If you are in an emergency or in crisis or need help immediately, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department.

You matter. There is support available:

Find a helpline if resources listed below do not meet what you are looking for.

988: Suicide Crisis Helpline: Dial 9-8-8. Offers support that is bilingual, trauma-informed, culturally appropriate. It is available to anyone in Canada.

Kids Help Phone: Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to Canadians aged 5 to 29 who want confidential and anonymous care from trained responders. Visit the Kids Help Phone website for online chat support or to access online resources for children and youth.

YouthLine: Text: 647-694-4275. Offers free support through our Ontario-wide 2SLGBTQ+ peer-support HelpLine. Get support from a peer support volunteer 
Sunday-Friday 4:00 pm - 9:30 pm EST.

Trans Lifeline: Call (877) 330-6366 (Canada). Trans Lifeline’s Hotline is a peer support phone service run by trans people for our trans and questioning peers. Call if you need someone to talk to, even if you’re not in a crisis.

Hope for Wellness Help Line: Call 1-855-242-3310 (toll-free) or connect to the online Hope for Wellness chat. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples seeking emotional support, crisis intervention, or referrals to community-based services. Support is available in English and French and, by request, in Cree, Ojibway, and Inuktitut.

The National Indian Residential School Crisis Line: Call 1 866-925-4419 (toll-free). Crisis support is available to former Indian Residential School students and their families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Talk4Healing: Call -855-554-HEAL or chat. Help, support, and resources by and for Indigenous women.

Canadian Emergency Response Psychosocial Support Network: Mental health guidance and resources

Books & Activities:

Sometimes, it can be challenging, scary, or a time or financial commitment to start couple’s therapy. There are a number of free or lower cost options available to assist in forming deeper connection with your partner. Listed below are some of the options that I have personally vetted.

However, please note that these are not a replacement for therapy, and if you find yourself utilizing some of these resources and notice your relationship or own personal mental health is worsening, please seek the help of a qualified mental health professional. Some relationship concerns may require more in depth intervention than reading books, doing workshops, or participating in workshops or webinars. Listen to your body and your relationship dynamic and make the most informed decision for yourself.

Emotionally Focused Therapy Resources:

Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by Sue Johnson and it’s accompanying workbook

Love Sense by Sue Johnson

An Emotionally Focused Workbook for Couples: The Two of Us (2nd edition). Authors: Veronica Kallos-Lilly & Jennifer Fitzgerald

Couples Therapy Workbook for Healing: Emotionally Focused Therapy Techniques to Restore Your Relationship. Author: Lori Cluff Schade

Gottman Resources:

The LOVE Prescription: 7 days to More Intimacy, Connection & Joy. Authors: John & Julie Gottman

Marriage Minute (a free bi-weekly newsletter): https://www.gottman.com/marriage-minute/

Gottman Card Deck App (free conversation starters): https://www.gottman.com/couples/apps/

Other Books & Resources:

‘Til Stress Do Us Part. Author: Elizabeth Earnshaw

The Skin Deep (relationship conversation card packs): https://shop.theskindeep.com/

Mental Health & Relational Workshops:

Having worked and volunteered in community mental health settings most of my life, I love providing free mental health and relational based workshops to the community to help inform and decrease stigma associated with mental health concerns while normalizing therapy.

If you are interested in collaborating on a workshop series, please contact me at info@ekaterinakapoustina.ca and we can start a conversation about what your agency’s or organization’s needs are.

List of possible topics (but not limited to):

• Increasing connection between partners through learning about the relational cycle that keeps partners stuck & the role of attachment science

• Improving emotional health - learning to identify what emotions are coming up & what their purpose is & how to share feelings for effective interpersonal communication

• Increasing knowledge on varying mental health concerns through psychoeducational workshops on depression, anxiety, suicide, self-harm, trauma, personality disorders and many others

• Discussing how to best support clients and patients who may have had negative experiences with the healthcare system

• Developing self-care strategies for busy professionals to avoid burnout

• Switching from a fixed to growth mindset and offering strategies and skill building to provide support with studying for high-stake examinations and decrease anxiety associated with test taking

Looking for Individual Therapy?

Sometimes, one or more partners may not be willing to enter couples therapy. Changing a relationship dynamic can happen even if one person decides to attend therapy and make changes in their own personal life. Additionally, individual therapy can be helpful as an addition to couples therapy.

Although I do not offer individual therapy, I can provide you with a list of therapists who might be a good fit for your specific needs. Please inquire about this at any time. Additionally, you can also find therapists through your insurance, in community health organizations, on PsychologyToday, or other platforms.