Understanding the Power of Psychotherapy
A journey towards mental well-being.
Individual therapy is for anyone facing something they can't quite manage, figure out, or regulate on their own, and who'd benefit from talking it through with someone trained to help unpack it, understand it, and find real movement toward the next best version of themselves. If that's where you're at, you're in the right place.
Hillel Kurlandsky, RP, OCT, ADHD-CCSP is a Registered Psychotherapist with 15+ years working with children, adolescents, adults, and families. A former teacher of 13 years, Hillel brings a rare educational lens to how people learn, get stuck, and grow. In-person in North York, or virtual anywhere in Ontario. No referral needed.
What individual therapy actually helps with
Most people come to therapy already knowing something isn't working; they just can't always name it.
In session, the issues that come up most often are:
- Emotion regulation and overthinking: the loop of analyzing everything and still feeling stuck
- Executive function: time management, getting started, following through on what you meant to do
- Understanding yourself: separate from a diagnosis, a role, or whatever's currently going wrong
- Relationships: how you show up with others, and the attachment patterns and family dynamics underneath it
None of these are character flaws. They're patterns, and patterns can be understood, worked with, and changed.
What to expect in your first few sessions
You can expect a professional who listens, a space to actually process (not just talk at), and a guide who joins you in the struggle instead of handing you a worksheet and wishing you luck. Together, you'll build a plan for what you're facing so you're moving forward with someone alongside you, not figuring it out solo. Hillel's style is empathetic and directive: he'll ask real questions, push where it helps, and, yes, there's room to actually enjoy parts of the process. Therapy doesn't have to feel clinical to be effective.
An approach built around you, not a template
Every person shows up with a different set of symptoms, history, and root causes, so therapy here isn't one-size-fits-all.
Hillel draws from several evidence-based modalities and blends them based on what you actually need:
- DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy): for emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, mindfulness, and distress tolerance. Especially effective for overthinking, ADHD, and trauma including CPTSD.
- CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy): for anxiety, panic, rumination, and the thinking traps that keep you spinning.
- EFT (Emotion Focused Therapy): for emotional depth, self-understanding, and connection.
The goal isn't to hand you a technique and move on. It's a 360-degree read on what's driving the symptom, so the change that happens actually holds.
What changes when you commit to the work
Realistic outcomes people describe after sticking with therapy:
- Clarity on the issue you came in with, and how it's actually affecting your quality of life
- A sense of yourself that exists separately from the struggle, not defined by a diagnosis or a bad stretch
- A working plan you can follow through on, and revisit as things shift
Frequently Asked Questions
No. You can book directly online; no doctor's note or referral required.
For most people, yes. Roughly 90% of Hillel's caseload is virtual across Ontario, alongside in-person sessions in North York. What matters more than the format is the fit between you and your therapist.
If you're facing something you can't quite manage, regulate, or figure out on your own, that's usually the signal, not a diagnosis or crisis point.
Yes to both. Hillel works with children, adolescents, adults, and families, often bringing in attachment and family-systems thinking when it's relevant.
20 De Boers Drive, Suite 138, Toronto, ON M3J 0H1 (North York), with virtual sessions available anywhere in Ontario.
Common issues that are brought to therapy include:
- life transitions
- ADHD-pre and post-diagnosis, and ongoing coping skills building
- Sense of feeling stuck
- trauma
- behaviour concerns
- anxiety
- family conflict
- grief and loss issues
- difficulties regulating emotions
- school avoidance and struggles
- peer/friendship difficulties,
- parenting concerns
- challenges with intrapersonal and interpersonal communication
A typical session is 50 minutes long, with the final 10 minutes being dedicated to administrative function (booking your next session and payment). If you would like to have longer sessions, we can also arrange that.
- Sessions are 60, 90 or 120 minutes in length
- Sessions start off on a weekly basis
- After we see substantial improvement, we may choose to space out our sessions as needed (Every 2-3 weeks)
- If there are circumstances that arise you can easily request a change in frequency at anytime
Most psychotherapy is covered by insurance, but it is always best to check with your specific provider plan. Please check whether Registered Psychotherapy or Psychtherapy is covered. Once your session is complete, you will pay and receive an insurance receipt that you submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.
