individual therapy

If you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck, wondering how much longer you can keep pushing yourself far past your limits in a life that barely feels like your own, I'm glad you've found me.Therapy has the ability to empower and embolden us in often surprising ways. It can get to the root of what's holding us back (on internal, interpersonal, and sociocultural levels) and help us build a life we love.

I specialize in providing open-ended individual therapy to adults and adolescents 16+.Learn more about my approach and the issues I love helping with.

if you worry that you're:

You're in the right place.

Let's get into it. Reach out for a consultation today.

About

Rhizoma Psychotherapy is the private practice of Quin Fallbrooke (that's me, hi! Yes, I wrote every word of this website myself). I'm a licensed psychotherapist* with 12 years of clinical experience, as well as a teacher and writer.Other sometimes-salient identities: queer, nonbinary transmasc (pronouns: they/them), POC, Asian American, mixed race/hapa, immigrant, child of an immigrant, gardener, urban sketcher, introvert, gluten lover, overly ambitious library patron.

my approach

I think of the therapy process as a bit like freewriting (the practice of writing freely without thinking, analyzing, or pausing, as a way of foiling the inner critic that causes writer’s block).Our inner critic is notoriously bad at recognizing creative gems. So when we let it run the show, we end up tossing out a thousand brilliant ideas before they even get a chance to make it onto the page.The same goes for our everyday thoughts. The gold gets thrown out before we even see it.Therapy is a place to let yourself say whatever bizarre, tangential, disturbing, brilliant thought (or feeling, memory, dream, or intuition) pops into your mind, so we can see what parts of yourself you’ve been silencing.Because we need all of it! The world needs all of you.Once we get all the puzzle pieces on the table, we can start to construct a picture of what wholeness looks like for you.

Let’s get your whole self here. Then the work can begin.

I love helping people create a life that honors their values. Between the demands of adulthood, late-stage capitalism, and geopolitical chaos, it can feel impossible to both change the world and pay the rent.It’s tempting to think that if we just keep plugging away at what we’re doing, working ourselves to death at something that doesn’t light us up, we’ll eventually hit our stride, be rewarded, and finally just live. You may be starting to lose hope—but I know you’re not quite ready to give up, or you wouldn’t be here.I firmly believe it's possible to live a life that honors our highest values and also feels sustainable—with plenty of room for pleasure, joy, and deep connection.

guiding values

Empowerment

My work is founded on intersectional feminist, anti-oppression principles. My goal as your therapist is to help you to take back the power that rightfully belongs to you and reclaim your capacity for growth and change. Ultimately I want you to feel stronger and more confident, based on an honest, compassionate sense of your own strengths and limits.

Connection

Deep connection—with ourselves and others—makes us feel alive, open, and courageous. Without it we wither; with it we’re stronger, clearer, and wiser. It’s what allows us to use our personal power with integrity and love.Feeling understood by another person makes a million things possible. This is one of the things I love most about being a therapist: getting to witness their full, vibrant, fascinating, messy, imperfect selves. From this place, we can move toward healthy, fulfilling relationships with those we care about.

Kindness

Too often, self-improvement becomes one more platform for that nasty inner voice that says, "You're not enough." In our work together, learning to be kind to yourself will be a crucial early step toward creating room for real change.

Meaning

I believe our primary existential task, individually and collectively, is to create meaning in the world: to construct a narrative that can hold our experience and our values. It's so easy to just accept the meanings other people and institutions have handed us since we were born. But I’m guessing many of those narratives don't fit you very well. In fact, they might be choking the life out of you. So let's help you create a sense of meaning and purpose that works for you: that will help you not just survive in this world, but make it your home.

professional background

I was first licensed to independently practice psychotherapy in 2018 in California. I earned a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Sonoma State University in 2015.Since then, I have received advanced training in relational psychodynamic therapy from the Women's Therapy Center in Berkeley, California. I have also earned a PESI certificate of specialization in working with autistic clients.Additionally, I have spent many years studying meditation, tarot, and Buddhist and Taoist philosophical traditions.

Licenses and Registrations

As a registered psychotherapist (qualifying) in Ontario, I am able to provide online psychotherapy services to all residents of Canada.I am licensed to provide psychotherapy to U.S. residents living in California, Oregon, and Massachusetts.

fees

Fees are for 55-minute individual psychotherapy sessions via video, phone, or in-person appointments. Longer sessions are possible upon mutual agreement, at a prorated fee.

A limited number of reduced-fee spots are available for those in need. If you need a fee reduction to access therapy, please inquire during our initial consultation.Statements are available upon request for possible reimbursement from your health insurance provider.

frequently asked questions

• what will our sessions be like?
• how long will it take before i start feeling better?
• can i see you every other week, or once a month?
• are my sessions confidential?
• how soon can we start?

What will our sessions be like?

We'll meet once or twice a week for 55-minute sessions. In the first few sessions, I'll ask you about what's bringing you into therapy, and we'll talk about the major areas of your life, both past and present: work, romantic relationships, friendships, family, and significant events.Once we've gotten a rough sketch of the landscape of your life, I'll invite you to let yourself share whatever comes up for you in the moment as we talk: thoughts, feelings, memories, physical sensations. We all do a lot of self-editing in our day-to-day lives, and the things we edit out usually contain important information about our deep selves. Therapy is a place to practice being radically honest about what's happening inside so that you can start living a more authentic life.Sometimes I offer exercises in session that relate to what is unfurling in the moment. I may also suggest what I like to call "experiments" for you to try between sessions. All of these activities are meant to be explored with curiosity, to see what happens when you try something new. The only way to fail here is to not take small risks, both inside and outside of our time together.

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How long will it take before I start feeling better?

Many people experience a new sense of hope and relief within a few sessions, as they get a glimpse of what could be different. Often, the experience of knowing you have a skilled, compassionate ally by your side, helping you hold your struggles, can begin to subtly shift what feels most difficult in your internal and external worlds.At the same time, therapy will open up difficult feelings as we start to grapple with what's been holding you back. There's really no getting around this hard part of the work, but it's absolutely worth it.Within the first six months, you'll likely experience some important shifts in the ways you're showing up at work, in your significant relationships, and with yourself.Ultimately, how quickly you'll see changes has a lot to do with how much work you're putting in between sessions. Think of it like learning a new language: it's really hard to make much progress putting in just one hour a week. Practicing skills and doing your homework between our meetings is an essential part of getting the most out of this process. Therapy is an investment in your own healing and growth. As with so many things, what you'll accomplish is in direct proportion to how much you put in.That being said, I also invite you to take your time with this journey and not push yourself beyond your limits. Sometimes going slow is the only way to get where we want to be.

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Can I see you every other week, or once a month?

In my practice as a depth therapist, I find that the work is most effective by far when meeting at least once a week. Meeting less frequently is an option at the tail end of therapy, as the bulk of our work comes to a close.Because I prioritize weekly sessions, my schedule has limited capacity for less-frequent meetings. Other therapists take different approaches to this, so if you prefer to meet less frequently than once a week, you may find that another provider will be better suited to your needs.

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Are my sessions confidential?

Yes, the law protects your participation in therapy and all the content of your sessions as confidential. BUT there are two important exceptions where I'm legally and ethically required to break confidentiality: if I reasonably suspect that 1) a child or elderly/dependent adult is being abused; or 2) there's an imminent risk of your physically endangering the life of another person.If you're worried that any of these situations might arise in the course of our work together, please mention your concern to me so we can figure out how to proceed.

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How soon can we start?

If you're eager to start ASAP, the quickest way is to schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation. If we're a good match and our schedules line up, I'll usually be able to schedule your first session within a week.I look forward to getting to know you.

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free initial consultation

Psychotherapy is a deeply personal process.
The fit between us matters.

For those connecting for the first time, I offer a free 20-minute consultation so we can start getting to know each other.During the call, I’ll ask about what's bringing you to therapy and what your hopes are; you can also ask any questions you have.If it seems like we might be a good match, we'll compare schedules and confirm a first appointment.

• schedule your consult

drop a line

Signal is my preferred mode of communication. New and prospective clients, please leave a voice memo. I use texting for scheduling purposes only.I do my best to respond to client messages within two business days. I'm most responsive Tuesday through Thursday.If you haven't heard back, feel free to reach out again.

office location

In-person sessions are available in Ottawa's Centretown neighborhood, near Somerset and Bank.The building has single-stall restrooms but is not wheelchair-accessible.Public Transit: Within 2 blocks of lines 5, 6, 7, 11, 14. 850m from Parliament station on O-train line 1.Bike: Bike parking available to the right of the building.Driving: Street parking available. From 417, take Metcalfe exit.