Every relationship goes through rough patches. But over time, if you and your partner(s) get caught in negative patterns of conflict and distance, you might begin to blame yourselves, or each other. Maybe you've lost hope or faith in the relationship, and end most conversations feeling disconnected, lonely, and desperate — unsure how to get back the love you once shared. Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT) is a well-researched approach that can help you feel safer with each other, share your emotions and needs clearly, and find the closeness and joy you were meant to feel. Through EFCT, we practice bonding conversations, gradually reworking patterns of communication that keep you apart. Let us help you connect with each other, to build a more loving relationship.
EFT works well with poly and non-monogamous partnerships too; we welcome relationship diversity.
Families are complex webs of relationship, with their own history, roles and rules. The bonds of attachment that hold us together can be painful when we feel emotionally disconnected from our loved ones. Anyone in a family can get stuck in patterns of conflict, distance, hurt and confusion. Maybe you've known the heartache and worry of seeing your kids struggle, or the pain of a family estrangment. Perhaps you and your spouse can't agree about co-parenting. Or you find yourself yelling more than seems reasonable, and feel like a terrible parent. You deserve support.
Because of Sara's love and deep respect for family relationships, she trained in Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) to help you — and your parents, kids, siblings, step- or chosen family — work through the inevitable challenges that come as we live and grow together.
Perhaps your partner refuses to come for couples therapy, or you have a big life transition of your own to navigate. Maybe you have trouble setting clear boundaries with people, or you're working through old trauma and painful patterns like anger, troubled eating, or self-criticism. Using approaches that integrate EFIT (Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy), IFS (Internal Family Systems), ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), attachment theory, and mindfulness, we can help you move toward greater happiness, freedom, and confidence — within yourself and with others.
Adopting or fostering a child who has been hurt is a loving, courageous and life-changing decision. Children who are adopted or in care may behave in ways that are puzzling for their family due to their history of loss, trauma, neglect...or all three. Parents may wonder what they're doing wrong and why all the books and advice of well-meaning friends and family don't seem to apply to their child.
With specialized training and more than 18 years' experience in the treatment of trauma and attachment issues in children, Sara offers family therapy to help you — and your child — on the path to healing and building a strong, resilient family. She has worked with foster parents and children in care, and families preparing to adopt. Sara trained and supervises in Emotionally Focused Family Therapy, and studied Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Theraplay, and other professional programming in developmental trauma/attachment.
We are trained to provide assessments for hormones and surgeries, in accordance with the WPATH Standards of Care, offering a safe, supportive and non-judgmental space to explore your questions about your gender identity, gender expression and desired steps (whether hormones, gender-affirming surgeries, changes in gender expression, coming out, or all or none of these). A model of informed consent guides us, as you are the expert on your gender identity. Our role is to help you navigate your exploration of gender with as much information, self-awareness and support as possible.
A Certified EFT Supervisor, Sara offers individual and group supervision in both couple (EFCT) and family (EFFT) therapy.
In supervision, you will be able to:
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Share your videos, your breakthroughs, your complex cases, and your curiosity.
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Open-heartedly explore themes of diversity and self-of-therapist that impact your work.
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Deepen your understanding of the EFT steps and stages, the TANGO, the micro skills that make EFT so amazing.
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Develop skills in a safe, supportive environment that is based on ARE principles — accessible, responsive and engaged!
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Meet the supervision requirements for EFT certification (if that's your goal)
Individual Supervision: Monday, Tuesday, or by arrangement
Group (EFCT): 2nd Tuesday monthly 5:30-7:30 pm ET
Group (EFFT): Mondays 12:30-2:30 ET
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Our Approach
People come to see us for all sorts of reasons. Each person and relationship is unique, but the need to feel connected is intrinsic to our humanity. Our job is to be with you in the places you're struggling, help you access your innate resources, and support you to make the changes you need. In therapy we will work together in a spirit of collaboration and curiosity.
We offer couple and family therapy, as well individual and gender counselling with adults, teens and children. Our practice is 2SLGBTQ+ friendly, and sessions can be held in English (or in French with Sara). Professional growth, supervision and mentorship are important to us; at Sara Lamb & Associates you might also seek professional supervision, or meet with one of our dedicated student interns.
Our team welcomes your whole self, whatever your sexual orientation, age, race, ability, cultural background, gender identity or spiritual affiliation. We are caring, active allies in unpacking the impacts of colonization, racism, sexism, homophobia and other experiences of oppression.
Frequently Asked Questions
Therapy is most beneficial if there's a good fit between you and your therapist. Successful outcomes depend a lot on developing a strong alliance – a relationship that is trusting, non-judgmental and challenging in a good way, one that lets you open up and explore what's going on for you. It can take a little while to feel comfortable, especially if this is your first time seeing a therapist, or if you've had difficulty trusting people and expressing yourself.
However, you should get a sense early on that your therapist is attentive to your concerns, uses language and ideas you feel comfortable with, and can help you develop a vision of the changes you want to make. Therapy is an active process, not a passive one where you get “fixed” by an expert who tells you what to do. You'll get much more out of your counselling sessions if you feel comfortable enough to question, reflect and try out new ideas.
And if we are not the right fit, we can help you find someone else who might be.
This is a difficult question to answer, because change depends on a lot of factors, especially how much energy you can put into it, and the nature of the problem that brought you to counselling. People often feel some relief after just a few sessions. They may begin to slow down, understand their own emotions more clearly, see themselves or their loved one in new ways, and change their reactions a little. Short-term therapy can be a very effective way to deal with specific issues or to learn skills that can help you cope with an immediate problem. Long-standing patterns and deeper therapeutic change generally take more time. How much time really varies from one person to another.
Your therapist will ask more about what you hope to get out of our time together, and something about the history of the problem(s) that brought you in. Most importantly, we’ll ask about your values, plans or dreams, and what steps you've taken (even tiny ones!) to address the problem. We'll also want to know about your general health, your living situation, your supports, any medications, your emotional patterns or reactions, and times you've felt more resilient than you do now.
With EFT Couple Therapy, we will ask about what prompted you to seek counselling now (research shows couples wait an average of 6 years before seeking help – that's a long time to struggle!) and how you each see the difficult patterns you get stuck in. We will want to know how you met, and what you still value or feel is good about your relationship. We'll begin talking about how you stopped feeling close, how you fight, and who reaches out to repair (if you do). Gradually, you’ll find yourselves slowing down, talking to each other in ways you maybe haven't before... starting to rebuild that safety and understanding you need – together.
This depends a lot on the person and the issue (and your ability to attend regular appointments) but generally you'll get more out of therapy if you go every week or two at first, and then gradually space appointments a bit further apart.
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Therapy: $170 (50 minutes); $250 (75 minutes)
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Counselling intern fee: $85
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Gender/hormone assessment (including letter): $340
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RCT Supervision $170
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EFT Supervision $160
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Court testimony: $375/hr
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We accept payment by Visa, Mastercard, cash, cheque, or e-transfer sent ahead of the appointment.
Some insurers will cover fees for Registered Counselling Therapists and some do not. Please check with your plan administrator before making an appointment. We are also approved providers for Blue Cross and NIHB.
Fees for therapy are considered medical expenses for tax purposes, and may be claimed on your income tax form.
No. You can contact us directly. Some insurance companies do require a doctor's note, however, so it's wise to check with your insurer.
If you like, you can bring someone along. Together, we can discuss the supports you need.
We’ll discuss your situation beforehand, to make sure we have clear goals and a shared view of how to proceed. We may ask to meet with different parts of your family at different times. When working with children under the age of 16, we generally meet with parent(s) or guardian(s) for one or more sessions first, to get some background.
As a first step, we invite you to raise any concerns about your therapy directly with your therapist. Although this can feel challenging, it typically leads to good, open conversations about what's not working, and provides an opportunity to repair and even strengthen the therapeutic relationship.
If you have a complaint that cannot be resolved, or is of a more serious nature, contact the Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists. The form for filing a complaint is here. This infographic outlines how to file a complaint.
For more information on the guidelines that govern ethical behaviour in our profession, please refer to the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.
Yes! Over the years, Sara has collected a number of resources related to parenting, trauma, sexuality, adoption, anger, and more. Here is a link to a PDF list, with links to recommended books, media, and podcasts.