Frequently Asked Questions

Counselling, also known as therapy or psychotherapy, is a collaborative process between you and a counsellor that uses psychology based concepts and processes to help you adjust how you think, feel, and behave. It is a process in which you come to know yourself better. You become more aware of your patterns, values, root causes, hidden beliefs, feelings, or obstacles to change. Counselling provides a safe, confidential, supportive, non-judgemental, and inclusive environment for your exploration and growth. Counselling should be individually crafted to suit who you are and where you are with your struggles.

The number of sessions depends on you and what you want to do in relation to your personal growth at this time in your life. Some clients come to address a specific issue, while some people come to engage in general, and want ongoing personal growth to effect impactful change. The research shows that most counselling clients experience significant change with a specific issue within approximately ten sessions.

Weekly sessions are recommended at the beginning of counselling, clients often shift to bi-weekly after they feel they have made progress on the issues they first came to counselling for. When clients feel more resilient, many come for less frequent check-ins as needed.

You do not have to do anything you do not want to do, and you can start where you are. Counselling is a collaborative process; counsellors should not force you to do anything you do not feel ready for. As a part of ongoing consent, we will have regular check-ins, and you will continually be participating in the decision of where to take the dialogue. Sometimes it might make sense to talk about your past, but it will always be your choice.

Why might it make sense to talk about your past? Too often we tend to react automatically to events in our lives. These automatic reactions are typically patterns created in our past — sometimes we are not even aware they exist because our patterns are mostly invisible to us. The process of psychotherapy works largely on increasing your awareness of your own feelings, thoughts, and patterns so you will have more choice in how you respond to events in your life. Understanding the patterns established in your formative years is often part of this process. While sometimes uncomfortable, unpacking these patterns is typically experienced as a healing process and a gateway to a deeper understanding of one’s self.

Yes. Therapy is one of the most private and confidential spaces in our society.

We will discuss this further in person as part of discussing informed consent, but only a few exceptions to this confidentiality exist:

• In the rare circumstances where the safety of you or someone else may be in immediate jeopardy, or if there is reason to believe there is a child or vulnerable adult being abused or neglected, BC law obligates me — as it does all citizens — to report the situation to authorities.

• The court of BC has the jurisdiction to subpoena session notes.

• When a counsellor seeks supervision, which most do throughout their career, the supervisor is also bound by confidentiality, and details are anonymized.

If any of these situations arose, I will attempt to discuss the break of confidentiality with you ahead of time. Again, these are very rare occurrences. I am happy to discuss this further when we meet in person.

Most insurance covers counsellors from a variety of professions (social work, psychology, art therapy, expressive therapies); however, some only cover registered social workers and some cover only psychologists.

Counsellors with the Association of Cooperative Counselling Therapists of Canada (ACCT) and Canadian Professional Counselling Association (CPCA) can have their sessions covered by, but not limited to; SunLife, Pacific Blue Cross, Green Shield, Equitable Life of Canada, Canada Life or ClaimSecure. ManuLife will cover sessions on a case by case basis. 

To confirm your insurance company will cover sessions with our counsellors, we strongly encourage our clients to call their insurance company to confirm what they are covered for. Plans that do cover our services typically include counselling, psychotherapy, or the services of clinical counsellors.

In the event that your claims have been rejected, a letter appeal may be used to encourage your insurance company to accept your claim. You may also request a letter written by your counsellor.

Individual Sessions
50 minutes – $140 
80 minutes – $210 

BCVTA members in good standing will be eligible to receive a $50 discount per session as a thank you for the work you do in the veterinary industry in British Columbia. 

I believe that financial hardship shouldn’t be a barrier to mental health support. My limited seat sliding scale program offers reduced rate sessions tailored to your specific circumstances. Let’s work together to find a rate that works for you and take a step towards your embodied journey.