Farsi Counselling
A Farsi-Speaking Therapist for the Persian Community in Canada
Some feelings only make sense in your mother tongue. If English never quite reaches the heart of what you want to say, if the word for that particular ache, that particular longing, only exists in Farsi, you can work with a counsellor who understands you in both languages, and understands the world you come from.
I'm Marjan Emami, an Iranian-Canadian therapeutic counsellor. I offer individual, couples, family and parenting counselling online, in Farsi or English, to clients in Toronto, Richmond Hill, North York, Vaughan, Vancouver and across Canada, as well as Farsi-speaking clients living outside Canada. Sessions are held over secure video on Zoom, so you can meet from home, whether that's a condo downtown, a house in Richmond Hill, or an apartment on the other side of the world.
Many of my clients navigate life between two cultures: immigration and starting over, distance from parents and siblings back home, raising children who are growing up differently than we did, marriages carrying expectations from two worlds. In our sessions, these experiences don't need translating or explaining. They are understood from the inside.
I also know that in many Iranian families, talking about our inner life hasn't always been encouraged. Many of us learned to say "it's nothing" and carry things quietly. Reaching out is not a weakness and not a last resort. It's simply a way of taking your own life seriously, and it can begin with a single free conversation.
What I can help with
People come to counselling for many reasons, sometimes a specific crisis, sometimes a quiet feeling that things could be different. Some of the areas we can work on together:
- Anxiety: persistent worry, racing thoughts, restlessness, the tension in your body that never quite lets go.
- Immigration stress: starting over in a new country, homesickness, worry for family in Iran, grief for the life and identity you left behind.
- Couples conflict: communication breakdowns, recurring arguments, distance in the relationship, expectations shaped by two different worlds.
- Parenting between cultures: raising children in Canada while honouring where you come from, and staying connected to kids growing up in a different world than you did.
- Low mood and burnout: exhaustion, loss of joy, running on empty at work or at home.
- Life transitions: a move, a separation, a career change, retirement, loss of a loved one.
- Self-esteem: the harsh inner critic, perfectionism, the feeling of never being enough.
- Support with past trauma: gentle, paced support as you make sense of painful experiences from earlier in life, at a rhythm your nervous system can handle.
About Marjan
I'm an Iranian-Canadian therapeutic counsellor, and I've lived the immigrant story myself: the excitement, the loneliness, the slow work of building a life between two cultures. That lived experience shapes how I sit with my clients, with warmth, patience and genuine curiosity rather than judgment or formulas.
I'm trained in Compassionate Inquiry, the approach developed by Dr. Gabor Maté, which looks gently beneath our patterns and symptoms to the experiences and beliefs underneath them. My work is also informed by the ideas of Stephen Porges on the nervous system, Gordon Neufeld on attachment and parenting, Dan Siegel on the developing mind, and Bessel van der Kolk on how the body carries our history.
What matters most to me is that you feel safe and unhurried in our sessions. You set the pace. My role is to listen deeply, ask honest questions and walk alongside you, in whichever language feels like home that day. Read more about my approach.
How sessions work
- All sessions are online over secure video on Zoom. No commuting, no waiting rooms, no one in the lobby wondering why you’re there.
- Individual counselling is $150 for a 50-minute session. Couples counselling is $200 for an 80-minute session. Family and parenting sessions are also available.
- We always start with a free 30-minute intro call (it appears as the free consultation on the booking page): a no-pressure conversation, in Farsi or English, to see whether working together feels right.
- Receipts are provided for every session. Coverage varies by insurance plan, so check with your insurer whether counselling services are included.
- Evening appointments are available several weekdays, and weekend mornings are open too, so sessions can fit around work and around time zones, for clients joining from outside Canada.
See services and fees for full details.
Common questions
Can I switch between Farsi and English during a session?
Yes, and many clients do, sometimes in the same sentence. Some feelings arrive in Farsi, some in English. You never need to choose in advance; use whichever words carry the feeling best, and I'll follow you.
How much do sessions cost?
Individual counselling is $150 for a 50-minute session, and couples counselling is $200 for an 80-minute session. Family and parenting sessions are also available. Before anything else, we start with a free 30-minute consultation so you can decide with no pressure.
Will my insurance cover counselling?
I provide a receipt for every session, but coverage varies from plan to plan. Before we begin, check with your insurance provider whether counselling services are included in your benefits so there are no surprises.
How do online sessions work?
Sessions happen over secure video on Zoom. All you need is a quiet, private space and an internet connection. A phone, tablet or computer all work. I send you the session link beforehand, and you simply click it at your appointment time. No commuting, no waiting rooms.
What happens in the first session?
There's nothing to prepare. We start with the free 30-minute consultation, a relaxed conversation about what's bringing you to counselling, what you're hoping for, and any questions you have about how I work. If it feels like a good fit, we book a first full session and go from there, at your pace.
I live outside Canada. Can we still work together?
Yes. I work with Farsi-speaking clients internationally as well as across Canada. Since sessions are online, we simply find a time that works across our time zones. And because I have evening availability several weekdays, that's usually easier than you'd expect.
Is what I share in sessions confidential?
Yes. What you share in our sessions stays between us and is not disclosed without your consent, except in the rare situations where the law requires it, such as an immediate risk of serious harm to you or someone else. We go over exactly what this means together in our first session, so you know where you stand.
Do you have evening appointments?
Yes, evening sessions are available several weekdays, and weekend mornings are open too, so counselling can fit around your work schedule or family routine instead of competing with it.
Free 30-Minute Consultation
In Farsi or English, whichever feels like home.
Book your free consultation