Karen Baker, RP, CTP Diplshe/her
Registered Psychotherapist
Telehealth only: British Columbia, Ontario
Online Psychodynamic Therapy for adults across Ontario and BC. A space where all of you is welcome.
About
We humans are all a little mysterious to ourselves — carrying patterns, reactions, and feelings we don't fully understand, and often facing them alone.
I'm a Registered Psychotherapist, regulated in Ontario (CRPO), now based in BC. I offer secure online psychodynamic therapy to adults across Ontario and British Columbia.
Anxiety, low mood, and chronic stress often aren't random — they're signals. A nervous system that learned, early on, to stay alert, brace for impact, or manage more than it should have. Even when the original circumstances are long gone, the alarm can keep sounding, showing up in our bodies, our reactions, our relationships. Saying yes when we wish we said no, and people-pleasing when we are already depleted.
These patterns are adaptations to the environments we grew up in. Sometimes they no longer serve us as adults, and we need to revise our rules for life.
My work is to help you learn to read that inner weather — to notice when your system is sounding an alarm, and to find your way back to steadier ground. I don't offer a fixed roadmap. I offer companionship: a steady, experienced presence willing to go into uncertain territory with you, without rushing or minimizing what you're carrying. I won't pretend to have the map, but I've made this kind of journey many times, and I won't leave your side when it gets uncertain.
I'm comfortable with ambiguity, contradiction, and the messiness of real human experience. I won't rush you toward simple answers or quick fixes. We listen for the wisdom of your body, emotions, and intuition — not just your thoughts.
Those painful or shameful parts don't need fixing so much as understanding and accepting. Over time, that kind of relationship can become a template for other secure, trusting connections — a relationship where new patterns can emerge organically. What once felt monstrous often reveals itself as misunderstood: a part of you that was only ever trying to protect you, or tell you something true.
A space where all of you is welcome.
Before training as a psychotherapist, I spent 13 years practicing as a chiropractor, which shaped my deep respect for the mind-body connection in healing.
Informed by attachment theory, Polyvagal theory, and IFS — but more than any specific method, what matters is the relationship we build together.
I offer a free introductory call (30–50 minutes) to test the waters and see whether this approach is right for you — even if you're not sure yet what that is.
Specialties
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Grief & loss
- Self-esteem
- Stress management
- Burnout
- Eating disorders
- Codependency / People-pleasing
- Boundaries
- Complex trauma / cptsd
Approaches
- Psychodynamic
- Somatic / body-based
- Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Works with
- Adults
Sessions
Languages
- English
Logistics
- Fees
CA$165per session
My practice uses a structured sliding scale. Sessions are $125, $150, or $175 per 50-minute session, based on household income ability to pay. Your specific rate is established during the introductory consult. (Lower-fee slots are limited in number.) All fees are HST-exempt.
- Insurance
Detailed receipts provided for insurance. No physician referral needed for RP services in Ontario.
Licensed or authorized in
Frequently asked questions
- What does a first session with you look like?
- I offer a free introductory session - which is, essentially, just a conversation. It's an opportunity for you to ask any questions, to get a sense of how I work, and decide it feels like a good match.
- Do you offer evening or weekend appointments?
- Yes. My regular office hours are 12 - 8pm M-F. I have evening appointment available through the week.
- How quickly can I book a first appointment?
- Depending on both of our schedules, we can usually find time for a first visit within a couple of days to a week.
- What should I do if I'm not sure therapy is right for me?
- I suggest you simply start by booking an introductory session. It's not a commitment and it's the best way to get the lay of the land, get a sense of how the therapist works, and a feel for what sessions will be like. From there you can decide whether it feels right for you.
- What's your approach to working with Anxiety?
- Anxiety is often an indication that we are conflicted about something, even if it's unconscious. Sometimes different parts of ourselves have competing agendas - I help clients discover these hidden aspects of themselves, and the beliefs or needs driving them. Bringing our inner world into awareness can help us feel better able to make informed choices in our outer world. This, in itself, is usually accompanied by a sense of empowerment, and also relief.
- Who do you typically work best with?
- This approach may resonate with you if you're seeking more than symptom management—if you sense that your current struggles are connected to deeper patterns shaped by your early relationships and experiences. I'm comfortable with complexity, ambiguity, and the messiness of real human experience. I won't rush you or judge you. We'll work at your pace, following what feels most important to you, trusting in your capacity for healing when given the right relational conditions.
Credentials
- CTP Dipl, Centre for Training in Psychotherapy, Toronto, 2022
- DC, CMCC, Toronto, 2004
- BSc, Queen's University, Kingston, 1998