Gestalt Therapy
for Anxiety
in Ontario
Qualified therapists offering Gestalt-informed and integrative psychotherapy for anxiety across Ontario. In-person sessions in Oakville, Burlington, and Toronto. Online sessions available to all Ontario residents.
Gestalt therapists for anxiety in Ontario
Present-centred, body-aware, relational approach
Olga's approach to anxiety is grounded in Gestalt therapy with a somatic and relational focus — attending to what anxiety feels like in the body, what it signals in relationships, and how habitual patterns of self-interruption maintain the cycle. She trained at the Gestalt Institute of Toronto and holds additional certification in Developmental Somatic Psychotherapy. Her work supports clients in understanding the relational roots of anxious experience and developing greater capacity for present-moment contact.
Oksana works with anxiety through a developmental and relational lens — understanding how early experiences shape the self-critical and vigilant patterns that maintain anxious states. Her present-focused approach supports clients in identifying their true needs, strengthening their sense of self, and building greater self-compassion and confidence. She holds an MA in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University and additional training in Play Therapy using the Oaklander Model.
Other approaches to anxiety in Ontario
CBT, DBT, trauma-informed, integrative & person-centred
Alisa's integrative, client-centred approach to anxiety draws from CBT, DBT, EFT, and trauma-informed therapy. She works with anxiety connected to perfectionism, burnout, identity, and the stress of multicultural and immigrant experiences. Her work focuses on helping clients understand their emotional patterns, develop practical coping tools, and build resilience — within a respectful and culturally sensitive therapeutic space.
Justine works with anxiety using an integrative approach combining CBT, DBT, Attachment-Based Therapy, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. She works with individuals, couples, families, and children, with particular experience in trauma, crisis intervention, and Indigenous mental health. Her approach emphasises developing insight and empowering clients with concrete tools for positive change within a safe and non-judgmental space.
Gina works with anxiety using a person-centred and holistic approach drawing from CBT, ACT, DBT, Existential Therapy, and Mindfulness-Based Therapy. Her work is particularly well-suited to anxiety presenting as worrying and rumination, burnout, codependency, and self-esteem difficulties. She holds an MA in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University and a degree in Psychology and Linguistics from the University of Toronto.
Lydia specialises in anxiety in children, adolescents, and families — drawing on CBT, Trauma-Informed Therapy, EFT, Attachment Theory, and Internal Family Systems (IFS). Her background as a Registered Early Childhood Educator and Child Development Specialist informs a holistic approach that addresses emotional regulation, behavioural issues including neurodivergence, and parental mental health alongside the child's presenting difficulties.
With over 18 years of experience in mental health and addiction services, Donna brings a trauma-informed and person-centred approach to anxiety treatment. She draws from CBT, DBT, Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Trauma-Informed Therapy. Her work is particularly suited to anxiety presenting alongside trauma, PTSD, addiction, and life transitions — supporting clients in developing concrete coping strategies and lasting resilience.
Gestalt therapy and anxiety
Anxiety is not simply excessive worry — it is often a signal that something in the field of experience is unresolved, interrupted, or held at a distance. In Gestalt therapy, anxiety is understood as blocked excitement or contact: energy that cannot find its way into expression, relationship, or action and turns instead into dread, vigilance, or rumination.
Rather than working primarily to reduce symptoms, Gestalt-informed therapists attend to what the anxiety is pointing toward — what needs are not being met, which situations are being avoided, and how the nervous system learned to protect through constriction. This approach tends to suit people who want to understand the roots of their anxiety rather than manage it from the outside.
Most practitioners in this directory also work with integrative methods — CBT, ACT, DBT, trauma-informed approaches — and will draw on whatever is most useful for a given client.
What to expect in sessions
A Gestalt-informed therapist working with anxiety will typically attend closely to what happens in the body during anxious states — tightness, breath, posture, the impulse to withdraw — and invite curiosity about what these signals communicate. Sessions are exploratory rather than protocol-driven.
You may be invited to notice what is happening in the present moment, to explore an anxious pattern as it appears in the therapeutic relationship, or to work with situations from the past that continue to generate tension in the present. The pace is collaborative, shaped by what arises rather than a fixed curriculum.
For a fuller overview of the approach see What is Gestalt therapy? and Embodied awareness in therapy.
Find anxiety support across Ontario
All practitioners offer online sessions province-wide. In-person sessions are available in Oakville, Burlington, and Toronto.
Common questions
Is Gestalt therapy effective for anxiety?
Gestalt therapy is supported by a growing body of research for anxiety, particularly anxiety rooted in relational difficulties, developmental trauma, or avoidance patterns. It tends to suit people who want to understand their anxiety rather than simply manage it. For structured symptom-reduction, CBT remains the most evidence-dense approach — most practitioners in this directory are integrative and can draw from both.
How is Gestalt different from CBT for anxiety?
CBT works primarily with patterns of thought and behaviour through structured techniques. Gestalt is less structured, attending to what is present in the body and in the therapeutic relationship. Many people find Gestalt more personally meaningful while CBT provides more concrete tools. The two approaches are often used together by integrative therapists.
Can I access anxiety therapy online in Ontario?
Yes. All practitioners listed here offer secure online sessions available to any Ontario resident. Research consistently supports online therapy as comparably effective to in-person work for anxiety. Sessions take place via PHIPA-compliant video platforms.
Is anxiety therapy covered by insurance in Ontario?
Coverage depends on the therapist's registration and your benefits plan. Services provided by Registered Psychologists (CPO) are covered by most extended health plans. Registered Psychotherapists (CRPO) and Registered Social Workers (OCSWSSW) are covered by a growing number of plans. Check directly with your provider before booking.
What if my anxiety is connected to trauma?
Several practitioners in this directory have specific training in trauma-informed approaches — including Olga Klimenkova (Gestalt, somatic), Donna Mahoney (18+ years trauma experience), and Alisa Ziad Al Haj (complex trauma, CPTSD). Anxiety and trauma frequently present together and are well addressed by relational, body-aware approaches.
Do you have therapists for children with anxiety?
Yes — Lydia Kellar specialises in anxiety in children, adolescents, and families. She has backgrounds in Early Childhood Education and Child Development, and works with anxiety presenting alongside neurodivergence, developmental challenges, and parental mental health. See her profile above for details.
Understanding anxiety through a Gestalt lens
GestaltReview's editorial library includes articles on the concepts most relevant to anxiety treatment — embodied awareness, contact and withdrawal, shame, and the relational roots of emotional difficulty. These articles are written for a professional readership but are accessible to anyone wanting to understand what Gestalt-informed work involves before beginning.
Understanding what your therapist means by present-moment awareness, somatic contact, or field theory may help you engage more fully with the work from the outset.