DEREK COZZI

Toronto Therapy for Relationships, Self-Esteem, Grief & Identity

Hi, I’m Derek — founder of Canopy Psychotherapy Centre. I’m a Registered Psychotherapist (RP) and Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) with a Master’s in Counselling Psychology. I help adults and couples in Toronto and across Ontario (in-person and online) build resilience, self-confidence, and deeper connection.

For the past seven years, I’ve walked alongside clients as they navigate both the pain of feeling stuck and the hope of creating change. My work is about understanding what it feels like to walk a day in your life — the heaviness, the self-doubt, the relationship strain — and then working with you to find clarity and resilience.

Why Work With Me

I approach therapy with warmth, authenticity, and directness. I want you to feel like you’re sitting with a real person — someone who genuinely tries to step into your shoes, who respects your story, and who meets you where you are. I balance this human connection with a strong foundation of clinical skill, weaving in proven approaches and practical strategies that fit your unique situation.

Clients often come to me carrying:

• Grief and loss after death, separation, or major transitions

• Low self-esteem, regret, or self-criticism — the weight of “not feeling good enough”

• Relationship challenges like conflict, disconnection, or intimacy struggles

• Anxiety, trauma, or identity questions that leave them feeling stuck or unsettled

Together, we’ll make sense of these experiences and look for ways forward that feel aligned, supportive, and real.

My Approach to Therapy

I tailor therapy to each client, drawing on relational and evidence-based methods:

• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT): Helps individuals and couples connect with their emotions, process them safely, and share them in ways that build deeper understanding and security. It’s about learning to notice what you feel, make sense of it, and use those emotions to strengthen connection rather than stay stuck in old patterns.

• Psychodynamic Therapy: Explores how past experiences and relationships shape the way you think, feel, and act today. By bringing unconscious patterns into awareness, we can understand why you feel stuck and create healthier ways of relating to yourself and others.

• Narrative Therapy: Focuses on the stories you tell yourself about who you are and what’s possible. Together, we’ll uncover the stories that keep you feeling small or limited, and re-author them into narratives that reflect your strengths, values, and hopes for the future.

• Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT): Teaches practical skills to face difficult thoughts and emotions without being overwhelmed by them. ACT helps you build resilience and make choices guided by your values, so you can live a life that feels more grounded, intentional, and meaningful.

• Developmental Model of Couples Therapy: Helps partners understand the natural stages of relationships — from closeness to conflict to deeper growth. We’ll identify where you are as a couple, what challenges come with that stage, and how to work through them in ways that strengthen intimacy, trust, and connection.

Our sessions will feel like honest conversations — empathetic and supportive, but also infused with perspective, humour when it fits, and tools to use outside the room. I’ll bring both my human side and my clinical expertise, so you feel understood and equipped.

What to Expect from Sessions

Therapy with me isn’t about quick fixes — it’s about being met with compassion and curiosity, while also being guided by knowledge and skill. My goal is for you to feel truly heard and respected, and to leave each session with fresh insights, practical tools, and a stronger sense of possibility. I aim to create a space where you feel seen and supported, while making meaningful progress toward a life that feels more connected, balanced, and aligned with your values.

SERVICES

• Individual therapy

• Couple’s therapy

• Clinical supervision & Consultation

AREAS OF FOCUS

• Relationships & Attachment

• Shame, Guilt & Anger

• Anxiety & Depression

• Grief & Loss

• Trauma

• ADHD

• Identity exploration

• LGBTQ2SAI+

• Life transitions

LOCATION

In-person in Yorkville and virtual across all Ontario

LANGUAGES

English