FAQ

Maybe friends or family have suggested counselling to you, but you have no idea what counselling entails.

A first session may look like this:

• Reviewing informed consent. Informed consent means that you and your counsellor discuss what you can expect from the counselling relationship – the benefits, risks, and limits. This is an essential step because you have the right to know what your therapy incolves so that you can make choices about your care.
• Discussing reason for counselling. You will express why you have chosen to attend counselling. Your counsellor will ask clarifying questions.  It is okay if you don’t have a specific reasons for attending counselling, or specific goals.
• Discussing direction for future sessions. You and your counsellor may discuss things like what you would like to explore in future counselling sessions, how often you would like to meet, and what progress may look like for you.

In all counselling sessions, here is what you can expect:

• A Safe Space. Counselling is free of judgment. During a counselling session, we focus on compassion and curiosity to explore the issue that you would like to discuss.
• Respect and Choice. Your counselling session is your time. You don’t have to talk about anything in particular, and how we approach a topic/issue is always your choice.
• Informative and enlightening. Part of counselling is learning about new approaches or skills that may help create change in your life. A counsellor’s reflections may also provide perspective that you had not previously considered.

Sometimes people attend counselling because they have experienced or are currently experiencing something stressful, and they would like emotional support.

For example, you may want support if you are experiencing:

• Family transitions. New relationships, pregnancy/postpartum life, ending relationships, or the death of a loved one.
• Stressful life changes. Moving, starting a new job, losing your job, starting school, etc.
• Grief & loss.
• A stressful relationship. Your relationship has taken a turn, but you’re not ready to end things. Perhaps you or your partner are more stressed lately, and you would like support weathering the storm.
• Trauma. Wanting support as you navigate the symptoms of trauma; either single-instance trauma (like a car accident, a shooting, witnessing a death, etc.), or prolonged trauma (chronic abuse, domestic violence, homelessness, etc.)

Other times people choose counselling because they have a specific issue that they would like to work on changing.

There are many issues that we can work on in counselling. Some examples include:

• Stress and anger management. 
• Improving self-worth & self-esteem. 
• Developing healthier relationships.
• Breaking harmful patterns, such as people pleasing.
•  Working on boundaries and assertiveness.
• Healing trauma wounds.

This is totally up to you. Counselling is an investment, and there is ample research that shows that having a good relationship with your counsellor makes a significant difference in the efficacy of your therapy. The consultation is our way of recognising that you may wish to meet a counsellor before committing to working with them.

In summary: No, you do not need to book a consultation if you wish to book a session without one.

We recommend seeing your counsellor every week or two to start so that the counselling relationship has time to develop. After you notice therapeutic progress, you may wish to decrease the frequency to every three to five weeks.

It happens! If you are noticing that you don’t feel as comfortable with your counsellor as you would like, we encourage you to bring it up in session. Counsellors understand that we won’t be a fit for everyone, so we don’t take it personally. Your counsellor will either try to address the issue, or offer to help you find someone else.

If you don’t feel comfortable talking to your counsellor about this, you can email our administrative team (info@truepeacecounselling.com). We would be happy to match you with someone new.

Confidentiality is key to counselling. Almost everything you share is confidential – the only exceptions are 1) If your counsellor has reason to believe that you may seriously harm yourself or someone else; 2) If you counsellor has reason to suspect that a child/dependent is being neglected or abused; 3) If your counsellor receives a legal subpoena mandating them to testify or share counselling notes.

For all other instances, we require a release of information to be signed before we share information with anyone.

Yes, online counselling is effective. Many people enjoy online counselling more than they originally expected. As long as you have a strong and reliable internet connect, and a device that can reliably run the video software, online counselling is a great option.

To be prepared for an online session, we recommend:

•  A fast, strong, and reliable internet connection. You can check your internet speed by Googling “Internet Speed Test,” and using the service provided by Google.
• A reliable device. Your device needs to be able to run video software. We use JaneApp for our sessions.
• A private space. Whether you’re in your office, bedroom, or even your car, counselling works best when you can talk freely, without worrying about being overheard.

You are in charge of your privacy. Online counselling is unique because you are in charge of your privacy. Your counsellor will do their best to ensure that your session is private; however, because you are in separate locations, your counsellor cannot ensure that no one will overhear you.

Benefits. There are some great benefits to online counselling. You don’t need to worry about commute or parking, and you don’t need to schedule extra time for travel. Being in the comfort of your own space is a benefit too. It means that your pets can be present if you would like, and that you can drink your own brand of coffee or tea during session.

Schedule some extra time. If you anticipate talking about heavier emotional topics during session, we recommend scheduling some time after your session to regroup before going back to your day-to-day life.

The top of every page on our website has a “Book Appointment” button. Clicking that button will open our booking page. From there, you can select the counsellor of your choice, and view their booking calendar. Select a date and time that works for you, and follow the prompts to finalize booking the appointment. 

Please note that if you do not already have a user profile for our JaneApp services, you will need to create one in order to book online.

Yes, you may. Some clients prefer to book a series of sessions to ensure that they have their first pick of appointment time, at a frequency that works best for them. 

Cancelling or rescheduling a session can be done by logging into your JaneApp account, and following the prompts for cancellation/rescheduling. Alternatively, you can contact us by phone or email to cancel or reschedule. 

As your session time has been reserved for you, and last-minute cancellations make it difficult to fill the empty slot, our cancellation policy is as follows: We appreciate a minimum of 24 hours notice for any cancellations or rescheduled sessions. Sessions cancelled or rescheduled with less than 24 hours notice are subject to the full session fee.

At this time we do not direct bill insurance companies.

All clients receive a receipt for their payment, which has the information needed to submit a claim for reimbursement from their insurance company.

All counsellors at True Peace Counselling have a minimum of a Master’s Degree, and are a member of either the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors,