Counselling requires the therapist and the client to engage in a personal therapeutic relationship that is different than talking to a friend or family member. The therapist can almost be seen like a mirror helping to reflect back the client's choices, behaviors and thoughts to help the client evaluate if what they are doing is effective to get the client what they want. If the client determines it isn't, the therapist works with the client to help development more effective behaviors, choices and thoughts so that the client can get what they want.

Read: Counselling vs. Getting Advice

The therapist is trained in various theories to facilitate skilled listening and targeted interventions to help the client live more authentically and develop skills to feel better. The relationship between the client and the therapist is very important for the client to fully evaluate their choices and behaviors. Our therapists strive to provide genuine, direct and honest communications with our clients. We will always process with you how effective our sessions are so that we can continue to help you meet your goals.

Counselors have different theoretical approaches to work with clients. Our counsellors are directive, meaning they will ask you lots of questions and help you evaluate your choices, behaviors and thoughts. We often provide clients with experiments or homework to help facilitate whatever the client is working on in session.

Counseling doesn’t always need to focus on the past nor take a long time.  Our therapists focus on the past to understand how it is still affecting you in the present. Only in the present can we make changes. We strive to help you get small positive change in 4 to 6 sessions. In fact, many counseling theories are brief, short-term therapies that focus on the present or future. Your therapist will discuss with your goals and help drive therapy to facilitate you achieving those goals as quickly as possible.

Read article about how Counselling works: No problem Talk Here!

Intake:

After you’ve made your appointment but before you’ve met with your counselor you’ll be given some important forms to fill out either for yourself or your child. These documents provide necessary information you that will help the therapist work with you.

First Appointment:

First appointment the therapist will review with you several important documents that discuss your rights in counseling. These include the informed consent document, the limits of confidentiality, fees and length of treatment. After that the therapist will discuss with you the reasons that brought you to counseling and want you would like from therapy and your therapist.

Client’s Responsibility:

A client’s role in therapy is an active role. Counselling is a process that the client will get out of it as much as he or she is willing to put in. Counselling is not done to the client, like a massage, but rather it is done with the therapist through questioning, homework and experiments. For clients that are motivated and engage fully in the process their change will be faster. Client's that may be unsure can still benefit and your therapist will work with you to answer questions about the process, purpose of homework or discuss in more details your goals.  In order for therapy to be successful you and your therapist will determine how many session you will need and how often you’ll need to come.

Goal Planning:

Clients often want to be doing something better and more effective either in their personal life or with a significant relationship in their life. Your therapist will be processing after session to ensure that you are finding the sessions helpful and moving you in the right direction. Counselling is a collaborative process so its important to feel comfortable discussing your expectations and wants of therapy. Your therapist wants to help you get what you want.

Termination:

Termination or ending of your counseling process is usually prearranged. We start counseling with the end in mind. We want to know how you’ll know counselling is working so that we can plan and develop the most effective way for you to achieve your goals.

Length of treatment:

Number of sessions is determined by the presenting issues that brought you to counselling. Counselling does not need to be long term based. In fact, many therapists today are trained in brief therapeutic interventions that can last only 4-6 sessions.