Fiona MacDonell
Certified Sex Therapist
Fiona MacDonell is the founder and clinical director of the Ottawa Centre for Relationship & Sex Therapy. She is a Registered Psychotherapist and a Clinical Supervisor with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). She is also a Certified Sex Therapist through the Association of Sex Therapists of Ontario (ASTO).
Fiona is one of a very small number of certified sex therapists practicing in Ottawa, and leads one of the only Ottawa practices that specializes in sex therapy.
She works with adults individually, with couples, and with people in alternative relationship structures including open, polyamorous, and non-monogamous partnerships.
Fiona MacDonell
Certified Sex Therapist
Fiona MacDonell is the founder and Executive Director of the Ottawa Centre for Relationship & Sex Therapy. ‘She is a Registered Psychotherapist (#7023) and a Clinical Supervisor with the CRPO. She is also a Certified Sex Therapist through the Association of Sex Therapists of Ontario (ASTO).
Fiona is one of a very small number of certified sex therapists practicing in Ottawa, and leads one of the only Ottawa practices that specializes in sex therapy.
She works with adults individually, with couples, and with people in alternative relationship structures including open, polyamorous, and non-monogamous partnerships.
Background and training
Fiona graduated from Saint Paul’s University in 2013 with a Master’s in Counselling and Spirituality, with a specialization in couples and family therapy. She opened her private practice that same year and has accumulated over 13 years of experience working with individuals, couples, and families navigating some of life’s most complex relational and sexual challenges. She has also worked in community organizations and served as a clinical supervisor to graduate students in psychotherapy training programs.
This breadth of training is reflected in the range of concerns she is able to address with clients.
Approach
Fiona describes herself as a relational therapist at heart. She believes that the therapeutic relationship itself — the safety, trust, and genuine connection between client and therapist — is not just a container for the work but a meaningful part of it. In her experience, many of the patterns that bring people to sex therapy or couples therapy are rooted in earlier relational experiences, and understanding those roots is often central to lasting change.
She draws from Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Narrative Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), the Developmental Model of Couples Therapy, the principles and practices of sex therapy, and other evidence-based approaches, always tailoring the work to the individual or couple in front of her. She approaches all presentations — including those related to sexuality, kink, non-monogamy, and alternative relationship structures — with curiosity, professionalism, and an absence of judgment.
Specializations
As an ASTO-certified sex therapist, Fiona works with individuals and couples on a wide range of sexual concerns. These include low sexual desire and desire discrepancy between partners, sexual dysfunction and difficulties with arousal or orgasm, painful sex, the effects of sexual trauma on current intimacy and relationships, questions about sexual identity and orientation, and compulsive sexual behaviour. She also works with clients who are exploring kink, seeking a more fulfilling sex life, or navigating the sexual dimensions of non-monogamous relationships.
Beyond sex therapy, Fiona has deep experience with the relational concerns that so often sit alongside sexual ones. Her specializations include relational trauma and early attachment wounds, affairs and trust repair, desire discrepancies between partners, family of origin issues, and the particular dynamics of non-monogamous and polyamorous relationships. She is an experienced couples therapist and brings this dual lens — relational and sexual — to all of her work.
Who Fiona works with
Fiona works with adults of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, and relationship configurations. She works with individuals in individual therapy, with couples in couples therapy, and with people navigating polyamorous, open, and ethically non-monogamous relationships. Many of her clients come specifically seeking a sex therapist — someone with real clinical training in sexual health — and find that her work addresses both the sexual and relational dimensions of what they are dealing with.
Clients looking for a sex therapist near Ottawa, or for virtual sex therapy across Ontario, are welcome to reach out directly.
Availability and fees
Fiona sees clients in person at the practice’s Centretown Ottawa office and virtually for clients across Ontario. Individual sessions: $195. Couples sessions: $210. She is currently accepting clients on a wait list.
Ready to take the next step?
Book a session with Fiona or learn more about our approach to sex therapy and couples therapy in Ottawa.