our policies

Counselling Clinics Policies

Informed Consent

Counselling Sessions are typically 50 minutes in duration (longer for couples) and are offered in a range from $50 – 150 (intern and associate counsellor rate) and $160 to 220 +GST per session for our fully licensed practitioners. Payments are due at the time of service and a receipt will be issued. [If you are accessing services through an Employment Assistance Program (EAP), seeing an intern counsellor or have a pre-approved sliding scale agreement, disregard payment and cost details noted above].

Cancellation Policy

Your appointment time is reserved just for you. A late cancellation or missed visit leaves a hole in the therapists’ day that could have been filled by another patient. As such, we require 48 hours notice for any cancellations or changes to your appointment. Patients who provide less than 48 hours notice, or miss their appointment, will be charged the full fee of the appointment.

Information Regarding the Therapeutic Benefits and Risks

Counselling is an opportunity to explore and process difficulties related to behaviours, thoughts, feelings, memories, and relationships. Counselling can provide greater self-awareness, insight and coping. These services are provided from an attachment approach which promotes the building of healthy relationships. We believe that the client is their own “best expert” and therefore we work in a collective manner. Counselling may require that you be willing to explore some difficult topics, memories or try out different behaviours. These experiences can sometimes lead to stronger than usual emotions. Effective counselling tries to minimize or manage these feelings, however this requires cooperation between client and counsellor, and willingness on the clients part to express when emotions become difficult to manage.

Information Regarding Your Rights to Confidentiality

It is your right to have the information you disclose remain confidential. For this reason, information you choose to disclose will remain strictly confidential, except where given written permission. While you have a right to confidentiality, some limitations to this apply including the following exceptions:

In order to provide you with the best quality services counsellors will occasionally seek consultation with other colleagues. Clinical supervision allows your counsellor to discuss cases and get suggestions for interventions. The information provided to the clinical supervisor is confidential between your counsellor and the supervisor. Your counsellor only discloses information pertinent to receiving support in providing quality care to you. Names are removed from case descriptions and aliases are used.

By law your counsellor is obligated to break confidentiality and report any information that is disclosed regarding intent to harm yourself, intent to harm someone else and suspected child abuse.

Additionally, counsellor notes on sessions can be subpoenaed by a court of law.

Telephone or Video Counselling

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, our counsellors continue to provide services by telephone or video call. For video call, the doxy.me platform can be accessed through a web browser and is HIPAA compliant. Should the client wish to use another video platform to connect with their counsellor, it is recognized by the client that we cannot guarantee HIPAA compliance.