Online Therapy for MAiD in Ontario
This blog post explores how therapy for MAiD can support individuals and their families considering Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). It covers common emotional themes such as peace, suffering, dignity, choice, and feeling like a burden. The article emphasizes a safe, confidential, and outcome-neutral approach to counseling, helping clients process grief, make informed decisions, and find clarity. Suitable for those navigating end-of-life decisions, anticipatory grief, or needing compassionate space.
What to Know When You’re Considering Therapy for MAiD
When someone is considering Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), it’s not a decision made lightly. For many, it’s the result of deep reflection, ongoing suffering, and a desire for dignity, peace, and agency at the end of life. As a therapist, my role is not to influence outcomes but to offer a supportive, compassionate, and confidential space where thoughts and emotions can be safely explored.
When Medical Assistance in Dying was first legalized in Canada in 2016 I was beginning my hospital training in the oncology and palliative care units, and my first experience supporting with a person who chose MAiD was an elderly man who received MAiD in January 2017. Since then, I’ve walked with numerous people in their homes and hospital settings. I’ve supported individuals, families and staff process their deeply personal decison-making processing, working through the realities of loss and preparing for ongoing grief as families. I am always honoured to join the process of helping families communicate with one another, find clarity around values and meaning, and develop rituals around goodbyes and legacy work. If you are looking for a therapist like me, I invite you to reach out.
Why People Seek Therapy for MAiD During Decision-Making
You may be:
– Holding intense suffering (physical, emotional, or spiritual)
– Feeling like a burden to your loved ones
– Longing for control, clarity, or peace
– Wrestling with cultural, spiritual, or ethical beliefs
– Facing financial pressures or system-level exhaustion
Therapy gives you a safe place to feel, question, name, and navigate. I walk beside you as you process the complexity of what it means to live and die well.
What Happens in Therapy for MAiD?
In therapy, individuals contemplating MAiD often want to talk through the emotional and relational complexities that arise during this deeply personal decision-making process. Some of the themes that frequently surface include:
-Suffering – Whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, suffering is a reality that can be isolating. Sometimes, being able to name that suffering and have it witnessed without judgment is the beginning of feeling seen.
-Cultural and Religious – The beliefs systems people hold can create tensions within themselves and impact family relationships
-Choice and Control – The MAiD process can offer individuals a sense of autonomy in situations where illness has taken so much. In therapy, we talk about what it means to have choices, and how to hold space for the control that remains.
-Burden – Many people worry about becoming a burden to their families whether that is physically, emotionally, or financially. Exploring these feelings can ease the weight of guilt or fear, especially when given a safe environment to speak freely about Medical Assistance in Dying.
-Finances – End-of-life care can carry financial pressures. Clients may wish to talk through these practical realities, especially as they intersect with feelings of value, responsibility, and impact on others and impact the MAiD decision.
-Dignity – The desire to maintain dignity in life and in death is central for many people. Together, we explore what dignity means personally and how it can be honored.
-Peace – Many clients long for peace: peace of mind, peace with loved ones, peace with their suffering, and peace with their decisions. Therapy can help them articulate what peace means and how to find moments of it in the midst of uncertainty around Medical Assistance in Dying.
These conversations are not meant to steer a person in any direction. They are about making space for grief, clarity, love, fear, and meaning and whatever that may look like for the individual. Sometimes people simply want someone to sit with them in the heaviness. Other times, they are seeking language to express what they can’t quite yet put into words around MAiD.

What Kind of Support is Needed for Families?
The decision to pursue MAiD impacts not only the individual, but those who love and support them. Whether you are a caregiver, spouse, sibling, or friend, therapy can be a place to:
– Process anticipatory grief
– Express conflicted emotions
– Prepare for conversations and goodbyes
– Navigate spiritual or ethical questions
– Understand your own boundaries and responses
MAiD therapy raises complex, sometimes hidden layers of emotion that can be softened through supported, compassionate dialogue. Being able to process these feelings with a trained therapist may also help reduce the risk of prolonged or complicated grief after loss.

What I Offer During MAiD Therapy
Outcome-Neutral, Values-Respecting Therapy for MAiD
My practice is non-biased. This means I do not influence a client’s decision regarding MAiD in any way. I do not offer advice. Instead, I offer presence, deep listening, and thoughtful reflection to help you work through and prepare for your grief to prevent disordered effects. I respect your autonomy, your values, and your right to make informed decisions about your care.
Your privacy is always respected, and our sessions are held in strict confidence.
If you are walking this road, or walking beside someone who is, there is space and support for your story too, your suffering, your uncertainty, and your strength.
For additional support and resources, you may want to visit MAiD Family Support Society.
Do you have questions? I’d love to set up a time to meet with you for a free 20-minute consultation