PSYCHOTHERAPY

and the sun

Hi, I'm Mariana

I'm a Gestalt psychotherapist based in Ontario, Canada. I support people to know and express their truth and power, through nature, relationship, somatics and imagination.

If you've found your way here, it's likely that you're feeling stuck with how things are and you want things to move. You know it's time to interrupt old patterns by the degree of difficulty and discomfort you're experiencing.You feel there's a different way needed, one that is yours to carve out of the noise, beyond trauma, anxiety, addiction, depression, grief and confusion.

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and the wind

Approach

As a psychotherapist trained in the Gestalt approach, I meet you in the moment with a calm, curious presence, and I aim to respond to you with authenticity and compassion for our shared humanity. I focus on the vitality and wisdom inherent in thoughts and behaviours that may seem problematic. My work serves to invite new awareness through an embodied, relational approach fully present in the here & now.

Embodied

...the body and nervous system are our allies, pathfinders, and truthsayers. We listen and follow where they lead us.

Relational

...sessions are a relational laboratory for new experiences in relating & explorations of what's possible.

Here & now

...the enlivening, creative energy of the present moment (vs. the past or future) guides us to where change is ripe.

Sessions take the form of conversations where we invite in what remains unspoken. We can explore through spontaneous and creative experiments that call on movement, nature, drawing, active imagery, and role play to access new awareness. These are always optional.More often than not, our explorations lead to where grief, sadness, anger, and fear reside unmet. With the support of presence in relationship, these can finally be felt and moved, with gentle allowance and compassion.In this way, we move towards increased acceptance of what's present and true for you, unlocking stuck energy along the way. Often, new choices then emerge spontaneously.

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and the earth

Who I support

Specifically, I provide support for:
- Youth (18+) in finding their own path
- Adults of all ages who are in the midst of change
- Men who feel lost, restless, or listless
- Folks planning for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) and their familiesFor my clients, the call for change often shows up as:

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • Addiction

  • Relationship difficulties

  • Sexuality issues

  • Loneliness

  • Codependence

  • Grief

  • Ecological grief

  • Chronic illness

  • Medical trauma

  • PTSD or C-PTSD

  • Early childhood trauma

  • Family conflict

  • Emotional disturbances

  • Spiritual crisis

  • Self-harm

  • Low self-esteem

My practice aims to be warm, human-scaled, trauma-informed, somatic, and client-led. I include my worldview in my work, which places humans within the web of our ecological and spiritual relationships.My lens includes my lived experience as a descendant of colonized French and Irish migrants. I belong to a linguistic and cultural minority here in Ontario. I am LGBTQ2S+ allied and sex positive. While I have lived in large cities, I come from a deep rural context and was raised as much by the land as by my family. As a white person on Anishinaabe territory, I have life-long experience with and alongside Indigenous communities and have taken steps to educate myself in the language, in cultural safety, and systemic racism. I continue to seek learning opportunities.I work and live with deep gratitude on the traditional and current lands of the Anishinaabeg, between the dramatic, enchanted Michigiwadinong and the deep and clear Gchigami.

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and the sun

About me

My name is Mariana Lafrance, I'm a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), Gestalt practitioner, group facilitator, interdisciplinary artist and wildcrafter on Mnidoo Mnis / Manitoulin Island.I come to psychotherapy with five years of training in embodied relational psychotherapy at the Gestalt Institute of Toronto. A large part of my training included participation in individual therapy and group process. I've been seeing clients since early 2024.I have over a decade of practice in somatics, group process facilitation, teaching, community life, intuitive practice, embodied creativity and movement, in addition to thousands of solo hours spent on the land, observing and relating with the other-than-human world. My influences include ecopsychology, animism, Core Energetics, Somatic Experiencing, shamanic practice, depth psychology, Bill Plotkin, contact improvisation, Pochinko clown, mask work, 5 Rhythms, Stephen Jenkinson, Kung Fu, and more.I trained in life coaching at the Co-Active Training Institute, an approach that is embodied, playful, and inspiring.

My background includes a B.A. Highest Honours in Cognitive Science with a specialization in Psychology, and a Masters degree focused on science communication and adult learning.I have corporate experience as a facilitator, trainer, and coach.And finally, I'm a qualifying member of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario #21294 and a member of the Ontario Society of Registered Psychotherapists #71475910.

Formal training

  • Indigenous Land-Based Counselling, Gwekwaadziwin Miikan, in progress

  • Gestalt Institute of Toronto, 5-year psychotherapist training diploma, 2025

  • Initiation to Shamanic practice, The medicine Circle, 2025

  • Co-Active Training Institute, coaching (fundamentals, Fulfillment, balance), 60 hrs, 2022

  • Living with the Land, 10-day experiential course in Anishinaabe land-based practices and spirituality, Laurentian University, with Elder Josh Eshkawgogan, Wiky, 2013.

  • M.M.St., Science communication and adult learning, University of Toronto, 2006

  • B.A. Highest Honours, Cognitive Science with specialization in Psychology, Carleton University, 2004

and the woods

Work with me

Psychotherapy
I offer online 1:1 services to Ontario residents over 18. I also offer in-person services on Manitoulin Island and Sudbury (starting in 2026 -- please inquire). Outdoor sessions are an option for established clients.I also offer group therapy for small groups (adults only). Group sizes can range from 3 to 10.À noter : J'offre aussi les services en français.Fees
$150 for a 60-minute session for individuals*
$250 for 90-minute group therapy with small groups*Some sliding scale slots ($80 - $120) are available, please inquire.Insurance
Sessions are eligible for full or partial coverage by many insurance plans. Please check your coverage for "Registered Psychotherapy".NIHB coverage is available to those who qualify.Please note that I do not use AI-powered note-taking apps in my practice.

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and the water

Want to feel it out?

Book me for a free confidential phone consultation below.

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Subscribe below to receive monthly to quarterly email newsletter updates on my offerings and reflections on the intersections of wellness and nature connection.

and the night

Book a free consultation

Important note: if you are experiencing a mental health crisis, call 988 for immediate assistance. Or, call 911 for all emergencies. This mailbox is not monitored 24/7.Fill out the form below to book a free, confidential 20-minute consultation where we can explore how I can serve you.Your confidentiality is of utmost importance and will be honoured from the moment you first reach out. While I ask for your phone number, I will reply only by email unless you ask otherwise.My response time is typically 48 hours.

Alternately, you can contact me directly at:
mlafrance (a) gestaltmail.ca
705-500-1289

© Mariana Lafrance. All rights reserved. Photography by Ali Kazal, Allen, Andy Sanchez, Casey Horner, Cynthia Magana, Heberti Almeida, Heidi Fin, Johny Goerend, Ksenia Makagonova, Pete Nuij, Carl Schlabach, Alexas_Fotos, Pierre Lemos, Ronald Gijezen, and T MG.

THANKS

I have received your message and will contact you within 48 hours.

Groups

In addition to individual therapy, I also offer therapy in group settings.Group work, whether with an existing group or with a group of individuals gathered just for this purpose, is a rewarding, stimulating, and sometimes intensive way to do therapy. With others present you have access to forms of support unavailable in individual therapy.Note: There are no groups running currently.

1. At the mouth of the river

Dates & location to be announced.This nature / process group will be a place to come together and connect deeply with others in these times of turbulent change, with the natural world as a backdrop, container, and active participant.Click here to be taken to the group website.

2. Private groups

I'm available to facilitate group processes for business, education, and communities. Please contact me for details.