FAQs
If your questions aren’t answered here, please get in touch!
The first session, also known as the intake session, involves the therapist asking the client to provide as much information as they feel comfortable disclosing for the therapist to gain a better understanding of the client’s current concerns. The intake session sets the stage for the therapist and the client to begin building a trusting therapeutic alliance which is foundational for client progress. The quality of the alliance as well as the client’s progress will be regularly assessed throughout the therapeutic process.
Therapy is far from a one-size-fits-all process. Therefore, subsequent sessions will unfold according to the client’s distinct history, characteristics, and presenting problem. The therapeutic process can be likened to an adventure during which the client states their desired destination and their preferred way to travel. The therapist’s role is to be the client’s trusted guide and compassionate companion.
They are more common than people think. In September 2023, Statistics Canada reported the results of a study conducted in 2022 that found over five million Canadians aged 15 and up met diagnostic criteria for mood, anxiety, or substance use disorder in the previous 12 months.
In January 2021, on behalf of Sun Life Canada, Ipsos surveyed 1,000 Canadians aged 18 and up on mental health and found that 60% of respondents reported experiencing mental health issues, but more than half of the respondents did not seek help.
While attitudes toward seeking support for mental health have improved, terms like “suck it up” or “get over it” continue to perpetuate the myth that asking for help means weakness. However, as the saying goes, “strength shows not only in the ability to persist, but the ability to start over.” Entering therapy can be the start of your evolution toward sustainable well-being.
Therapy can be beneficial for a myriad of mental health challenges. Experiencing bouts of sadness, worry, and irritability is just part of being human. However, if you’ve noticed you are feeling stuck, conflicted, or more down than up in recent times, you might benefit from counselling therapy.
Life is filled with stressors, and typically everyone will face adversity. If the effects of the adversity have left you feeling unmoored in a sea of negative thoughts and emotions, entering therapy can be the lighthouse that guides you safely back to shore. Therapy does not make the ups and downs of life disappear, but it can teach you effective strategies that, if you practice consistently, can help increase your capacity to surf the waves of life in a purposeful and meaningful manner.
The answer to this question depends on the client’s personal factors.
Sometimes the client’s concern can be addressed within one to three sessions (e.g. the client needs to decide if they want to accept a job offer in another city). Other times, the client may be dealing with unresolved impacts of the past and feels burdened by long-standing patterns of negative thoughts, emotions, and behaviour. In this instance, therapy can take longer.
Yes, new clients will receive their second session free. Simply book your first session and then you can book your second session of the same duration completely free.
Please check directly with your provider to confirm that their mental health plan covers clinicians registered with the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors and/or clinicians certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.
Other third parties are not billed directly. You will receive a receipt which can be submitted to your insurance provider. Please remember to check directly with your benefits plan manager to confirm that you have coverage.
This policy is not meant to penalize clients. It is required to safeguard the viability of running a counselling therapy practice.