If you haven’t been to counselling before, or maybe haven’t been in a while, it can be difficult to know what to expect. You may think that it would help to talk to someone, or have some tools to use, but maybe you need a coach instead of a counsellor. Or maybe you prefer talking to your medical doctor. Even if you know that counselling will be helpful, do you see a counsellor, Registered Clinical Counsellor, psychologist or psychotherapist?
We may get into the benefits of each later but for now here is a quick run down:
- Coach: offers guidance to get you to a specific goal, often within a specific areas, i.e.: leadership. This may involve creating a plan and checking in to assess progress.
- Counsellor: holds space for exploration of, and offers guidance and psychological tools for psychological distress and issues. They will likely create a treatment plan grounded in a therapeutic modality.
- Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC): as above, but who has a Master’s degree in psychology and is licensed through a board of ethics that guide their standard of practice. Because counseling is an unregulated area, anyone can say they are a counsellor or a coach with no guarantee of what level of service or training they have received.
- Psychologist: an expert in psychology, with a PhD, who often works in research or assessment of mental issues.
- Psychotherapist: another way of saying all of the above – psychotherapy is simply attending to mental distress and issues through the use of psychological tools and interventions.
- Psychiatrist: a medical practitioner assisting with the treatment of mental distress and issues, often through diagnosis and medication.
I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor, with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors but I have worked as a coach in the past so have experience in that area as well.
In person counselling
If you book an in-person session with me, it will be held at the Local Health Integrative Clinic, a lovely space at 2285 Clark Drive, suite 210 (just inside the front door). The clinic is just across from the VCC Skytrain station or if you drive, there is parking in the lot beside the building. On arrival, you will need to buzz at the front door to enter the building and then you will be met by a receptionist who will let me know you have arrived and lead you to the waiting room where you can help yourself to tea and water.
You are encouraged to make yourself comfortable in the space. The hour in-session will look a little different depending on where we are in the process, but initially, we will go over what to expect, taking time to go through the consent form and confidentiality pieces and answering any questions you might have. During the first few sessions, we take a look at the background of the issue and how it is affecting you, discussing any goals you may have for treatment, and putting together a plan. The plan may include talk therapy to explore and understand the issue, some somatic work to relieve physical symptoms, and / or learning tools to manage what’s bothering you. It’s ok if it feels a little weird or awkward at first – you are opening up to a stranger after all! We will take some time getting to know each other.
After the session, you can handle payment and rebooking at reception. You are also welcome to stay for a yoga class, book another type of treatment, or browse the selection of local merchandise available.
If you are running late, try to give myself or the front desk a heads up, otherwise one of us will likely try to call or email you to check.
Online / Telehealth counselling
Many clients prefer to be in the comfort of their own home and avoid travelling to and from the session, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
When you book an online session, you will get a link in your email through the Jane app that we use for booking, and which also handles the Telehealth sessions. While no system is guaranteed, they take security very seriously. The email will also offer the ability to test your speaker and microphone before we meet, if you are concerned about how that might work.
For our time together, you’ll want to ensure that you are in a quiet, confidential space, without others around. Headphones can help if there is noise transfer between walls. but it is important to be able to speak freely, and have the space to express your emotions. I do online counselling from both my home office and from the Local Health clinic, depending on the day but in either case, know that I am in a private space.
Once we are connected, the flow of our time together is identical to being in person – we’ll go through the consent form, confidentiality, and logistical details then I will tell you a bit about myself and my approach and answer any questions you might have. We’ll talk about what you hope to achieve in counselling and take a look at how we might get there (i.e. – form a bit of a plan for our time together), then gather some background information.
At the end of the session, we will book your next appointment if you are ready to do that, and I will charge your credit card if you have one on file, or collect payment in another manner if you prefer.
If you are running late and I don’t hear from you, I will send an email and call to see where you’re at. If I don’t connect with you, I will close the online room after 15 minutes of waiting. If we get disconnected while in session, I will reconnect immediately, or continue trying for 15 minutes then connect with you for rescheduling.
Relationship / Couple’s Counselling
Relationship counselling (also known as Couple’s counselling) can be done in person or online. If it is online I encourage you (if possible) to be together in a space where you can sit together and look at each other, rather than being on separate screens. If you are coming in to the clinic, I have a couch that is big enough for two but if you are in a polyamorous relationship or one that requires other furniture arrangements, let me know and I will happily accommodate.
In relationship counselling, the relationship is the client, which is to say that we decide as a group what the relationship goals are for counselling and decide on a plan that will best serve the relationship. If there are personal goals or issues that should be considered, we can bring those in, so long as there are no secrets between the therapist and one part of the relationship.
You may be thinking that counselling can help your relationship in terms of conflict to be resolved, tools needed to improve communication, or help facilitating a difficult decision with a trusted, neutral party. Or perhaps you are getting ready for the next phase of your relationship and want to talk through some of the rough spots. These are all great reasons to engage a counsellor for the relationship and can be used as a jumping off point for creating common goals together. But similarly to individual counselling, we will first review the consent and confidentiality and logistical details, take some time to get comfortable, and leave a few moments at the end to go over any homework, book the next appointment, and handle payment. It is often helpful to get a deeper understanding of the lenses each party is bringing to the relationship from their life and upbringing, and in that case I will meet with each person in the relationship individually. before we come together again as a group.
Do you have any questions or concerns? Shoot me an email or book an online consult and I am happy to discuss. If you want to dig a little deeper, check out how to make the most out of your counselling sessions.
