Maxim Morozkin

My therapeutic approach integrates Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), thoughtfully tailored to each client’s needs, goals, and pace. I also bring a coaching lens as an ICF-certified Life Coach in Positive Psychology, supporting clients in building well-being through strengths, positive emotions, and meaningful life experiences using the PERMA model (Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Accomplishment). I work with individuals and couples navigating the impact of complex developmental trauma, including anxiety, chronic stress, shame, guilt, and negative self-image. Many clients come to me with struggles around trust, emotional isolation, people-pleasing, perfectionism, emotional shutdown, or the lasting effects of C-PTSD. Therapy becomes a place to understand what’s been shaped by the past, while also building practical skills for the present—so you can feel more grounded, connected, and in control of your life. In our work together, we start by clarifying what brought you to therapy and identifying the patterns that keep you stuck—emotionally, relationally, or internally. From there, we focus on creating a clear, structured plan with tools you can apply between sessions. CBT helps you recognize and challenge unhelpful thought patterns—such as catastrophizing, self-criticism, or “never good enough” beliefs—and understand how these thoughts shape emotions, behaviours, and relationship dynamics. You’ll learn to replace automatic reactions with more balanced, realistic thinking and more effective choices. DBT adds powerful skills for clients who feel emotionally overwhelmed or shut down. This includes tools for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness—skills that help you manage intense emotions, reduce impulsive reactions, and communicate more clearly. DBT also brings an important balance of acceptance and change: learning how to validate what you feel without staying trapped in it, and taking steps toward change without forcing or shaming yourself. Alongside CBT and DBT, I incorporate a psychodynamic and attachment-focused perspective, which helps us understand how early relational experiences shape your inner world. Attachment work can clarify why certain relationships feel unsafe, why trust is difficult, why closeness can trigger fear, or why independence can feel like the only option. By identifying your attachment patterns and protective strategies, we can gradually build a more secure sense of self and healthier ways of connecting with others. This combination of approaches allows us to work on two levels at once: • Surface-level change (tools, coping strategies, communication, behaviour patterns) • Deeper healing (attachment wounds, trauma responses, shame-based beliefs, emotional disconnection) For couples, we focus on improving emotional safety and communication, identifying recurring cycles (pursue–withdraw, conflict–shutdown, criticism–defensiveness), and building healthier ways to repair ruptures. For individuals, we work toward reducing anxiety and reactivity, strengthening boundaries, increasing self-worth, and developing a more stable and compassionate relationship with yourself. Above all, therapy with me is collaborative, grounded, and practical. You can expect a warm, non-judgmental space where we move at a pace that feels safe—but also with enough structure and direction to support real progress. The goal is not just to understand your struggles, but to help you build the emotional resilience, clarity, and relational skills needed for lasting change.

My professional experience began at the Ottawa Drug Treatment Court and Rideauwood Addictions and Family Services on Parkdale Avenue in Ottawa, Ontario, where I received extensive clinical training and developed strong skills in evidence-based interventions, therapeutic rapport, risk awareness, and structured treatment planning. Working in this setting gave me significant exposure to complex presentations involving addiction, trauma, anxiety, mood instability, and co-occurring mental health concerns. After completing my placement and training, I secured a full-time role at Rideauwood Family Services, where I provided counselling and psychotherapy to individuals navigating substance use recovery, emotional regulation challenges, relationship stress, and long-standing behavioural patterns. This work strengthened my ability to support clients who feel stuck in cycles of relapse, shame, avoidance, emotional shutdown, or high reactivity, and taught me how to balance compassion with clarity, accountability, and measurable progress. I later expanded my clinical scope internationally, working as a mental health therapist in private rehabilitation centres in Costa Rica and Panama. In these roles, I supported English-speaking clients from the United States, Canada, and Australia, often in intensive therapeutic environments that required flexibility, strong clinical judgment, and a culturally sensitive approach.

I earned an Honours degree in Criminology and Psychology from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada (2003–2008), which provided a strong foundation in human behaviour, motivation, trauma, and the broader systems that shape mental health and life outcomes. I later completed my Addiction Counsellor certification at Willis College (2016), where I developed specialized competencies in assessment, treatment planning, relapse prevention, and supporting clients impacted by substance use and related mental health challenges. During this training, I gained practical clinical experience through the Ottawa Drug Treatment Court with Rideauwood Family Services, working with individuals facing complex presentations that often involve trauma histories, emotional dysregulation, high stress, and unstable life circumstances. To strengthen my ability to support sustainable behavioural change, I completed a Certificate in Advanced Motivational Interviewing through the Canadian Mental Health Association (2018), refining my skills in helping clients move through ambivalence, increase readiness for change, and build realistic, self-directed goals. I also pursued specialized training in co-occurring disorders, expanding my capacity to work integratively with overlapping mental health and substance use concerns. In 2022, I completed masterclasses in Emotional Intelligence, Resilience, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), further strengthening my clinical toolkit and allowing for more flexible