Counselling for many is often a last resort. Life’s challenges have been impacting your life more and more. Maybe your relationships are declining, perhaps your workplace functioning is diminishing, and maybe you are noticing your general ability to cope on a daily basis declined.
As a society, there is such an emphasis to deal with our problems on our own and even more so to never show that we are not coping well. You may have an amazing and supportive family or group of friends but often we don’t want to burden those closest to us with our problems. That is where counselling can be such an invaluable process. With the right counselor, you can feel comfortable discussing any issues you are struggling with in a private, confidential, and safe environment.
Counselling is not always an easy process but I am confident that I can guide you along the way and help you find some positive solutions that you may not have realized were available to you.
Many people are very eager to begin the counselling process. Maybe they have been through some form of counselling in the past and found success or maybe they just understand that the time is right to get some help figuring out what the next steps in life for them should be.
Most express a lot of reservations about seeking counselling. Perhaps your family or friends have suggested you give it a try but your initial response might be “Counselling is not for me. I can figure this out on my own.”. In all honesty, counselling could be a monumental moment in your life. An opportunity to create positive shifts and begin your journey back to a happier and more fulfilling life.
For many, just making that initial contact with a counselor takes a lot of courage and strength but once you make that call, the next steps are so much easier. My role as a counselor is to ensure you embark on this journey in as least a stressful manner as possible.
The most common response I hear from clients is that they feel like a load has been lifted off their shoulders. Sometimes, just the act of talking about what is going on in your life can be therapeutic in itself. People get referred to counselling for many different reasons but the most common one is that someone has noticed a change in you. Perhaps your co-worker comments that you just don’t seem to be yourself lately. Maybe you partner mentions you have been very distant or notices a change in your emotions.
It is essential to figure things out sooner than later to ensure that you can get back to being a positive and productive employee, socially connected with friends, and of course a positive and connected partner in your intimate relationships.
In short, counselling can help provide you with the necessary tools and techniques to ensure you can walk a way from the process prepared, positive, and socially connected.
Since COVID, there has been a shift in many different services and therapy was not immune to these changes. My experience as I navigated through the global pandemic was that people still needed to work on mental health. In some cases even more-so because of the many challenges and negative impacts the COVID pandemic had on people’s mental health and well-being. As a result, the world of therapy had to adapt to these challenges and changes as well. This led to more of a hybrid approach to therapy in the form of what has become known as “remote therapy”.
In-person sessions are still provided and many people have insisted on doing their work in-person which is completely understandable however adding remote sessions to the process has been very well received by many for different reasons. I provide remote sessions either through Zoom or simply by phone. Either modality is acceptable and really comes down to the individual’s needs at that time.
I am a big advocate of providing remote sessions by Zoom as this is the closest to face-to-face as you can get without being in the same office together. The feedback I have received about remote sessions has been that it is much appreciated as it has less of an impact on an individual’s day. Some people can do their sessions remotely over a break for example and can return to work without having to disrupt their day or seek child-care while they attend in-person sessions. At the end of the day, it is the preference of the individual and both formats can be provided.
It is so important for people to make sure that they feel comfortable and safe with whoever they work with in their therapy. I tell people often that for therapy to be successful you need to feel commutable with the person you work with. Otherwise, emotions or thoughts are withheld or suppressed and therapy will not be successful. This is why it is so important to meet with multiple therapists prior to embarking on the work you wish to do. I encourage people to meet with and talk with a few different therapists before deciding who you want to work with.
I offer a free 15 minute consultation to give you that opportunity to meet with and talk to me prior to determine if I am the right therapist for you. Many therapist will provide this opportunity to potential clients. Even though we all have similar academic backgrounds, we also have very individualized and unique ways in which we interact with our clients. What this means is that one person’s personality may not work for everyone. Some people want to get started right away and the decision to select a therapist can be stressful however many want to meet with potential therapists and decide who is the best for them.
If you wish to schedule an initial free consult, please feel free to do so. I would be happy to take the time to meet with you and see if we can do some great work together.
Many people ask if therapy is covered under basic medical or extended health care plans. Unfortunately for basic medical, therapy is not a service covered. When it comes to extended health care plans however, there are a few plans that do provide coverage. I encourage people to look closely at their plans to ensure that the services are covered and the amount of coverage provided.
For my services, extended health care plans need to provide coverage for a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC). In some cases it is a set amount of sessions per year while in others it can be an allotted amount of funds provided for therapy. In these scenarios reimbursement is often like filling a prescription in that you pay for the service and then submit your invoice to your service provider for reimbursement.
Some extended health care plans will allow me to bill directly to the provider which alleviates having to pay for the sessions and wait for reimbursement. The two providers that I am affiliated with that allow for this direct billing are: GreenShield and Pacific Blue Cross (again it is important to review your coverage to ensure this is available as plans can differ).
A common question I get is “How does payment for therapy work?”. In the absence of EAP/EFAP or extended health benefits, payment is accepted per session. If the sessions are conducted remotely payment can be made via eTransfer or credit card. For in-person sessions, payment includes cash, debit, and most credit cards.
Once payment is received and processed you are issued a receipt via Square which includes all the necessary information should you be submitting for reimbursement.