REGISTERED PSYCHOTHERAPIST
Psychotherapy in Barrie and across Ontario, for women in the middle of change
I am Josi Barreto Chaves. I work with women moving through perimenopause, menopause, and the wider reshuffling of midlife, in English and in Portuguese.
MEET JOSI
I have started over more than once, and I know what it costs
I was born in a small town in the Jequitinhonha Valley, in Minas Gerais, Brazil. I left for the United States, lived there for almost three years, and then came to Canada, where I have now been for fourteen years. Beginning again in a language that is not your first, twice over, teaches you how much of yourself can quietly go missing in the adapting, and how deliberately you have to go about getting it back. I have also lived with a chronic condition, which taught me to practise self-compassion, to listen to my body, and to accept help without treating it as a failure.
I trained for five years in psychodynamic psychotherapy at the Ontario Psychotherapy and Counselling College and have been seeing clients since 2023. I hold a Bachelor of Education from Brazil, and I am a Registered Psychotherapist and a member of CRPO, CAPT, and CCPA. My continuing training includes CBT-I for insomnia, the Gottman Method for couples, group facilitation, and counselling women through menopause. I keep training because complicated problems deserve more than one tool.
CORE
VALUES
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I will tell you what I actually think, including when I believe someone else would serve you better.
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Your context shapes the work. I meet you where you are, not where a manual says you should be.
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I keep training. Not for the certificates, but because the women I sit with deserve more than one approach.
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Very little heals in isolation. Your family, your faith, your culture, and your people are welcome in this work.
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You do not need to arrive composed or with the right words ready. Bring what is actually going on.
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Your culture, your language, your faith, and where you come from are not background details. They belong in the room, and I will follow your lead on all of it.
MY APPROACH
Slow enough to be honest,
structured enough to work
Psychodynamic psychotherapy is the ground I work from. It looks at what sits underneath the thoughts and the habits, including the beliefs you absorbed long before you were able to question them. Where a more structured approach serves you better, I bring in CBT-I, the Gottman Method, somatic work, and mindfulness. What I will not do is hand you a quick fix for something complicated. We move at your pace, we build the plan together, and your culture, your values, and your faith belong in the room if they matter to you.
FREE RESOURCES
Freebie: The Mental Health Inventory
01/ The Mental Health Inventory
Newsletter: Monthly Mental Health Guidance
02/ Monthly Mental Health Guidance
Ready when you are
Sessions are available online across Ontario and in person in Barrie. We start with a free consultation of 15 to 30 minutes, so you can ask your questions before you decide anything.