t need to know exactly what kind of therapy you need before reaching out, we’ll help you figure out the best place to start.
Serving Ontario Clients Since 2013
We’ve built our practice around making therapy more accessible, personal, and supportive so you don’t have to figure it out alone. With flexible scheduling options and a compassionate team, we’ll help you find the right fit and feel safe in the process.
Here’s how we make getting started easier.
We're Located In Burlington, ON
Our office is conveniently located in downtown Burlington, Ontario, with easy highway access and ample parking.
We welcome clients from Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton, Milton, Waterdown, Dundas, Stoney Creek, Mississauga, Grimsby, Ancaster, and St. Catharines.
Prefer virtual sessions? We also offer secure online therapy to clients anywhere in Ontario.
Why People Work With Us
We support clients who feel overwhelmed, disconnected, burnt out, or stuck in patterns they don’t fully understand.
Some are navigating trauma, PTSD, anxiety, or grief; others come in simply knowing something isn’t right, even if they can’t name it yet.
Using a trauma-focused approach, we help clients feel safer in their bodies, more grounded in their lives, and more connected to themselves.
Our Therapy Team
Our team includes experienced, compassionate therapists who offer thoughtful, trauma-informed support.
Some are trained in EMDR, while others integrate approaches like parts work, ACT, CBT, and mindfulness-based therapy.
We’ll help match you with someone who aligns with your goals, pace, and communication style, so therapy feels safe, supportive, and effective.
Therapy Starts With Connection
We offer a free 20-minute phone consultation to make getting started feel less overwhelming.
You’ll connect with our intake coordinator to talk through what’s been coming up and what kind of support you’re looking for.
Together, we’ll find a therapist who feels like a good fit, so you can begin at your own pace.
Feeling Anxious, Numb, or Stuck?
When your system is overwhelmed, it’s hard to feel present, or like yourself.
Maybe you’re anxious, shutting down, or just exhausted from pushing through.
You’re not broken, your body is protecting you. Therapy can help you feel safe again.
Overwhelmed & Always On Edge?
When Everything Feels Too Much
When anxiety is running the show, your mind races, your body feels tense, and rest never really feels restful.
You might look calm on the outside while feeling wired, alert, and exhausted underneath. Therapy can help you slow things down, understand what is driving the overwhelm, and build a greater sense of steadiness.
Learn more about psychotherapy.
Disconnected or Numb Inside?
When You Don’t Feel Like You
If you feel like you’re going through the motions but not really present, numbness or emotional shutdown may be a sign that your system has been under too much strain for too long.
Therapy can help you understand what is happening beneath the surface and gradually reconnect with your emotions, your body, and yourself.
Learn more about trauma therapy.
Stuck in Survival Mode?
When Your Body Won’t Settle
When trauma lingers, your body can stay ready for danger even when you know you’re safe.
Flashbacks, tension, irritability, shutdown, or recurring triggers can keep you stuck in patterns that are hard to shift on your own. Trauma-focused therapy, including EMDR when appropriate, can help you process what is still affecting you.
Learn more about EMDR.
Meet The Private Matters Team
We’re a diverse group of experienced therapists united by a trauma-informed approach and a commitment to compassionate care.
Our clinicians bring specialized training in EMDR, mindfulness, ACT, parts work, and more, ensuring you’re supported with evidence-based methods tailored to your needs.
As a teaching clinic, we combine fresh perspectives with expert supervision to provide thoughtful, collaborative care that puts you first.
Here, you’ll find a safe space to be heard, understood, and empowered on your healing journey.
Answers to Your Therapy Questions
Curious about therapy? Watch Marleen as she breaks down what to expect and how therapy can support your healing journey.
Taking the first step is hard, but understanding the process can make it feel a little easier.
You Don't Have to Wait Until Things Fall Apart
A lot of people who come to therapy are still functioning. They’re working, caring for other people, keeping appointments, solving problems, and getting through their days.
But functioning isn’t the same as feeling well.
You might be spending more energy than anyone realizes keeping everything together. Maybe you’re constantly thinking ahead, feeling responsible for everyone else, pushing through exhaustion, avoiding things that feel too difficult, or wondering why you can’t seem to relax even when nothing is obviously wrong.
At Private Matters Psychotherapy, we don’t believe you need to reach a crisis before your experience deserves attention.
You also don’t need to arrive knowing whether you need EMDR, CBT, trauma therapy, couples therapy, or something else. Most people aren’t trained to make that decision-and we don’t expect you to be.
Our role is to help you make sense of what’s happening, understand what may be keeping you stuck, and find a therapist and approach that fit what you actually need. Sometimes that means working through something from the past. Sometimes it means learning how to manage what is happening right now. And sometimes therapy begins simply because you know you don’t want to keep feeling the way you’ve been feeling.
You don’t have to prove that things are bad enough.
If something in your life keeps asking for your attention, therapy can be a place to start listening to it.