Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make an appointment?
Please be in touch through the make an appointment form and we will set up a time to speak on the phone. Our phone call will be between 15 and 20 minutes so I can gather some information about your concern and answer any questions you might have. We will also decide together whether I am an appropriate choice to assist you and/or your family. The first session can be set during the phone call or later by email.
What are your fees?
My standard hourly rate is $240 per hour. Visa, Mastercard and e-transfer are accepted. Payment is made after each session and a receipt is provided.
Can I use my insurance?
Psychologist’s fees are covered by most extended benefit plans. Please check with your insurance provider to clarify your benefits as plans vary in their coverage. Your insurance company may wish to speak to me directly to confirm services provided.
Virtual Sessions
Telepsychology (audio/video conferencing) differs from in-person sessions somewhat but most clients have appreciated the convenience and ongoing access to sessions. The regular rules of confidentiality absolutely still applies for telepsychology services.
Video sessions are completed using the online platforms Owl Practice and Bilateral Base which comply with both Federal and Provincial privacy legislation (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act; and Personal Information Protection Act). The platform uses security and encryption protocols to ensure data integrity and privacy is maintained. It is important to use a secure internet connection (rather than public/free wifi) and ensure that you are in a quiet, private space where you will not be overheard.
Where can I park?
There is paid visitor parking up the ramp on the south side of the building. There is a 6 foot height restriction for our visitor parkade.
You can download the Indigo parking app ahead of time to make the process easier:
or pay through their website at https://ca.parkindigo.com/en
There is free on-street parking on 5th Avenue NW between 12th and 13th Street just outside of the Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association.
If you are in an unsafe situation or in personal crisis, please contact:
Distress Centre Crisis Line at 403-266-4357 (24 hours - 7 days/week)
Confidential Online Chat Distress Centre: http://distresscentre.com
1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) Toll Free in Southern Alberta
Canada Suicide Prevention Service
https://www.crisisservicescanada.ca/en
toll free line: 1-833 456-4566
text: 45645 (4pm to 12am ET)
Police at 911
The Emergency Department at your Local Hospital
What Treatment Approaches/Modalities do you use?
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidenced-based integrative psychotherapy approach effective for the treatment of trauma and other mental health problems. It is endorsed by the American Psychiatric Association and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.
Unlike other treatments that focus on directly altering the emotions, thoughts and responses resulting from traumatic experiences, EMDR therapy focuses directly on the memory, and is intended to change the way that the memory is stored in the brain, thus reducing and eliminating the problematic symptoms. EMDR’s standardized procedures incorporate the use of eye movements and other forms of rhythmic left-right (bilateral) stimulation (e.g., tones or taps). While clients briefly focus on the trauma memory and simultaneously experience bilateral stimulation (BLS), the vividness and emotion of the memory are reduced.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
CBT is an evidence-based psychological treatment rooted in the idea that our psychological difficulties are partly based on unhelpful ways of thinking and learned patterns of unhelpful behaviour. CBT is a structured skills based modality which teaches clients to develop coping skills to help face your fears instead of avoid them, change your thinking as well as reduce problematic emotions and behavior.
Solution Focused Therapy
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is an evidence-based therapeutic approach which helps clients with change by constructing solutions rather than dwelling on problems. SFBT is a brief modality with client-directed goals which views people as inherently resilient, strong, resourced and capable of creating lasting change. Clients recognize what is already working in their lives, create preferred realities through future-oriented conversations and explore how things can be different. In SFBT, clients know what is best for them and are considered to be experts in their own lives.
Family Systems Therapy
Systems theory can show us how changes in the behavior of one part of a system affects the system as a whole. It is the same in families: any individual family member is likely to have an influence on the way the family functions over time. As we grow and develop as individuals, we are influenced by our network of relationships. It can be beneficial to address the structure and behaviour of the broader relationship system which has played a part in a client’s development. My work with families examines the relationships, behaviours and interaction patterns across the family system and the various subsystems within the whole. Family members explore their individual roles within the family, learn how to adjust interaction patterns, and develop ways to support and help each other with the goal of restoring family relationships and rebuilding a healthy family system.