Barbara Sérandour
(she/her)Services
- Individual Relationship Therapy - 115$(taxes included)
- Couples Therapy - 150$(taxes included)
Languages
- Français
- English
Locations
- Montreal - Plateau Mont-Royal
- Laval
- Online
Mission
I support couples with children in navigating the storms of everyday life to rediscover connection, balance, and tenderness. Or when love takes on a different form, to part ways with respect and humanity.
Specialties:
My Story
There are moments in a couple’s life when everything can start to feel unbearably heavy. Daily life takes over, the children demand attention, fatigue settles in, and love, although still present somewhere, becomes quiet and hard to find. I know that dizzying feeling of wondering whether we still love each other or are simply holding on out of fear of losing everything.
I have personally lived through those blurry, painful spaces where telling the truth requires as much courage as it does love. I know from the inside the guilt that can accompany separation. I was terrified of the impact it would have on my children. Shared custody was heartbreaking for me. I wanted to separate from the father of my children, not from them.
After eighteen years of commitment and two children, the decision to separate was deeply challenging. I went through that journey both on my own and with a partner. I sought support and, little by little, I came to this conclusion with both my head and my heart: it was better for each of us to continue on our own path.
I was afraid of loneliness. I carried deep guilt when thinking about my children. The idea of missing half their daily lives broke my heart. And yet, through this experience, I also discovered a sense of freedom. I learned to take better care of myself and to choose myself in this new reality.
Today, I mainly work with couples who have children and want to rekindle their bond, finding each other again in the whirlwind of shared life. I help them slow down and create a safe space where they can speak more openly, listen more fully, and love each other more intentionally. When the desire is still present, even if hidden beneath layers of daily routine, it is often possible to rebuild closeness and reconnect with what made them choose each other in the first place. I also work with single people who want to better understand their ways of reacting, rebuild themselves after a breakup or relearn to trust in love.
I support couples who are feeling unsteady but who still long to love each other differently and with greater awareness. These are people who no longer want to simply stay together, but who want to breathe new life, meaning, and tenderness into their relationship. My role is to keep the space open for clarity, kindness, and often, for reconnection that no one expected.
And if love takes another form, I am also here to help you move through that change with gentleness. For couples who are separating, especially those who are co-parents, it is valuable to preserve a respectful and clear relationship. This is a way to continue caring for what once mattered while redefining the relationship in a way that fits the new reality. In these sometimes painful transitions, I walk alongside you to help you move through the chaos without losing yourself, either as a person or as a parent.
Learn more about this professional
As a child, I was extremely talkative and curious. I wanted to know everything about people’s lives! I was constantly trying to figure out what was considered “normal,” because I felt so different. Being very small and shy made me feel out of place much of the time. At the same time, I had an explosive joy and a deep longing for meaningful connection, and that part of me has never faded.
Later on, I wanted to save the world. I studied environmental science and worked in international cooperation. Today, I am more humble. I try to love myself and others, sincerely and deeply. That already feels like a meaningful life mission.
Learn even more about this professional
On my birthday in 2024, I used my retirement to fully dedicate myself to my passion for human relationships. I feel truly in my element when I am helping people strengthen their connections. I love supporting them in improving how they communicate, expressing themselves with responsibility and authenticity, and learning to truly listen to one another. I feel privileged and deeply respectful witnessing couples reconnect and begin a new chapter in their lives.
Learn a secret about this professional
I love swimming and, for a long time, I felt more at home in the water than on land. Rest assured, I am also perfectly grounded with both feet on solid ground!
I feel deeply at peace in nature and by the water. The movement of the wind through the trees brings me a profound sense of calm. In my ideal world, health professionals would prescribe forest bathing and time in nature as part of their care.
Degrees & Experience
- Graduate of the Centre de relation d’aide de Montréal (CRAM), with training in individual and relational therapy
- Psychoeducational assistant at CRAM
- Advanced training in authentic dialogue and Nonviolent Communication
- Program management experience in a governmental setting
- Member of the International Corporation of Helping Relationship Therapists of Canada (CITRAC)
- Member of Regroupement des intervenants et thérapeutes en médecine alternative et complémentaire (RITMA) with MARA certification
Receipts for Insurance Claim in Naturopathy
