About Counselling and Couples Therapy

We’re Changing Psychotherapy.

For years, my dream was to open a clinic where we go beyond the usual. A next gen clinic combining research, clinical practice, and teaching in one place.

A whole team of mental health experts working together under the same roof, sharing expertise, consulting on cases, and raising the bar for how psychotherapy is practiced.

Empire Psych was founded in 2019, and since then, we’ve grown into a team of more than 20 clinicians, researchers, and therapy instructors. I’m so proud of our team and what we’ve achieved together in this time.

We’re a teaching clinic partner of McMaster University. Our research on Attachment Theory lead to pioneering the Echo^® psychotherapy assessment. And thanks to your support, we’re now Hamilton’s leading psychotherapy clinic, providing more than 7,000 sessions each year.

We’re passionate about therapy, and we’re grateful that you’re considering us to be your therapists. Keep reading to learn more, or reach out anytime – we’d love to hear from you.

Ryan Jakovljevic
CEO & Founding Therapist

Our Approach

In 2011, Ryan pioneered a modern and effective form of couples therapy based on examining and working with each individual’s attachment styles and needs.

Empire Psychotherapy has adopted this focus and made it the core of our practice with a strong emphasis on therapist support and development.

This is what makes us different from other clinics. Many other private practices operate in a way that produces less trained, overworked, and less focused clinicians.

Empire Psychotherapy is the first clinic in Ontario to offer therapists a salary, full health benefits and paid training.

This means that you are guaranteed to meet with a therapist who is passionate about their job and dedicated to focusing solely on you!

Plus, with our down-to-earth approach, you will never feel that you are being put on the spot or analyzed. Our expert team will conduct your therapy by nurturing a comfortable relationship where you can express yourself openly and honestly – as if you were talking to a friend.

Learn More

How Can Therapy Help Your Child?

Improve Emotional Regulation

Children’s therapy in Hamilton equips your child with tools to manage strong emotions like anger or anxiety. Over time, they’ll gain confidence in handling challenging situations.

Enhance Social Skills

By learning better ways to communicate, your child can build stronger relationships and navigate social challenges with ease.

Boost Self-Esteem

Therapy helps your child feel more confident by addressing self-doubt and encouraging positive self-talk. This can lead to a stronger sense of self-worth.

Cope With Life Transitions

Whether it’s starting a new school or dealing with a family change, therapy offers support during difficult adjustments. This guidance can help them feel more secure and resilient.

Meet our Team

At Empire Psychotherapy, we have more therapists trained in EFT (Emotion Focused Therapy) than any other clinic in Ontario. By the end of the year, we will have more EFT-trained therapists than all of the clinics in Toronto combined!

Many other professionals will claim they are trained in EFT or CBT but does that mean they studied for two years with supervision? Or did they attend a weekend seminar? While a lack of regulation, unfortunately, exists in the healthcare system, our therapists do only the most comprehensive training in any given modality – all funded by the clinic to ensure our team achieves the highest expertise! As a part of ongoing training, we conduct regular peer video reviews every month to better hone our skills and our therapy methods. Overall, our team members represent different approaches to therapy, ensuring that, no matter your concerns, challenges, or struggles, there is a highly-skilled therapist here to match your unique needs!

Our therapists are represented in many professional organizations such as CRPO, IASA, OCSWSSW, EFTA, AAMFT, and OAMFT.

Meet our Team

Our Clinic

Atmosphere is important at Empire Psychotherapy, so we took great care to professionally design and decorate our space with natural light in order to create a warm and cozy environment.

Our clinic is conveniently located in Hamilton, Ontario with appointments available Monday-Saturday. Our team also provides services in several spoken languages (English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Urdu, and Hindi).

Seeking mental health services should not be challenging and we do our best to provide accessibility to anyone who needs it.

Give us a call today and let’s see if Empire Psychotherapy is the perfect fit for you!

Our Locations

Located in Hamilton, Ontario, Empire Psychotherapy offers accessible counselling services with flexible scheduling, including evenings and weekends. We serve clients in Hamilton and across Ontario through both in-person and online therapy appointments.