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In crisis? Call or text 9-8-8 at any time.We are not an emergency service.

(613) 555-0163Book a 15-minute call
(613) 555-0163

Monday to Thursday until 8:00 p.m. Friday until 4:00 p.m.

Book a 15-minute call

5:00 p.m.Late sun

A small counsellingpractice in Westboro

Four therapists in a brick house on a quiet street, seeing adults and couples in person and by video since 2019.

A red brick house with a deep wooden porch and a teal door on a Westboro side street, under maple trees turning orange.
Our house on a side street in Westboro, a short walk from the Richmond Road buses.
A quiet waiting room with a wooden bench, a folded wool throw and a brass lamp, with leaf shadows on a plaster wall.
A camel wool coat and a teal scarf on a wooden peg rail by a front door, with a small bench and leather boots below.

How the practice works

Larchmere Counselling opened in 2019. Four therapists share the practice. Three are Registered Psychotherapists, and one is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) who works under clinical supervision.

Our office is on a quiet side street, with a separate waiting room and sound-proofed session rooms. If you prefer to stay home, every therapist also offers video sessions.

We list our fees, our training and our approaches on this site so you can decide if we are a good fit before you book.

The waiting room is separate from the session rooms, and appointments are spaced ten minutes apart, so you are unlikely to meet another client on your way in or out.

What you can count on

  • A 15-minute phone call before you commit
  • Fees listed before you book
  • Receipts with the details health plans ask for
  • Sessions in person or by video
Golden tamarack trees and a wooden boardwalk leading into morning mist over a peat bog.
Tamaracks, or larches, turn gold and drop their needles every fall. They grow them back each spring.

Why a larch

Larches, which most people in Ottawa call tamaracks, turn gold every October and drop their needles. In spring they grow them all back.

Maren named the practice after the tamaracks at the Mer Bleue bog, where she walks most weekends. A branch sits on the waiting room sill each fall.

Our therapists

Each profile lists the training behind the approaches that therapist uses. You can check any registration on the CRPO public register.

Maren Castellanos, a therapist with shoulder-length dark wavy hair and an oat linen shirt, sitting by a window.

Maren Castellanos

Registered Psychotherapist

Maren opened Larchmere in 2019. She sees adults dealing with anxiety, stress at work and big changes such as a move or a new baby. She likes to agree on a small, practical goal in the first few sessions.

Approaches
  • Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
  • Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
Training
  • Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology
  • Certificate course in CBT for anxiety
  • Clinical supervisor for Wren Takahashi
Sees
Adults, in English and Spanish
Hours
Monday to Thursday, with evenings on Tuesday and Wednesday
Idris Okonkwo-Bell, a therapist with short greying hair and a grey beard, in a teal sweater, sitting by a window.

Idris Okonkwo-Bell

Registered Psychotherapist

Idris sees most of our couples. Many come in because the same argument keeps coming back. He works with married, common-law and dating couples, and with partners deciding whether to stay together.

Approaches
  • Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
  • The Gottman Method
Training
  • Master of Arts in Couple and Family Therapy
  • EFT externship and core skills training
  • Gottman Method training, levels 1 and 2
Sees
Couples and adults, in English
Hours
Monday to Thursday, with evenings every day
Célia Brassard, a therapist with short silver hair and round glasses, in a mustard cardigan, sitting by a window.

Célia Brassard

Registered Psychotherapist

Célia works with adults after the death of someone close, a pregnancy loss or a divorce. Some clients see her for a few weeks around an anniversary. Others meet with her for a year or more.

Approaches
  • Grief and bereavement counselling
  • Narrative therapy
Training
  • Master of Arts in Counselling
  • Certificate in bereavement care
  • Training in support after suicide loss and pregnancy loss
Sees
Adults, in English and French
Hours
Monday, Wednesday and Friday, daytime
Wren Takahashi, a therapist with black hair in a low bun and an oat overshirt, sitting by a window.

Wren Takahashi

Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)

Wren sees adults in person and by video, mostly in the evening. As a qualifying registrant, Wren meets with a clinical supervisor each week. Sessions with Wren cost less.

Approaches
  • Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
  • Person-centred therapy
Training
  • Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, 2024
  • Clinical supervision with Maren Castellanos
Sees
Adults, in English and Japanese
Hours
Tuesday to Thursday, with evenings every day
A lit window in a red brick house at dusk, with an armchair and a bookshelf glowing behind a linen curtain.
Seven in the evening in November. Our last sessions start at 7:00 p.m.

Your file stays private

Your notes are kept in practice software that stores data in Canada. Only your therapist reads them, and a clinical supervisor may review Wren's files with Wren.

We share information only with your written consent, or when the law requires it. Ontario's Personal Health Information Protection Act sets out those cases.

We never confirm to anyone who calls that you are a client.

Book a 15-minute call

8:00 p.m.Last session ends

Start with a short call. We keep the light on until eight.

Book a free 15-minute phone call. Tell us a little about what brings you in, and we will suggest a therapist and a time that suits you. There is nothing to sign.

Book a 15-minute call Call (613) 555-0163

Hours

  • Mon to Thu
  • Friday
  • Weekend

Gold shows evening sessions, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Office

Westboro, Ottawa. We send the street address and entry details when you book.

By video

Anywhere in Ontario, at the same fees.