Cardinal Psychology is opening in summer 2026. I am starting to see clients who are new to me in August 2026— contingent on my furniture assembly skills!

If you would like to be updated on the opening date and on how to schedule an intake appointment, please reach out to info@cardinalpsychology.ca or through the Contact Me section below.

My office is conveniently located on a main street (Young St) in Halifax’s North End. It is a short drive from downtown, the Dartmouth bridges, and the Windsor St exchange.

It’s also a great excuse to indulge in the businesses nearby. You can do your grocery shopping at the Superstore or Dollarama across the street, or at the Shoppers Drug Mart a few blocks away. You can also treat yourself to cannoli and delicious sandwiches at the Italian Market across the street, to lunch at Salvatore’s or the Brown Hound, and to coffee at Espresso 46, Bramble, or Cafe Lara. There’s also the great shopping on Agricola St and the Hydrostone Market!

Yes! There is free parking on site.

Yes! My office is conveniently located on Young Street, which intersects with both Robie St and Windsor St nearby.

Nearby bus routes include the 4, 7A, 7B, 8, and 90.

Yes! I provide virtual services. Video sessions are done within Jane’s secure video conferencing software. I can also do sessions over the telephone.

Virtual sessions means that we can connect if attending an in-person visit is not realistic to you. This may arise because you live a distance from my office, or simply because you had a flat tire on your way to our visit. I can often pivot to a virtual session on short notice if that means we will be able to keep an appointment you would otherwise have to cancel.

However, I can only do virtual/telephone sessions if you are in a private and non-distracted environment. Unless planned for a specific purpose, other people cannot be in the room with you during a remote session, you cannot be in public, and you should not be doing other activities- driving, chores, working, phone scrolling. Virtual sessions need as much attention and focus as you would provide if we were in the same room.

You can reach out via the Contact section on the bottom of the page, or send an email to info@cardinalpsychology.ca. It can help to share a couple of sentences about what you are looking for help with. I will reach out to answer your questions, discuss scheduling an intake appointment, or to provide some guidance as to where to find help I am not the best fit at this time.

Our first visit is typically scheduled for 50 minutes. I will have you fill out some intake paperwork online in advance. We will review informed consent, namely confidentiality, expectations for one another, and how we can collaborate. The rest of the time is largely spent with us getting to know each other. You can ask questions of me, and I will be asking a lot of questions about you- what led you to reaching out to me, what is getting in the way of you feeling like yourself, what has helped in the past, what you are looking for, and who you are outside of your current struggles.

I often joke that the first session may feel like we’re jumping around rather than doing therapy. This is deliberate. It is not my style to start telling you what to do differently when I don’t know what you are doing to cope in the first place. But I hope that by around 45 minutes in, we have a have a sense of whether we will work well together. At that time, I will let you know what ideas I have for us to work on, and you can let me know if that feels like a good fit for you. If yes, we can schedule some follow-up visits. If I think there is another service that will fit better for you, I will provide you with the information you need to contact them. If you don’t feel like I’m the right fit for you, I’m happy to make some suggestions for some of my great colleagues who may work for you. And if you need time to think about it, you can always reach out once you’ve made up your mind.

I charge $225 for a 50 minute treatment session, as per the Association of Psychologists of Nova Scotia’s rate guidelines.

Assessments are charged at a rate of $225 an hour, including the time to write reports- the number of hours it will take depends on the nature of the assessment, including the assessment measures needed.

Paperwork and forms are charged at 15 minute increments, billed at a rate of $225 an hour.

I am enrolled for direct billing for many Extended Health Care Benefit providers, and I have the ability to invoice client’s with Veteran’s Affairs or who are being treated through car insurance for a motor vehicle accident.

Otherwise, I am able to take credit card payments through Jane (my scheduling and record keeping software), and can provide you with a receipt to submit to your insurance for reimbursement.

Unfortunately, Nova Scotia does not provide direct coverage for private practice psychologists. However, I am coverage by most Extended Health Care Benefit plans if they provide psychologist coverage. Please check with your insurance provider for more details.

Yes! In addition to clients in Nova Scotia, I am able to see clients virtually from New Brunswick and Quebec. I also have a limited telepsychology practice in PEI, meaning I can see up to five clients a year who are located in PEI.

I ask that you provide 24 hours’ notice if you are unable to attend a session, via phone call or email. If you cannot make an in-person visit, I am able to transition to a virtual or telephone appointment to allow us to keep our appointment. While I understand that life can get in the way sometimes, if there is a pattern of late cancellations and/or no shows that cannot be filled by another client, you can be charged for your missed appointment. This fee will need to be paid in order to continue meeting with me, and cannot be billed to insurance.

No. Psychologists are not able to prescribe medications in Canada. Medications will need to prescribed by your family physician/nurse practitioner or a psychiatrist. Some psychiatric medications can also be provided by pharmacists through the Bloom Program.

No. I only do individual psychotherapy sessions. However, I do provide couples’ or family sessions, wherein a loved one comes into one of our visits to learn more about how they can support you.

I treat individuals 18 years old and above.

Your car insurance can pay for psychological services if you are having difficulties coping in the aftermath of a motor vehicle accident. Speak to your insurance adjuster if this is the case- or if you are working with a physiotherapist, they also may be able to advocate for you.

Your adjuster can approve a psychology intake assessment, wherein you would meet with me to discuss how the accident is impacting your life and coping, and how psychology services could help you. I would then write a report that goes to your adjuster (and anyone else on your treatment team you would like me to share it with), who will review the treatment plan and decide if it can be approved. Typically ten sessions can be approved at one time by insurance, and more can be requested if additional services are needed.

Please note that some insurance adjusters do require a doctor’s referral for psychology services . Also, Nova Scotia legislation requires that your extended health care benefits are used for treatment with a psychologist before remaining sessions can be billed to your insurance.

I love how cardinals provide one of the first pops of colour signifying the end of winter and the start of spring. It is also said that cardinals provide reminder of those we’ve lost who are still looking out for us, and are a symbol of hope and persistance.

I also appreciate the additional meanings of the word, including emphasizing importance (of one’s mental health, perhaps?) and the cardinal directions, given my location in the North End of Halifax.