Specialized work for the situations most people don't talk about.
Murray focuses his practice in a few areas where the need is real, the support is thin, and most therapists simply aren't trained. If you are not sure which applies to your situation, the free 15-minute consultation is a good place to start. There's no wrong door here.
Counselling for fathers
The pressure fathers carry is rarely discussed with anyone.
Fatherhood carries expectations that few people talk about honestly. Many fathers are working long hours to provide for their family while feeling they are missing it, managing a relationship that has become practical rather than close, and dealing with the fear that they are getting it wrong. At the same time they are usually the person everyone else depends on, so there is nowhere to take any of it.
Much of this goes unspoken because being a good father is assumed to mean being steady and unbothered. In practice it tends to surface as irritability, withdrawal, or an extra drink at the end of the day.
Murray offers a place to talk about it plainly. Most of his clients are men who have never spoken to a therapist before, and nothing you raise will be treated as a personal failure.
What we work on
- The pressure to provide, and what it costs
- A relationship that has become practical rather than close, or that has ended
- Anger and reactivity, and where they actually come from
- Identity after a job change, retirement, or separation
- Your relationship with your own father, which often shapes how you parent
- Speaking to a therapist for the first time
Who this is for
Fathers of young children, teenagers, and adult children. Stepfathers, and adoptive and foster fathers. Fathers who are separated or divorcing. Men who did not expect to need this.FASD support
A brain-based disability, not a behaviour problem.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is widely misunderstood, and that misunderstanding isolates both the people living with it and the families supporting them. Children are often described as defiant or manipulative. Adults are told they need to try harder. Parents are blamed for the behaviour, and sometimes for the diagnosis itself.
FASD is a permanent, brain-based disability that affects memory, executive function, impulse control, and the ability to connect actions with consequences. It does not respond to discipline or to patience alone. It responds to strategies built for the way the person's brain works.
Who Murray works with
- Adults with FASD
- Understanding a diagnosis, particularly a late one, and building routines and supports that fit.
- Parents and caregivers
- Practical strategies for the situations where ordinary parenting advice fails, and some relief from guilt and exhaustion.
- Partners and siblings
- Understanding what FASD is, so that the household shares a common language instead of a source of resentment.
What we work on
- Understanding your own or your child's profile in plain language
- Supports and routines that reduce friction day to day
- Responding to behaviour with strategies rather than punishment
- Grief, for the diagnosis and for the life you expected
- Advocacy at school, at work, and with services
- Protecting the relationship from the disability
- Sustaining yourself when the caregiving does not stop
Language
People do not "suffer from" FASD. They are people with a disability who deserve support that fits them.Child-to-parent violence
For parents whose child is the source of fear in the home.
There is a form of family violence that is rarely named: aggression, intimidation, or violence directed at a parent by their own child. It occurs with teenagers and with adult children, and often in homes that appear ordinary from the outside.
Parents in this situation usually keep it to themselves, because they assume others will conclude that they raised their child badly. That assumption is wrong. Child-to-parent violence has many causes, including trauma, neurological difference, mental illness, addiction, and unaddressed family history. It is not evidence that you failed as a parent.
Most parenting advice does not apply here. Sticker charts and time-outs are not relevant, and neither is the usual encouragement to be more patient. This work is specific and practical.
What we work on
- Immediate safety, and clear thinking about when a situation needs more than therapy
- Setting and holding limits with a child who has learned that limits do not hold
- The shame that keeps parents from telling anyone
- Grief for the relationship you expected to have
- Protecting siblings, your relationship, and yourself
- Longer term decisions about boundaries, distance, and support
Safety note
This service is for parents and caregivers seeking support and skills. If you or someone in your home is in immediate danger, call 911. If you are in crisis, contact 988 (Suicide Crisis Helpline) or your local crisis line. Murray is a therapist, not an emergency service.Sessions and booking
All sessions take place by video using Zoom. Murray practises entirely online and works with clients throughout Ontario. Removing the commute and the waiting room makes appointments easier to keep, which matters more than people expect.
Appointments are booked through Jane, a booking platform used widely in Canadian healthcare. You can book, reschedule, or cancel yourself at any time, and your appointment details and video link arrive by email.
What to expect
- Free 15-minute consultation. A short call to discuss what is going on and whether Murray is the right fit. There is no obligation to book afterwards.
- First session. Most of it is spent listening to your situation and what you would like to be different.
- Ongoing sessions. About 50 minutes, usually weekly or every two weeks to begin. There is no minimum commitment.
Common questions
Anything not covered here can be raised on the consultation call.
Do I need to know what the problem is before I book?
No. Most people begin with a general sense that something is not right and no clear explanation for it. That is enough to start.
I have never been to therapy. Is that a problem?
Not at all. Most of Murray's clients are men speaking to a therapist for the first time. There is no right way to do this, and you will not be expected to use clinical language.
Do I need to install anything for the sessions?
Sessions take place on Zoom, which you can join from a web browser or the Zoom app. Murray will send the link with your appointment confirmation. If you would prefer to test the setup beforehand, mention it on the consultation call.
Is online therapy as effective as in-person?
For this kind of work, research continues to show that video-based psychotherapy is comparable to in-person for anxiety, depression, and relationship difficulties. Many clients find it easier to speak candidly at home than in an unfamiliar office.
How much does a session cost?
FEE-PLACEHOLDER per 50-minute session, payable through Jane. The 15-minute consultation is free. Receipts are provided for insurance claims.
Is it covered by insurance?
Many extended health plans cover psychotherapy provided by a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying). It is worth checking with your provider. Murray can supply the documentation you need.
What are your hours?
HOURS-PLACEHOLDER. Evening appointments are available to fit around work.
What about confidentiality?
Everything you share is confidential, within the standard legal limits that apply to all regulated therapists: risk of harm to yourself or others, and child protection concerns. Murray will explain this at your first session.
Get in touch
If you would like to discuss whether this is the right fit, book a free 15-minute consultation or send an email. You do not need to have a clear idea of what is wrong before getting in touch.
No obligation. Replies within one business day.