FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

for Psychotherapy Services

What exactly is psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy is a form of talk therapy, where usually a client (you) and the therapist speak together on a regular basis to talk about the good and difficult things going on in your life. The therapist uses their expertise and training to help you identify what is going in your life and why, and helps you change these behaviours. Psychotherapy is collaborative, meaning that the client (you) are the leader and the therapist is the helper. It takes the work of both people to help you create and maintain change.

Are all sessions online, or is there an in-person option?

All sessions are online. When in-person sessions are available, you will receive an e-mail about the details.

How do I attend my sessions online?

We use a secure, Canada-approved privacy platform called “OWL” for online therapy sessions. You will get login information into a secure portal, where you will be able to join your sessions, get your receipts, change appointments, and so on. If technology is hard to use for any clients, we will adapt to your needs.

How much does one psychotherapy session cost?

For one hour of psychotherapy, the cost ranges between $120-$150 + HST, depending on your psychotherapist. For individuals who cannot afford the standard rate, please contact us and we can talk about what can work for you.

How often should I attend therapy sessions?

This depends on each person. We usually consider 3 things before suggesting how often to come: (1) how severe your symptoms are and how much distress you are in; (2) how this is affecting your life right now; (3) the financial situation. In most cases, clients attend weekly sessions for session 1-3, afterwards they transition to every two weeks. After a few months, they transition to every 3-6 weeks.

What do I do in between sessions?

Between sessions reflection or learning tasks are very important in psychotherapy work. In most cases, between-session “homework” is assigned for you to reflect on what was discussed in session and then we will discuss the task in our next session to continue our work together. We spend time with each client talking about the type of tasks they like and what would be motivating for them.

How long does it take for change to happen?

This depends on the client, the history of the problem, and what the concern is. For some clients, 6 sessions can help address some mild issues. For many, 10-12 sessions help work through some moderate issues. For issues that are quite distressing, over 12 sessions is likely the outcome.

If you are able to only afford a specific number of sessions, please let us know and we will be sure to adapt the psychotherapy treatment for you. We may not be able to do a comprehensive psychotherapy treatment model, but we can at least work together on decreasing your distress and working towards healthier coping strategies.