A Grounded, Experienced and Human Approach to Therapy

I'm Rory Batchilder, M.Ed., RP, CCC, a Registered Psychotherapist and Canadian Certified Counsellor. I've been working with individuals and couples for more than 20 years, and I continue to find this work deeply interesting and meaningful.

My style is warm, engaged and practical. I don't believe therapy should consist simply of sitting back and occasionally asking, “And how does that make you feel?” I work actively and collaboratively with people. Together, we try to understand what's happening, why certain patterns keep repeating, and—most importantly—what might actually help.

I provide virtual individual psychotherapy, couples therapy and ADHD-focused support to adults across Ontario.

My Background

I hold a Master's degree in Educational Psychology, a Graduate Diploma in Couples Counselling, and certificates in Adult Education. I'm registered with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO #002563) and certified with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA #8192).

My training has included a two-year clinical program at the EastWind Institute, formal training in EMDR, and extensive study and application of the Gottman Method for Couples Therapy. I previously taught at the Counsellor Training Institute in Halifax, where I had the opportunity to train and supervise developing counsellors.

My education as a therapist, however, hasn't happened only in classrooms.

I've worked in residential mental-health settings, psychiatric hospitals, community health centres, addiction recovery environments, and as a mental-health therapist in a northern Indigenous community. I've facilitated groups, worked alongside healthcare teams, taught workshops, and worked with people facing enormously different life circumstances.

Earlier in my life, I also worked in construction, landscaping and farming and served as a junior officer in the Canadian Navy. Those experiences may seem far removed from psychotherapy, but I think they've contributed considerably to the kind of therapist I've become. I appreciate practical problem-solving, different ways of seeing the world, and the reality that people's lives rarely fit neatly into psychological theories.

How I Work

My approach is integrative, client-centred and trauma-informed. Rather than trying to fit every person into one particular therapeutic model, I draw from different approaches according to the person, the problem and what we're trying to accomplish together.

My work may incorporate Gottman-informed couples therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Internal Family Systems-informed work, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), solution-focused and narrative approaches, EMDR, and somatic or whole-body awareness.

I also use experiential approaches such as focusing, visualization, guided imagery and mindfulness when they are useful and appropriate.

An important influence on my work has been my own longstanding interest in contemplative practice and the relationship between mind and body. I spent extended periods studying and practising at Gampo Abbey in Cape Breton and the Rocky Mountain Shambhala Center in Colorado. Those experiences deepened my appreciation of attention, emotional regulation and our capacity to relate differently to difficult thoughts and feelings.

I don't think one approach has all the answers. Good therapy, to me, involves bringing together evidence, experience, curiosity and genuine human connection.

Who I Work With

I work with adults and couples dealing with a wide range of concerns, including:

Anxiety and emotional overwhelm · ADHD and neurodivergence · Relationship difficulties · Couples conflict · Trauma and recovery · Workplace stress and burnout · Anger and emotional reactivity · Emotionally harmful or controlling relationships · Grief and loss · Self-esteem · Major life transitions

I have particular experience working with Indigenous clients, veterans, military and RCMP families, federal government employees, and people recovering from motor vehicle accidents and significant health or life disruptions.

Some people come to therapy because something has clearly gone wrong. Others aren't in crisis at all—they simply recognize that a relationship, behaviour or way of living isn't working as well as it could anymore.

Both are very good reasons to come to therapy.

More Than Symptoms

Over the years, one thing I've become increasingly convinced of is that people are considerably more complicated—and more interesting—than a diagnosis.

Symptoms matter, but so do relationships, work, family history, physical health, temperament, values, identity, the nervous system, life experience and the ways we've learned to protect ourselves.

That's why I tend to look at the whole person and the larger pattern, rather than focusing exclusively on eliminating a symptom.

Sometimes our work is very practical: learning a skill, changing a behaviour, solving a problem or communicating differently. At other times, it involves going deeper and understanding patterns that may have been operating for many years.

Usually, good therapy involves some of both.

An Evolving Practice

I remain curious about new developments in psychotherapy, neuroscience, adult learning and technology. I have a particular interest in how emerging tools—including the responsible use of AI—may eventually support education, reflection and access to mental-health resources while maintaining the privacy, ethics and human relationship that psychotherapy requires.

After more than two decades in this field, I'm still learning. I think that's important.

The longer I've done this work, the less interested I've become in having a therapist appear to possess all the answers—and the more interested I've become in asking good questions, recognizing patterns, helping people understand themselves, and finding practical ways forward together.

Fees, Insurance & Access

I provide psychotherapy virtually throughout Ontario.

Individual psychotherapy: $235 per 50-minute session.

Couples therapy is generally offered in 90-minute sessions, allowing enough time to work meaningfully with relationship patterns without having to stop just as important material emerges.

Direct billing is available for eligible NIHB and Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) clients.

Other clients receive detailed receipts that may be submitted to extended health benefit plans where services provided by a Registered Psychotherapist are covered. Clients are encouraged to confirm their individual coverage with their insurer.reimbursement or tax purposes. Services are not covered by OHIP, but are often covered under extended health plans as “psychological services.”