Frequently Asked Questions

Your first session will involve a little bit of information gathering as I try to get a bit of a snapshot of your life.  I will go through some housekeeping items and then I would like to hear what brings you to therapy and whether you have any goals. Following this I will spend some time getting to know you, asking about your history and current coping skills. This session will move at your pace and does not require you to share all of your story if you don't feel ready.

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Throughout the session, I will typically provide you with some insight and possible treatment options. This part of the process is very collaborative, and it is important that you feel comfortable with how your goals are approached. I will explain your options and answer all of your questions. I want you to leave with a greater understanding of what is going on for you, how I can help, and what that process will look like.

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Animal Assisted Therapy (AAI) is a therapeutic intervention incorporating animals (a dog) into the treatment plan. As a whole, our program works with the honest nature and unconditional acceptance of Gus to overcome obstacles and foster personal growth. Highly skilled professionals are trained in this researched and evidenced, valuable therapeutic medium. 

Gus has many roles in the therapy room. A few of them include:

• Unconditional acceptance;
• A comforting presence;
• Assistance with emotional regulation;
• Movement integration;
• Increased feelings of trust and self-worth; 
• Improving communication skills;
• ...and many more!

Gus is not always in the office and if you would prefer an appointment without him present, please reach out to Laura and she will do her best to accommodate this.

Therapy is a confidential process and your attendance in therapy and the things we talk about will be kept private EXCEPT:

• to protect your safety or the safety of others;
• people on my team if I need help or ideas about your file;
• a judge wants to know;
• if there is more than one person in therapy; or
• you give written permission for me to tell someone about therapy.

If one of these situations occur, we will discuss how we move forward together if it is at all possible.

If counselling is for someone under 18 years old, then the parent or guardian has the right to some information. This will be discussed in more detail when we begin counselling. We will also discuss confidentiality if there is more than one person in counselling.

A 60-minute appointment includes a 45-50 minute session plus 10-15 minutes for documenting. If you would like a longer appointment, that is something we can collaborate on. Longer appointments are often recommended for couples or family counselling.

I offer in-person and virtual appointments for all of my clients to allow you the greatest flexibility to attend sessions.  This means no matter where you are in Alberta, we can continue to have our sessions together.  A lot of research has been done on virtual therapy in the past few years and all of the results show it is just as effective as in person therapy for meeting your goals!

Please note, that you must physically be in Alberta to have sessions with me.

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I offer a free 15-minute consultation to ensure I am a good fit for you before booking your first session.  Beyond this consultation, rates are based on the recommended fee schedule provided by the Psychologists' Association of Alberta.  Currently, the rate for individual sessions is $220/hour.  Psychology fees are income tax deductible. Team, group, and speaking rates are negotiated and dependant on the services requested.

Payment can be made by Visa, Mastercard, Cash, or e-Transfer and is expected at the start of each session.  It is expected you will have a credit card on file for billing purposes in the event of a no-show or short notice cancellation appointment.

With your written consent, I can direct bill to Blue Cross, Green Shield, ASEBP, VAC, and RCMP. Other amounts can be paid using a credit card and I will provide a receipt that you can submit to other insurance companies for reimbursement. Please check what available coverage you have, as amounts vary from $500 annually and upward.  In some cases, amounts in excess of your allowed coverage can be covered by a health spending account.  Any coverage should be checked directly with your insurance company as they vary widely.  

This is an excellent question and one I am asked frequently. Therapy is a collaborative process, meaning that you and I work together to figure out what might be the best plan to help you reach your goals. You are the expert on YOU and I am the expert on mental health.

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Figuring out how often to attend doesn’t have a magic formula, but there are a few factors that will help us determine the answer, such as:

• Are you currently experiencing a crisis? If so, frequent attendance may be most helpful
• Finances
• Scheduling (if you are extremely busy we need to think carefully about how much we can reasonably add to your plate)
• Motivation
• Your individual pace

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The most common attendance rate for my clients is either weekly or biweekly appointments. Some individuals attend once a month and find this to be helpful for maintenance or non-pressing issues.

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Ultimately, I can work with whatever is manageable for you.

Your appointments are very important to me and are reserved especially for you.  I understand that sometimes schedule adjustments are necessary, therefore, I ask for at least 48 hours notice if you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment.  This allows others who may be waiting for the opportunity for a session the ability to utilize this time and gives me time to manage my schedule.  You can opt into text and email reminders to ensure you know when your appointment is scheduled.  I do understand that sometimes things come up and you get sick or can't make it into the office and I offer video or phone sessions on short notice if this occurs for you.  Cancellations or not showing up for your appointment will result in a charge equal to the amount of your scheduled session.

If you are late for your appointment, your appointment will end at the scheduled time to respect others who are booked after you, and you will still be charged the full fee. If you are more than 20 minutes late for your appointment it will be considered a no-show appointment and you will be charged the full fee.  Please note that most insurance companies do not cover missed sessions.

I am continuing to monitor Covid 19 and I am following all guidelines that are put in place.  Should the situation change, I am set up to transition to online therapy with no disruption to your services.  Masks are currently optional in my office, however, if you would feel more comfortable with me wearing a mask, please let me know and I will be sure to do so!

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 If this wasn’t truly “everything you wanted to know” then please talk to me.  Therapy is a bit like a relationship where we spend time asking questions and getting to know one another to ensure we are a good fit!  When all is said and done, you are the expert in your life and you know what you need. Feel free to discuss anything concerning with me and know that you can stop therapy at any time without judgement.