Hello and happy new year! I hope your holidays were gentle.
As we get started with the new year, I want to share some updates regarding services, policies, and availability. Please take the time to read through them. As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
1. Medical Leave
I will be going on a medical leave for surgery on Jan. 30th. I am not sure exactly how long I will be out of the office for, but I will adjust my best guess and availability as I continue to learn more and feel better, but I will be out of the office for at least a few weeks, with a gradual return – likely starting with online sessions. Feel free to reach out to me or the front desk directly, sign up for my newsletter (details below), and / or add yourself to the waitlist in Jane and be notified as soon as space comes available:
To support clients while I’m away, I’m happy to create resource plans in session beforehand, send resources, and enlist my colleagues at Local Health Integrative Clinic to be on hand to help out. You can contact the front desk to book with them, or book directly online:
https://localhealthclinic.ca/therapeutic-and-clinical-counselling
2. Rate adjustments + no GST
In accordance with the counselling regulatory body, the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC), we will be implementing a modest increase in session fees, effective January 8th, 2025. This adjustment ensures we can continue to offer high-quality support and remain up to date with training and licensing.
If you have any challenges with these rates, please reach out to discuss if a sliding scale program is available.
Additionally, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has officially confirmed that Registered Clinical Counsellors in BC are exempt from collecting GST on psychotherapy services, effective immediately, so this means you will no longer pay tax.
The updated fee schedule is as follows:
Individual Counselling
50-minute session, including EMDR: $150
80-minute session, including EMDR: $225
Relationship Counselling (2-3 adults in relationship)
50-minute session: $176
80-minute session: $265
3. Changes in session types and days
As indicated above, a new session length was quietly made available this fall. If you anticipate needing a longer session for deeper exploration or additional support, you can now book an 80 minute session for both individuals and relationship sessions. This is particularly helpful for EMDR sessions.
However, phone sessions are no longer available. The connection in the office was proving unreliable and that did not feel fair to clients, so I have cancelled it. Online sessions are still available throughout the week – with Tuesdays being priority for online as I am giving up my office space that day. That is to say that starting in February, Tuesdays will be online only.
In the near future, I will be offering Walk & Talk sessions for those who are interested in leveraging the benefits of fresh air and movement, so keep an eye out for that.
4. Cancellation and Late policies
A reminder that a change to your appointment must be made at least 24 hours in advance to avoid a cancellation fee in order to make the space available for others. Sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours notice (including failure to
Please try to be on time for your session and if you are running late, please let the Local Health front desk know at 604-568-7655. If there is time available after, we may be able to make it up but if you are later than 15 minutes, the session will be cancelled.
5. Newsletter
Thanks for reading this far! In order to prevent more email updates like this, as well as having a place to share information and resources with you, I have set up a newsletter that will be sent out monthly. If you would like to be added to the mailing list, you can do that here. The first communication will also be the have information about my return to work.
Thank you for trusting me with your care. I appreciate you so much and look forward to working with you in 2025.
