Relationships can be one of the most meaningful parts of our lives — but they can also be a source of deep pain and confusion.

You may feel like you're repeating the same arguments, walking on eggshells, or struggling to feel close again. Whether you're coming to therapy on your own or with a partner, you're not alone in feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure of the way forward.

At Dhillon Psychotherapy in Ottawa, I work with individuals who want to resolve their relationship challenges so that they are able to experience satisfying and meaningful relationships with their partner, friends, and family members. I also work with couples who are looking to heal their relationships and work through their relationship struggles so that they are able to move forward into a connected and satisfying partnership.

When Relationships Feel Stuck, Distant, or Painful

In our work together, we can explore and work through:

• Recurring conflict or communication breakdowns

• Emotional disconnection and loneliness

• Difficulty expressing needs or setting boundaries

• Attachment wounds, trust issues, or jealousy

• Relationship trauma or betrayal

• Pressure from family, religion, or cultural expectations

• Patterns of choosing emotionally unavailable or critical partners

• Healing after breakups or navigating dating as a single person

When Culture and Family Expectations Complicate Love

For many individuals and couples from South Asian, Middle Eastern, and other more conservative or collectivist backgrounds, relationship struggles don’t exist in a vacuum. They’re often deeply intertwined with cultural values, religious teachings, and family dynamics that can feel impossible to untangle.

You might be:

• Balancing your own needs with the expectations of your family or community

• Feeling shame or isolation around topics like emotional intimacy, sex, infidelity or divorce

• Struggling to break unhelpful patterns modelled in your family while still honouring your roots

• Torn between cultural loyalty and the life or relationship you truly want

In therapy, we can explore these experiences and challenges with care and curiosity. Together, we’ll make space for your full experience: your cultural context, your relational wounds, and your hopes for something different. You don’t need to choose between belonging and authenticity — we’ll work toward a version of love that feels true to you.

How Therapy Can Support You

Whether you come alone or with a partner, therapy can be a powerful space to explore your relationship patterns, heal old wounds, and move toward greater connection and clarity. Relationship therapy can help you:

• Communicate more clearly and feel heard

• Rebuild trust and emotional intimacy

• Work through grief or past wounds that impact the present

• Make sense of generational or cultural dynamics

• Deepen your connection with your partner or with yourself

• Clarify what you want from a relationship, and move towards creating a relationship that is meaningful and satisfying for you

My Approach

I take a holistic and integrative approach to relationship therapy, drawing from:

• Psychodynamic and attachment-based therapy

• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)

• Somatic and experiential work

• Parts work (Internal Family Systems-informed)

• Cultural and trauma-informed frameworks

I bring warmth, curiosity, and a grounded, supportive presence into our sessions. I believe that deep change is possible when we feel safe enough to slow down, and take the time to understand ourselves and what we want out of life and love.

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

If you're feeling lost, disconnected, or unsure about your relationship or relational patterns, therapy can offer a place to pause, reflect, and begin again, with more clarity, compassion, and choice.

I offer relationship counselling to individuals and couples in Ottawa and across Ontario via secure online sessions.

If you're ready to strengthen your relationships and reconnect with what matters most, I invite you to reach out.

Book a free 15-minute consultation and take the first step toward more meaningful and satisfying relationships.