About Andrea
Therapy begins with relationship.
I founded Therapy Bee with the belief that meaningful therapy begins in relationship—in being met with care, curiosity, and respect for the complexity of what you have lived through. My work is grief-literate, trauma-informed, and relational, supporting adults living through grief, trauma, illness, caregiving, painful relationships, and major life change. I offer psychotherapy in Oakville and virtually across Ontario.
Andrea O'Reilly, MSW, RSW
Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist
Why relationship matters
Therapy should feel human.
You do not need to arrive with a coherent story or a clear sense of what you need. Grief and trauma can leave experience feeling fragmented, contradictory, or difficult to name. We can begin with what feels most present and allow understanding to emerge in its own time.
My approach is warm, relational, and collaborative. I will not rush you toward acceptance, impose meaning on what happened, or ask you to move faster than feels manageable. Together, we can understand how your experience continues to shape the present and explore what may feel supportive now.
"You do not have to make it all make sense before it can be met with care."
Grief, trauma, and life transitions
How I work
Relational
The relationship we build matters. I bring warmth, honesty, curiosity, and my own humanity into the room so therapy can feel genuine rather than clinical or distant.
Trauma-informed
Your choices, boundaries, and sense of safety guide the pace of our work. You remain an active participant in every part of the process.
Grief-literate
Grief is not something you must complete or leave behind. We can make room for loss, love, identity, and the life that continues—without timelines or assumptions about how you should be coping.
What to expect
Working together
Sessions are thoughtful, conversational, and responsive to what you need that day. Some days we may reflect, notice patterns, or make connections. On others, the work may be simply staying with what feels difficult to carry alone. There is no script you need to follow.
I work with adults navigating bereavement, traumatic loss, complex grief, trauma-related experiences, anxiety, painful relationships, illness, caregiving, and significant life transitions. Our work is collaborative and non-judgemental, with care for your boundaries, values, and lived experience.
ALSO AT THERAPY BEE
Meet Cathy Snyder
MSW PRACTICUM STUDENT
Cathy Snyder is completing her Master of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University and is scheduled to begin her practicum with Therapy Bee in September 2026. She brings approximately 17 years of experience in social services, along with a calm, thoughtful, and collaborative presence.
Her background includes community living, Ontario Works, housing and advocacy services, case management, and community-based support. Across these settings, Cathy has worked alongside individuals and families navigating mental health concerns, substance-use concerns, disability-related needs, housing instability, conflict, and complex service systems.
Cathy will provide services as an MSW practicum student under the clinical supervision of Andrea O'Reilly, MSW, RSW, Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist. Before services begin, clients will receive clear information and provide informed consent regarding Cathy's student status, the role of supervision, confidentiality and its limits, fees, and the nature of the services offered.
BACKGROUND & APPROACH
The experience Cathy brings
HOW CATHY APPROACHES THE WORK
Cathy brings respect, curiosity, and an appreciation for the strengths people already carry. Her professional background has shaped a calm, adaptable approach grounded in careful listening, collaboration, and practical support.
RELEVANT LEARNING AND TRAINING
Cathy's previous training includes trauma-informed practice, motivational interviewing, Mental Health First Aid, dual diagnosis, conflict resolution, and nonviolent crisis intervention.
WORKING WITH CATHY
Areas of interest
Grief, trauma, anxiety, depression, life transitions, attachment concerns, and hoarding
Session format
Virtual sessions
Student session rate
$125 / 60 minutes · $75 / 30 minutes
Anticipated availability
Booking expected to begin September 21, 2026
The story behind the name
Why Therapy Bee
"When someone important died, the news was carried to the hives—not because the bees could change what had happened, but because the loss mattered."
Andrea O'Reilly, MSW, RSW
When I chose the name Therapy Bee, I was drawn to something older and deeper than the familiar image of a busy hive.
In Irish folklore, bees were treated as part of the household. When someone important died, the news was carried to the hives—not because the bees could change what had happened, but because the loss mattered. It had altered the family, the home, and the world around them. Even the bees were included in the telling.
There is something profoundly moving to me in that tradition. Our lives do not unfold in isolation. We are shaped by the people we love, the relationships we have known, and the places where we have belonged.
When one part of that living network is disrupted—through grief, trauma, illness, caregiving, relationship loss, or major life change—the effects can be felt in places we never expected.
The bee also reminds me that connection does not require sameness. Each life has its own history and place within something larger. We affect one another. We carry things for one another.
That is what Therapy Bee has come to hold for me: the significance of each person's experience, the interconnectedness of our lives, and the belief that what has happened deserves to be spoken, witnessed, and met with care.
Therapy cannot undo what has happened. It can offer a relationship in which you do not have to carry the whole of it alone.