Consults are a great way to do a vibe check with us before diving head first into our counselling work. Your comfortability with your counsellor and the ways in which we can build a trusting, collaborative relationship are the key indicators of therapeutic effectiveness. We highly recommend doing a consult with us first for virtual sessions, and all in-person sessions must be preceded with a consult. This way we can give you important info about our office and other necessary information about in-person sessions beforehand. If you have any questions about consults, please email the practitioner you are hoping to consult with or connect@venturouscounselling.com. We've also created a free PDF guide with everything you need to know to get the most of your consult here (scroll to the bottom!).

Absolutely! Here at Venturous, each of our pratitioners has a community pool of sliding scale rates to ensure that we can support folx experiencing financial barriers. When you access sliding scale, our counsellors will send you a self-qualifying infographic to help you determine what might work best for you and will revisit this conversation at regular intervals.

Our community pool of sliding scale rates is dynamic and changes depending on how many folx are accessing sliding scale with us at any given time. If you are no longer in need of sliding scale, please make sure to let your practitioner know so that we can offer that spot to your community members.

Most universities and extended health providers cover counselling services rendered by a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC). Before booking your session, please check with your provider to confirm. 

We also work with various EAPs and are FNHA approved. These programs cover most, if not all of your counselling costs. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

We accept e-transfers to connect@venturouscounselling.com and credit card payments. We will issue you an invoice after our session and a PDF receipt when we receive payment. If our services are covered by your extended health benefits plan, you can submit this receipt to your provider for reimbursement or you can provide us with your insurance information and we can direct bill for you.

Please note, not all insurance providers accept direct billing and we'll confirm this with you after your first session.

We have a standard 24-hour cancellation policy. That means if you need to cancel or reschedule your session, you need to give us at least 24-hours notice or the full fee of the session will be charged. When you book a session your time has been reserved for you, so it hasn’t been available to others.

If you are late but are able to attend within the first 15 minutes of your session, you can still use the rest of your time of the session for the full fee. If you are late beyond the first 15 minutes of session, we will have to reschedule to another time to ensure that we have adequate time and space to wrap without you feeling rushed, heightened, or unprepared as you transition out of session. 

Absolutely. Please head to our booking page and click the "buy gift card" option at the bottom of the left navigation bar. All gifted sessions must be used within 6 months of purchase. After 6 months, the monetary value of any unused sessions will be donated to mutual aid efforts in so-called BC. 

That depends on many factors such as what your goals are, what you're hoping to get from therapy, and whether or not you and your counsellor are a good fit. Clients who work with us for personal growth reasons tend to continue their counselling relationship with us for a longer period of time when compared to folks who are looking to solve a specific problem.

The first appointment is to get to know you and your situation better. Through the process, we get a better sense of what you're looking for and what best supports you. We also make sure you understand the process of therapy and what your rights are. Usually, by the end of the session, we'll have talked about a rough plan of how we can approach your goals. Sometimes folks feel anxious in the first session; the most important thing to remember is that you don't owe me your story - you can tell me as much or as little as you want and there's literally no way for you to do your first session "wrong"!

99.9% of the time, absolutely. Confidentiality is one of the most important principles in our profession.

But there are exceptions. These exceptions are generally safety- or legally-related such as 1) when there is an immediate risk of harm to yourself or another person, 2) if a child or vulnerable adult is at risk of harm, or 3) a judge subpoenas our records. You can also request or consent to disclosure. 

In addition, all the forms and session platforms we use are HIPAA compliant. That means your information is protected when using these platforms. Email communications however, are not end-to-end encrypted. So we recommend keeping confidential information out of email communications.

Registered Clinical Counsellors are trained in a variety of areas and at minimum, have a Masters degree and have passed an extensive practicum experience. Some counsellors even pursue extra, more specialized training to broaden their effectiveness. Social workers usually offer more practical support such as connecting you with housing, jobs, or other services, but some do decide to focus on therapeutic work. Finally, Psychologists holds either a PsyD or PhD. Because of the extra training, they are able to do assessments and support in obtaining a diagnosis.  

To be honest, I might not be! Counsellors are like shoes, just because they're the right size, doesn't mean they fit. The best indicator of whether or not a counsellor is a good fit is how YOU feel when you talk to them. Do you feel heard, understood, and respected? Did we work on what you wanted to work on? Did the approach feel helpful to you? Are you experiencing positive change in your life? 

If after our sessions you feel that we are not a good fit, let us know! We're more than happy to support you in finding a counsellor who would be a better fit for you.

Well, that depends on you! Our work varies depending on what's going on in your life. Most times, my clients find counselling to be a helpful space for gaining clarity, finding solutions to problems, and removing harmful narratives that keep you from achieving your goals and/or having great relationships.

Online counselling works very similarly to in-person counselling, except no travel time is required. To prepare for your online counselling sessions, make sure your device is charged, that you have access to the internet, and that you are in a quiet, secured place where you won't be interrupted. Clients who prefer integrating art into our work also tend to have their favorite art supplies nearby.