Chelsea Gay
Owner • Registered Psychotherapist"Therapy isn't about fixing what is broken with you. It's about figuring out how your mind and body learned to survive, and helping you build a life where you don't have to stay on guard 24/7."
Approach
I have spent the last ten years working with some of the most resilient people I have ever met, across inpatient hospital units, case management, addiction services, and community work. I learned that even the strongest individuals sometimes need a soft space to land - a space to be reminded of their own strength- and a space to heal.
Whether you carry hyper-independence, chronic anxiety, or emotional shutdown, those patterns weren't flaws, they were ingenious ways your nervous system kept you safe during chaos. Today, my work focuses on deconstructing those protective loops so you can finally feel steady, grounded, and connected.
Does This Sound Familiar?
Chronic Over-Functioning
You are the capable, reliable one who holds everything together for everyone else, paired with deep guilt whenever you step back or say no.
Living on Adrenaline
High-performing on paper, but constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. Real, quiet rest feels physically uncomfortable.
Early Relational Echoes
Recognizing that childhood expectations or caregiver dynamics are still running the show in your romantic partnerships and work life.
What Working Together Looks Like
Sessions are structured, observant, and collaborative. We blend practical nervous system tools with deep relational insight:
CBT & DBT: Concrete strategies to interrupt runaway thought loops and regulate intense distress in real-time.
Attachment & IFS (Parts Work): Getting curious about the protective "parts" of you that carry anxiety or keep you isolated.
Polyvagal Work: Helping your nervous system recognize that the past threat is over, bringing you out of fight, flight, or freeze.
In My Element
Unwinding at home with my dog.
Downtime Routine
Crocheting, getting lost in a good book, and yoga.
Clinical Background & Training
Degrees & Core Registration
- Registered Psychotherapist, College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario
- Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, Yorkville University
- Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University
- Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association Member,
Certifications & Trainings
- Treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder (2026)
- Eating Disorders within General Practice (2026)
- Exposure Therapy for Eating Disorders (2026)
- OCD Subtypes: Assessment and Intervention (2026)
- Functional Assessment for OCD (2026)
- Clinical Supervision Certificate, 2025
- Certified DBT Therapist (2025)
- Certified ADHD Clinical Services Provider (2025)
- Harm Reduction Certificate (2024)
- Exposure Therapy for OCD & Anxiety Disorders (2024)
- Treating OCD in Adults (2024)
- Treating Childhood OCD (2024)
- Adverse Childhood Experiences & Healing Childhood Trauma (2024)
- NVCI & ASIST (2024)
- De-escalating Violent Situations (2024)
- Certified Clinical Traumatologist (TITC-CT, 2023)
- Vicarious Trauma (2023)
- 2SLGBTQIA+ Foundations Level I & II (2022 & 2023)
- Gottman Couples Therapy Level 1 (2022)
- Solution Focused Therapy (2022)
- Suicide Prevention & Intervention (2022)
- Indigenous Canada (2020)
Work with Our Practice Clinicians
While my individual roster is full, clinicians on our team have immediate openings. We work collaboratively under the same evidence-based, trauma-informed framework. We offer individual, relationship, and reduced-rate therapy options.