WHAT IS COUNSELLING?
Counselling is for anyone who is looking for emotional support during a time of transition or change. Change, whether positive (ex. new career) or sometimes negative (ex. breakup/divorce), can be very stressful. During these stressful times, you may resort to older, unhealthy patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that may not be serving you well anymore. Developing better ways of coping is one of the main aims of counselling. Another is helping you learn about yourself (ex. triggers/strengths), in order to make positive changes for a healthier, more balanced and fulfilling life.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
By listening attentively, I can begin to understand the difficulties from your point of view, and can help you see things more clearly, possibly from a different perspective. During counselling sessions you can explore various aspects of your life and feelings, talking about them freely and openly in a way that is rarely possible with friends or family. Bottled up feelings such as anger, anxiety, or uncertainty about the future can become very intense, and counselling offers an opportunity to explore them, with the possibility of making them easier to process and understand.
Acceptance and respect are essential, and as our relationship develops, so too will the trust that we build together. The door of opportunity will then be opened for you to look at many aspects of your life, which you may not have considered or been able to face before. Once you start to gain awareness and figure out what’s holding you back, we can map out a plan that reflects your core values, hopes and workable goals.
HOW MANY SESSIONS WILL I/WE REQUIRE?
In my experience, creating real change takes some time, and this is difficult to do in just a few sessions.
For both individual and couples counselling, I suggest committing to at least six sessions. This allows enough time to figure out the main challenges in your life, and develop workable goals that will get you moving towards the person you really want to become.
*Please note, that you will get what you put into the counselling process, which might mean doing some work between sessions, in the form of readings and/or small exercises/assignments.
HOW MUCH WILL COUNSELLING COST?
Regular rates: $160.00/session - $900/six sessions
Student rates: $120.00 /session- $700/six sessions (see note below)
My rates are carefully set to support accessibility. Student, and reduced rates may be available for people facing financial challenges.
*Most extended individual and family medical plans in BC cover services with registered clinical counsellors (RCC). Please review your policy or contact your provider to determine your eligibility.
*I provide employment assistant program (EAP/EAS) services through Health Canada, Optima Global Health, Insurance Corporation of BC (ICBC) and First Nations Health Authority (FNHA)