Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
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Where symptoms can be listened to.
Virtual across Ontario · In-person Oakville/Georgetown
English · Spanish
Responses within 48-72 hours on business days
Sabrina Ramirez-Fernandes
Spec. Clin. Psych. C. Psychological Associate
Professional note: This practice provides non-urgent outpatient care only. If you are in crisis, please call 911, 988, or go to your nearest hospital. Calls and emails are responded to within 48–72 hours on business days.​​​
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Who May Benefit from Psychodynamic Therapy?
Psychodynamic therapy is especially helpful for individuals who:
• Experience anxiety, depression, or persistent feelings of low self-worth rooted in earlier life experiences
• Notice recurring emotional patterns or relationship difficulties that feel difficult to explain
• Have lived through loss, trauma, or relational wounds that continue to shape their present life
• Wish to understand themselves more deeply, rather than focusing solely on symptom management
• Feel disconnected from their emotions, identity, or sense of purpose
• Are curious about how unconscious processes and early relationships influence their current difficulties
• Are willing to engage in a reflective process that unfolds over time
• This approach is particularly suited to those who value insight, emotional depth, and long-term transformation over quick solutions.
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​Who May Need a Different Kind of Support?
While psychodynamic therapy can be transformative, it may not be the most appropriate first-line approach for individuals who:
• Are in an acute crisis requiring immediate stabilization (e.g., recent suicide attempt or active psychosis)
• Have severe and active substance use disorders requiring medical detoxification or structured addiction treatment
• Are experiencing significant cognitive impairments (e.g., moderate to severe traumatic brain injury or advanced neurological conditions)
• Present with complex medical–psychiatric conditions requiring intensive multidisciplinary care
• Are mandated to treatment for legal or institutional reasons and are not seeking therapy voluntarily
• Require short-term, highly structured symptom-focused interventions
In these situations, a more integrated care plan may be necessary before, or alongside, psychodynamic work.
​​​Qualifications and Registrations:
• Five-year degree in Clinical Psychology, Central University of Venezuela
• Master’s degree in clinical psychology (three-year program), Psychiatric Hospital El Peñón, Venezuela
• Certified and in good standing with the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO)
• Registered member of the Ontario Psychological Association (OPA)
• Trained in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Motivational Interviewing
• Four years of psychoanalytic study with Psychoanalyst Marcelo Augusto Pérez, focused on clinical technique and case discussion
​Therapeutic Approaches and Interventions:
• Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Internal Family Systems (IFS)
• Motivational Interviewing
• Art and Play Therapy
• Brief Intervention for School Clinicians (BRISC)
• Trauma-Informed Care
• Psychological First Aid (PFA)
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Psychological Assessment Tools:
• Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
• Comprehensive assessment batteries tailored to the individual, including evaluation of learning disabilities, intellectual functioning, depression, anxiety, and ADHD
• Risk Assessment
• Threat Assessment
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Clinical Experience:
• Over ten years of clinical work in Venezuela with children, adolescents, and adults in community-based and inpatient psychiatric settings
• Seven years providing psychodynamic psychotherapy to women and couples in Venezuela under ongoing clinical supervision
• Two years delivering psychological first aid following natural disasters, including the 1999 Vargas floods; contributor to a published book documenting this work
• One year providing psychotherapy to inpatients in a pediatric oncology unit
• Over twenty-one years supporting individuals whose psychological symptoms interfere with daily functioning, work, and relationships
• Ten years providing school and clinical psychology services in elementary and secondary schools across Ontario
• Seven years offering private psychodynamic psychotherapy in Ontario
​​​Professional Disclaimer:
Please note: Private mental health practice is primarily for non-urgent, outpatient services. If you are in crisis or require emergency or inpatient-level care, please call 911, 988, contact any of these mental health crisis lines, or go to your nearest hospital. Phone calls, voicemails, text messages, and emails will be responded to within 48 hours on business days.
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"Esse est percipi"
"To be is to be perceived."
— Bishop George Berkeley, A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge (1710)
PRACTICE
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I am a Clinical and School Psychological Associate working from a Lacanian
psychoanalytic orientation.
I work with concerns such as anxiety, repeated difficulties in relationships, and emotional experiences that are difficult to understand or change. ​​
Rather than treating these as isolated problems, I focus on how these take shape over time - how they repeat and
how they are connected to one's
history and way of relating to others. ​​
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The aim is not simply to eliminate symptoms, but to understand what sustains them, so a different relation to them becomes possible.
YOU MAY RECOGNIZE THIS
People often reach out not because something is clearly wrong, but because
something does not settle. Even when the source of the pain is known, the same
patterns seem to repeat, often leading to the same forms of suffering.
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You find yourself repeating the same patterns in relationships, even when
you try to do things differently.
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You feel anxious, overwhelmed, disconnected, or unmotivated, without
fully understanding why.
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You function well on the outside, but internally something feels off or
unresolved, even when it relates to something that happened long ago.
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You think a great deal about your situation, but thinking, journaling,
or trying to work through it does not seem to change it.
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​These are not random. They follow a structure, and that structure
can be understood.
HOW TREATMENT WORKS
Psychotherapy is a structured clinical process focused on understanding how symptoms, emotional distress, and relational patterns are organized and maintained.
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In the initial sessions, we clarify what brings you to treatment, how these difficulties have developed over time, and what has already been attempted. If this approach is appropriate for you, a clear direction for the work is established.
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Sessions provide a consistent setting in which patterns of thought, behavior, and emotional response can be examined as they emerge. The focus is not only on symptom reduction, but on understanding the underlying processes that sustain them.
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Over time, this work can lead to changes in how you relate to your symptoms, to yourself, and to others.​
CONTACT
To request a consultation, please email:
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I respond within 24-72 bussiness hours.
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Covered by most insurance companies
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Sessions are 55 minutes and are billed at CAD $225
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Payment is due on the day of the session
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Appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice are subject to a cancellation fee
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This is not an emergency service​
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If you are in crisis or require immediate assistance, please call 911, 988, or go to your nearest emergency department.
WHAT REPEATS IS NOT WITHOUT MEANING
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