You have taken a very positive and courageous step by making the decision to seek therapy in a safe and confidential space. At The Counselling Place you will find a peaceful virtual environment where there is authenticity and acceptance, trust and respect.

Before your first session, the Consent form and Intake form links will be emailed to you to complete before we meet. The Intake form provides an opportunity to share the current challenges you are facing and needing support with.

At our first session, we will explore this information together, and go over policies and procedures, including confidentiality and informed consent. We will develop a plan that meets you where you are to help you reach your therapeutic goals.

The focus of your therapy sessions moving forward is based on what you want from the conversation, and supporting your goals with strategies that can help you develop the skills to move forward. Getting to know you as a person, and exploring what helps you feel better and grow is at the heart of what we do.

Counselling and Psychotherapy is the practice of understanding and resolving emotional problems, relationship difficulties and life challenges through talking in a confidential and unbiased environment. The therapist helps to shed new light on these experiences so that you can gain a better understanding of yourself and of the situation, and to arrive at your own solutions for living in a more satisfying way.

These terms have traditionally been used interchangeably but with the establishment of the CRPO (College of Regulated Psychotherapists of Ontario’, they have been defined as separate disciplines:

According to the College of Registered Psychotherapists, the practice of psychotherapy is distinct from counselling. In counselling "the focus is on the provision of information, advice-giving, encouragement and instruction" (College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario Annual Report 2014-2015). Counselling is typically short-term in nature and mostly what is offered through Employee Assistance Programs (EAP).

Psychotherapy, however, is defined as: "To treat, by means of psychotherapy technique, delivered through a therapeutic relationship, an individual’s serious disorder of thought, cognition, mood, emotional regulation, perception, or memory that may seriously impair the individual’s judgment, insight, behaviour, communication, or social functioning." (College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario Annual Report 2014-2015).

Counselling and Psychotherapy can be useful for anyone who wants to change something in their lives or simply explore their thoughts and feelings in more depth, as well as anyone experiencing a problem or issue they are keen to resolve. People may choose to speak to a counsellor because they feel they cannot speak to their other half/friends/family about such personal issues, or they may simply wish to speak to a professional with an objective viewpoint.

The numerous challenges along life’s path can sometimes leave people feeling distressed and unable to cope; and at other times stuck or at a difficult crossroads. Counselling and Psychotherapy can help you identify your strengths and needs, and help you find the tools to be able to understand and cope with these feelings while exploring the possibilities to change your life and engage in it more fully. Psychotherapy provides a supportive environment that allows you to talk openly with a professional who is objective, neutral and nonjudgmental.

Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) is a rapid (compared to traditional therapy) method of effectively reducing traumatic stress from emotionally and/or physically painful events in the past. It involves re-experiencing past traumas in a completely safe environment, free of distractions, judgments, or interpretations.

For more information on TIR, please visit: http://www.appliedmetapsychology.org/about-applied-metapsychology/what-is-tir/

Therapy sessions are offered at a rate of $195 for a 50-minute appointment. Clinical supervision is also available, with individual supervision priced at $195 for a 50-minute session and dyadic supervision offered at $98 per person for a 50-minute session.

The Counselling Place requires at least 48 hours for appointment cancellations. Sessions cancelled less than 48 hours in advance are subject to the full session fee charge.

To cancel your appointment, please log into your Jane portal or email us directly at thecounsellingplace@gmail.ca