A little about me - and how I work
Warm, steady, and effective.
I’m Lynne Protain, a Registered Psychotherapist (Ontario), Professional Certified Coach, and Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher.
I support individuals who look capable on the outside and feel stretched thin on the inside. Many clients come to me for support with burnout and chronic stress, anxiety and overthinking, relationship strain, complex family dynamics, and women’s health and hormonal transitions. They often describe feeling emotionally exhausted, stuck in their head, or pulled into patterns of over-responsibility in relationships.
I offer virtual and psychotherapy and I am based in Toronto, Ontario . Our work focuses on nervous system steadiness, self-trust, and practical change that holds up in daily life and relationships.
My background also includes over 20 years in the corporate world supporting leaders and teams, which helps me understand the internal cost of sustained pressure.
I strive to create a therapeutic space where all identities, abilities, and bodies are welcomed, respected, and affirmed. My work is grounded in a body-positive, 2SLGBTQIA+ affirming, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive framework.
Book a free 15-minute consult to clarify fit and next steps.
A little More about Me
Outside the therapy room, I’m someone who values simplicity, nature, and real connection. You’ll often find me near the water, spending time with my family and our dogs, moving my body in ways that help me feel grounded, or cooking something comforting at home.
I’m naturally curious and reflective. I love learning, reading, writing, travelling, and having meaningful conversations with people I care about. That’s part of what shapes my work - I show up with presence, warmth, and a steady pace so you can feel met while we do the deeper work.
I often work with people navigating
burnout, overwhelm, chronic stress, emotional depletion
anxiety, rumination, overthinking
people-pleasing, perfectionism, over-responsibility
complex family dynamics, emotionally immature caregiving, childhood emotional neglect
relationship strain, trust stress, repeating patterns
grief, identity shifts, life transitions
perimenopause and menopause related mood shifts, sleep disruption, nervous system sensitivity
chronic health challenges and the emotional toll of ongoing symptoms
How I work
My approach is trauma-informed and integrates parts work (IFS-informed), attachment and relational therapy, somatic awareness, and mindfulness-based practice. We pay attention to what’s happening emotionally, what your body is signalling, and the patterns that keep repeating - especially under stress and in relationships.
As a Certified MBSR teacher (Centre for Mindfulness Studies, Toronto), I integrate mindfulness and somatic awareness in a practical, everyday way.
Sessions are steady and practical. We build tools you can use between sessions, and we also go deeper when needed so the underlying patterns can shift.
You can expect a mix of:
Parts work (IFS-informed) to reduce inner conflict, self-judgement, and protective patterns that keep you stuck
Attachment and relational work to strengthen boundaries, increase emotional safety, and build repair-capacity in relationships
Somatic support to work with anxiety, shutdown, tension, and stress responses through body-based awareness and regulation
Mindfulness-based practice to strengthen steadiness, clarity, and self-trust
Over time, clients often notice they feel steadier under stress, clearer in relationships, and more able to act from what matters to them.
Next step
A free consultation is a short first step to clarify fit, what you want support with, and the best next step.
My Values
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Empathy & Respect
You will be met with empathy, curiosity, and respect. Our work is grounded in care, steadiness, and real conversation.
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Compassion
I offer a compassionate space grounded in non-judgement. We build self-compassion and internal resourcing, especially during burnout, overwhelm, and emotional strain.
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Quality Care & Collaboration
I’m committed to high-quality care. You are the expert on your lived experience, and I bring clinical skill, structure, and attunement. We work together at a pace that respects your capacity.
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Diversity & Intersectionality
I welcome diverse identities and abilities across all bodies. My practice is body-positive, 2SLGBTQIA+ affirming, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive.
Understand • Heal • Strengthen • Grow
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Trauma-Focused & Trauma-Informed.
Trauma leaves a psychological and somatic imprint on us. Years after events have passed the body continues to respond as if the danger is still present.
As a result, I focus on not only understanding the connections between our trauma and our lives, but also on transforming how the mind, body, and soul remember our trauma.
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Compassion-Focused.
My compassion-focused approach is impactful, especially during periods of great challenges when we can often find ourselves struggling with shame and criticism, which makes emotional regulation difficult.
Integrating self-compassion training into therapy helps you develop and work with experiences of inner warmth, safety and learning to self-soothe.
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Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Mindfulness has been clinically proven to be beneficial to mental health. Bringing mindfulness into therapeutic approaches can enhance positive results.
Mindfulness techniques can provide grounding for dealing with difficulties, can help with distress tolerance and emotion regulation. They can also improve one’s awareness of triggers related to substance use, eating disorders, suicide ideation, and trauma.
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Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a transformative evidence-based therapeutic model that views each of us as having distinctive internal parts that have needed to adopt certain beliefs and roles as a way to help us navigate our world.
Our inner parts contain valuable qualities and our core Self knows how to heal, allowing us to become integrated and whole. In IFS all parts are welcome.
Practical details
We work at a pace that respects capacity, especially when stress, health, sleep, or hormonal shifts have been wearing you down.
sessions are held virtually for clients located in Ontario
receipts are provided for psychotherapy services
the consultation is a short first step to clarify fit, what you want support with, and next steps
Education & Certifications
Credentials and training that support a trauma-informed, mindfulness-based, relational approach.
