Individual Psychotherapy, Relationship Expertise & More Than 20 Years of Experience

I'm Rory Batchilder, MEd, CCC, RP, a Registered Psychotherapist providing virtual psychotherapy in Ottawa and throughout Ontario.

I've been working in counselling, psychotherapy, education and mental-health-related settings for more than 20 years.

Today, I place particular emphasis on individual psychotherapy, while maintaining a smaller couples-therapy practice.

I work with adults experiencing anxiety, ADHD and neurodivergence, trauma, workplace stress and burnout, relationship difficulties, major life transitions, emotional overwhelm, self-esteem concerns, and times when people simply feel stuck and aren't quite sure what needs to change.

My approach is active, collaborative and conversational. I believe therapy can involve understanding ourselves more deeply while also helping us deal with the very practical problems happening in our lives right now.

Individual Therapy That Focuses on the Whole Person

People rarely fit neatly into one therapeutic category.

Someone may initially come to therapy because of anxiety but discover that relationships, work, ADHD, past experiences or major life changes are also contributing to what they're experiencing.

Someone else may come because of a difficult relationship and gradually realize that the work is also about boundaries, confidence, attachment, emotional regulation or patterns that have followed them through different parts of their life.

That's one reason I particularly value individual psychotherapy. It gives us room to understand how the different parts of your life connect rather than concentrating only on a diagnosis or isolated symptom.

Learn more about my Individual Therapy & Psychotherapy in Ottawa.

Relationship Experience That Can Also Strengthen Individual Therapy

Relationships have been an important part of my clinical work for many years.

I've completed advanced training in couples and relationship approaches, including Gottman Method Couples Therapy, and have extensive experience helping people understand communication, conflict, attachment, emotional distance, resentment, trust and recurring relationship patterns.

That experience is useful not only when I'm sitting with a couple.

Many individual clients come to therapy because something is happening in a relationship.

Perhaps your partner isn't interested in attending therapy. Maybe you're trying to decide whether a relationship can change. Perhaps you're already working with a couples therapist and would benefit from having your own individual therapeutic space as well.

My experience with relationships allows us to understand the larger interpersonal dynamic while keeping individual therapy focused firmly on you — your experience, choices, patterns, boundaries and well-being.

For people specifically seeking therapy together with their partner, you can also learn more about my Couples & Relationship Therapy in Ottawa.

ADHD & Neurodivergence

I have a longstanding interest in working with ADHD and neurodivergent adults.

ADHD can affect far more than concentration. It can influence organization, motivation, emotional regulation, relationships, work, time management and confidence.

Therapy can include practical strategies, but I also think it's important to understand the emotional experience that can accompany years of struggling with expectations that don't necessarily fit the way you function.

My aim is not simply to help people become more productive. It's to help them develop ways of living and working that are more sustainable and better suited to who they are.

Workplace Stress & Burnout

Another important area of my practice is workplace stress and burnout.

Work difficulties can involve workload and exhaustion, but they can also involve difficult managers, interpersonal conflict, changing expectations, organizational politics, boundaries, confidence and uncertainty about whether to stay or leave.

I enjoy helping people examine both sides of these situations: what is actually happening around you and what is happening within you in response to it.

Sometimes therapy is reflective. Sometimes it's extremely practical. Often it's both.

Learn more about Workplace Stress & Burnout Therapy in Ottawa.

Trauma & Difficult Past Experiences

Past experiences can continue affecting our relationships, emotions and nervous systems long after the original circumstances have ended.

I work from a trauma-informed perspective and have training in approaches including EMDR and other methods that help people understand and work with difficult experiences.

Trauma therapy doesn't necessarily mean repeatedly retelling painful events.

We can work at a manageable pace while developing greater understanding, flexibility and choice in how you respond to experiences in the present.

My Approach to Psychotherapy

I don't believe there is one therapeutic approach that works for everyone.

Over the years, I've trained in and incorporated ideas from a range of evidence-informed approaches, including:

• Internal Family Systems (IFS)

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

• EMDR and trauma-informed approaches

• Mindfulness and mind-body approaches

• Gottman-informed relationship therapy

• Whole-Body Focusing and experiential approaches

Some sessions may involve exploring longstanding emotional or relationship patterns.

Others might involve preparing for a difficult conversation tomorrow, working through an important decision, developing practical strategies, or figuring out what to do next.

Therapy should be useful for the life you're actually living.

A Varied Professional Background

Before and alongside private practice, my professional life has included work in counselling, psychotherapy, education and community settings.

My educational background includes a Master of Education in Educational Psychology and Human Relations, with a concentration in counselling and psychotherapy, as well as additional graduate and professional training in couples therapy and numerous psychotherapy approaches.

I've also worked extensively in post-secondary education and learning-strategy settings, which contributed to my longstanding interest in ADHD, learning differences, executive functioning and neurodivergence.

Earlier experiences in community, forensic and mental-health settings have also contributed to the broad perspective I bring to psychotherapy today.

A Collaborative Style

I don't see therapy as something I do to someone.

I see it as something we do together.

I'll listen carefully, but I'll also ask questions, offer observations, help identify patterns, introduce ideas and strategies, and sometimes gently challenge assumptions when that seems useful.

I particularly enjoy working with people who are curious about themselves and interested in understanding not only what they're experiencing, but why certain patterns keep happening and what they might do differently.

There is room for seriousness in therapy, but there can also be room for humour, curiosity and ordinary human conversation.

Virtual Psychotherapy in Ottawa & Across Ontario

My practice is currently virtual, and I work with adults in Ottawa and throughout Ontario.

I've provided remote psychotherapy for many years and have found it to be an effective and flexible way of working.

Virtual sessions also make it easier to maintain continuity during travel, illness, difficult weather or changes in someone's schedule.

Individual psychotherapy is currently the primary focus of my practice, alongside a smaller number of couples-therapy clients.

Ready to Talk?

If you're considering therapy, you're welcome to tell me a little about what has been happening and what you would like help with.

You don't need to know exactly what kind of therapy you need before getting in touch.

We can start by understanding what's going on and determining whether my experience and approach seem like a good fit.

Learn more about Individual Therapy & Psychotherapy in Ottawa.