According to the American Psychological Association (APA), psychotherapy has been shown to improve emotions and behaviours and to be linked with positive changes in the brain and body. Research demonstrates that psychotherapy is effective for a variety of mental health concerns and across a spectrum of population groups, resulting in long-lasting improvements. Research also indicates that the average client receiving psychotherapy is better off than 79% of clients who do not seek treatment.
Sometimes children experience trauma or need a professional to help them process their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Depending on the presentation, children under 11 may benefit from play therapy to discuss and address areas of concern, whereas children 12 and over may benefit more from traditional psychotherapy techniques, but this is determined on a case-by-case basis.
Fees for 50-minute therapy sessions with adults and children ages 12+ is $90.00 per session.
Fees for 30-minute therapy sessions with children 11 and under is $75.00 per session.
In an effort to ensure services are affordable and accessible to all, sliding scale therapy is available.
It is most common to schedule regular weekly sessions at least for the first 8-12 weeks after which it may be possible to move into a bi-weekly or monthly schedule.
Yes! Online sessions are an option for adults and adolescents. Online sessions have been proven to be just as effective as in person sessions.
Sessions are scheduled in advance and at a time reserved exclusively for you. When a session is cancelled without adequate notice, it becomes impossible to offer the slot to another client, a client on the waiting list, or a client with a clinical crisis.
Therapy sessions and all other types of appointments including assessments not cancelled 1 day (24 hours) in advance will carry a full cancellation fee.
In cases of emergency please contact to cancel or reschedule as soon as possible.
Sessions vary depending on the areas of concern, the goals of the client, the determined treatment plan and the treatment approach. The first session serves as an opportunity to assess the client’s needs, establish rapport and answer any questions/concerns of the client.
Depending on the client’s specific needs, our work together can be short-term, for a specific issue, or longer-term, to deal with more difficult patterns.
In general, the law protects the confidentiality of all communications between a client and therapist. No information is disclosed without prior written permission from the client. At the start of sessions, each client will be asked to sign a confidential disclosure agreement that states that information discussed in sessions will not be shared with anyone. However, there are some exceptions to this rule required by law and professional standards of ethics. Exceptions include:
- Suspected child abuse or dependant adult or elder abuse. Therapists are required to report suspected abuse to the appropriate authorities immediately.
- If a client intends to harm himself or herself. Therapists are required to make every effort to work with the individual to ensure their safety. However, if an individual does not cooperate, additional measures may need to be taken.
- If a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person. Therapists are required to notify the police.
A formal assessment is not required before beginning psychotherapy but may be useful in helping to design a personalized treatment plan.
A general assessment is conducted at the beginning of all types of therapy services.
- Assessments can provide a diagnosis.
- Assessments can provide information about the best course of treatment.
- Assessments can provide a baseline that can be used to measure progress.
- Assessments can reveal professional strengths and weaknesses.
The cost of each assessment varies as it is based on the psychological tools required to complete a comprehensive assessment. As every client has different needs, different assessments are selected and administered.
Typically, the assessment process is completed in one appointment. This allows for an expedited testing process from start to finish. Assessments may include clinical interviews, observation, formal testing with psychometric test kits, questionnaires and consultation with other professionals involved in a person’s life. Once all information is gathered, a feedback appointment will be scheduled to review the results of the testing and any applicable diagnoses and/or referrals. An easy to read report will also be provided that will include the testing results, diagnosis, and recommendations.