​About the Therapy​​​​​

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- What kind of therapy do you offer?​

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Mental Majesty offers individual, couples and family psychotherapy. Bahareh's primary orientation is psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapy. Depending on your needs, she may also draw on Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy (BEP), Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The work is trauma-informed and culturally responsive.

 

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- What is psychoanalytic psychotherapy?

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It is a talking therapy that looks beneath a symptom to what it expresses. Anxiety, low mood or a pattern that keeps repeating in your relationships is understood as meaningful: it says something about your experiences, your conflicts and the ways you have learned to protect yourself. Sessions give you room to speak freely, notice patterns and make sense of experiences that have felt confusing or hard to put into words. The aim is lasting change, not only relief from symptoms. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy usually meets once or twice a week. It grows out of psychoanalysis but is less intensive than classical analysis, which meets several times a week.

 

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- Is it all about my childhood?

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No. Early relationships can matter, but psychoanalytic work is not a search for a single cause in the past. Much of it happens in the present: in your relationships, your work, your losses and transitions, your dreams, and in what unfolds between you and your therapist. The past comes in where it is still alive today.

 

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- Why do you talk about myths, films and literature?

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Stories have always carried the themes people struggle with: loss, belonging, separation, identity and renewal. Mental Majesty uses mythology, literature and film, including Persian stories such as the Shahnameh, as a lens for understanding experience. You don't need to know any of these stories to start therapy. In your sessions, your own story always comes first.

 

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- Do I need to know what's wrong before I start?

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No. You don't need a clear problem, a diagnosis or a crisis to begin. Some people arrive with overwhelming distress; others simply feel disconnected from the life they want. The free consultation is a good first step.

 

 

- Do you diagnose or prescribe medication?

 

No. In Ontario, Registered Psychotherapists assess emotional and behavioural difficulties as part of therapy, but they don't give formal diagnoses or prescribe medication. If you need a diagnostic assessment or medication, we can talk about a referral to a family doctor, psychiatrist or psychologist.

 

 

- Who will I be working with?

 

Bahareh Babaei, founder of Mental Majesty. She is a Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and has more than 17 years of clinical experience with adults. Her psychoanalytic training includes a personal training analysis and ongoing clinical supervision. Since immigrating to Canada, much of her practice has focused on immigration, cultural transition, trauma and relationships. You can confirm her registration by searching her name on the CRPO public register.

 

 

- What can you help with?

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People commonly come for anxiety and chronic worry, depression, trauma and complex trauma, relationship and attachment difficulties, grief and life transitions, self-esteem and identity, emotional dysregulation, burnout, and immigration and cultural adjustment. The full list is on our homepage.

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- Who do you work with?

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Adults, couples and families.

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Getting Started

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- How do I book?

Go to Book a session, choose the tab for where you live (For Clients Outside Iran or For Clients Inside Iran) and pick a service. Most people begin with the free 15-minute consultation.

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- What happens in the free consultation?

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It is a 15-minute call on Google Meet. You can say briefly what brings you, ask how Bahareh works and get a sense of whether it feels like a good fit. It isn't a therapy session, and there is no obligation to continue. Please book it at least 24 hours in advance.

 

 

- What happens in the first sessions?

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The first sessions are about getting to know you and your story: what brings you now, your history, your relationships and what you hope will change. You'll also go over consent and confidentiality together, and agree how often to meet and what the work will focus on.

 

 

- How long are sessions, and how often do we meet?

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Sessions are 50 minutes. Most people meet weekly at a regular time; some meet twice a week. Regular sessions give the work continuity, which matters in psychoanalytic therapy.

 

 

- How long does therapy take?

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There is no fixed length. Some people come for a focused piece of work over a few months; others stay longer to change patterns that have been with them for years. You'll review progress together. You can end at any time, though ending usually works best when it is talked through in session rather than stopped suddenly.

 

 

- What language are sessions in?

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Persian (Farsi) and English.

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Online Sessions​​​​​

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- Are sessions online or in person?

 

All sessions are online, on Google Meet.

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- What do I need for an online session?

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• A private room where you won't be overheard or interrupted

• A phone, tablet or computer with a camera; headphones help with privacy

• A stable internet connection

• The Google Meet link from your booking confirmation

 

Please don't join while driving or from a public place.

 

 

- What if the connection drops?

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Bahareh will try to reconnect straight away. If video keeps failing, you can continue by audio only or by another method agreed at your first session. If time is lost because of a problem on our side, we'll make it up.

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- Is online therapy as helpful as meeting in person?

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For many people, yes. What matters most is the relationship with your therapist and the regularity of the work. Online sessions also let you keep working in your own language wherever you live. If online work stops feeling right at any point, we'll talk about it openly.

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Fees, payment and insurance​​​​

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- How much do sessions cost?​

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For clients outside and inside Iran, fees are listed on the Book a session. The consultation is free for everyone.

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- Do you charge HST?

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No. Psychotherapy provided by Registered Psychotherapists has been exempt from GST/HST since June 20, 2024.

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- Is therapy covered by insurance?

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Many extended health plans in Canada cover sessions with a Registered Psychotherapist (RP). Before booking, check three things with your plan: whether it covers an RP, how much it pays per session and per year, and whether it needs a doctor's referral. Receipts for your claim are available on request. If your insurance is outside Canada, ask your insurer whether it reimburses sessions with a therapist registered in Ontario.

 

 

- How do I pay?

 

Clients outside Iran pay online through Wix Payments, Stripe or PayPal. We never store your full card details, and all fees are in Canadian dollars. Clients inside Iran, see "How do I pay from Iran?" below.

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Cancellations and rescheduling​​

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- What is your cancellation policy?

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You can cancel or reschedule free of charge up to 24 hours before your session. Sessions cancelled with less notice, or missed without notice, may be charged the full fee, because that time was reserved for you.

 

 

- How do I cancel or reschedule?

 

Use the link in your booking confirmation, use your reschedule option in the My Bookings page on your website panel, or email contact@mentalmajesty.ca.

 

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- What if Bahareh needs to cancel?

 

If she has to cancel because of illness or an emergency, she'll tell you as early as possible and offer another time.

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Booking from outside Ontario or Canada​​

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- Can I book if I live outside Ontario or outside Canada?

 

Yes. Sessions are online, so you can work with Bahareh from elsewhere in Canada or from another country. Because she is registered in Ontario, your care follows Ontario's professional standards and privacy law wherever you are. Some provinces and countries have their own rules about therapy across borders, so before your first session she checks that she can work with you from where you'll be.

 

 

- Why do you ask where I'll be during sessions?

 

The rules that apply to therapy depend on where you physically are during the session, not only where you live. Your location also tells us which emergency services to point you to. Please let us know whenever you'll join from a different city or country, even for one session.

 

 

- What time zone are appointments in?

 

Always check the time shown in your booking confirmation against your own time zone. Toronto

changes its clocks on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November, so the gap with your city can shift by an hour.

 

 

- Can I keep my sessions while I'm travelling?

 

Usually, yes. Tell us in advance where you'll be. In a few may mean a session can't go ahead, and we'll let you know beforehand. places, local rules or poor internet access may mean a session can't go ahead, and we'll let you know beforehand.

 

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- Can we do couples or family therapy if we live in different countries?

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Yes. Each person can join the same Google Meet session from their own location, which many families separated by migration find helpful.

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Booking from inside Iran​​

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- Can I book from inside Iran?

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Yes. On the Book a session page, choose For Clients Inside Iran. Sessions are held on Google Meet, in Persian or English.

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- How do I pay from Iran?

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Iranian bank cards can't be used with our online checkout. Fees for clients inside Iran are listed under For Clients Inside Iran on the booking page. Email contact@mentalmajesty.ca and we'll send you the payment details.

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- What is the time difference with Iran?

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Iran stays on UTC+3:30 all year and no longer changes its clocks. Toronto does, so the gap shifts twice a year.

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• Early November to mid-March Tehran is ahead of Toronto by 8 h 30 min.
  Example: 10:00 a.m. Toronto = 6:30 p.m. Tehran

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• Mid-March to early November Tehran is ahead of Toronto by 7 h 30 min.
  Example: 10:00 a.m. Toronto = 5:30 p.m. Tehran

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- What if my internet is slow or cut off?

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Internet access in Iran can be slow, filtered or interrupted. Before your first session, test Google Meet from the place you'll join, and we'll agree a backup, such as switching to audio only. If a widespread internet disruption in Iran prevents a session, there is no late-cancellation fee and we'll find another time.

 

 

- Is it safe to talk openly?

 

What you share is confidential and kept under Ontario privacy law. Still, no online platform is completely free of risk. For your privacy, join from a room where you can't be overheard, use your own device and wear headphones.

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- What should I do in an emergency in Iran?

 

Mental Majesty can't respond to emergencies or send help in Iran. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, call:

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• 115 for an ambulance

• 110 for the police

• 123, Social Emergency (اورژانس اجتماعی): free, around the clock, covers suicide risk, and may send a team to your location

• 1480, Seda-ye Moshaver (صدای مشاور), the national counselling line, for support that isn't an emergency

• You can also reach the Iran Crisis Line (سامانه طعم گیلاس), a free 24/7 text chat in Persian, at irancrisisline.org, or go to the nearest hospital emergency department.

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Privacy and confidentiality

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- Is what I say in therapy confidential?

 

Yes. What you share is protected under Ontario's Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) and Bahareh's professional obligations. The law sets a few exceptions:

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• a serious risk of harm to you or another identifiable person

• suspected abuse or neglect of a child

• a court order

• reporting duties set by the professional regulator

 

Our Privacy Policy explains these in full.

 

 

- Where are my records kept?

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Clinical records are kept securely in Wix and Google Workspace. Some providers store data on servers outside Canada, including in the United States. You can ask to see your record, or to correct it, at any time.

 

 

- Are sessions recorded?

 

No. Sessions are never recorded, and we ask clients not to record them either.

 

 

- Can I contact Bahareh between sessions?

 

Email contact@mentalmajesty.ca for scheduling questions; anything clinical is best brought to your next session. Messages aren't monitored around the clock, so please don't rely on them in an emergency.

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Emergencies​​

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- Is Mental Majesty a crisis service?

 

No. We can't offer emergency support or reply to messages right away. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself or someone else:

 

• In Canada: call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. For suicidal thoughts or emotional crisis, call or text 9-8-8, free and available 24/7.
   

• In Iran: call 115, 110 or 123 (details above).
   

• Anywhere else: call your local emergency number or go to the nearest hospital.

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Courses

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- Do you offer courses?

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Self-paced online courses in psychoanalysis are coming soon. They are educational: they are not therapy, a therapeutic relationship or clinical supervision. Course purchases are final and non-refundable.

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