CONSENT 

Nature of Counselling:

The Therapists at Your Counselling Ltd approach counselling from an integrative perspective using modalities such as Client-Centered, Cognitive- Behavioural, Narrative Therapy, Dialectal Behavioral, and Solution Focused techniques.

We encourage you to ask questions regarding your Therapist’s education, training and credentials during your initial session. You can also review their profiles and education by going to: https://yourcounselling.ca/get-to-know-us/

Counselling Services:

Counselling is a complex and personalized process, shaped by the unique personalities of both the counsellor and the client, as well as the specific issues addressed during sessions. Effective counselling requires active participation from the client, with progress often extending beyond the office setting. While counselling can bring numerous benefits, such as improved relationships, new coping strategies, skill development, reduced distress, changes in unwanted behaviours, and enhanced self-esteem, it can also evoke difficult emotions like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, or helplessness. The counselling process involves personal exploration and reflection on life perspectives and decisions. Initial sessions typically focus on assessing the client’s needs, after which a treatment plan may be developed if both parties choose to continue therapy. Clients are encouraged to evaluate their comfort level with the therapist, as therapy demands a significant commitment of time, money, and energy. Any questions regarding the therapist’s procedures can be addressed at any point during the process.

Confidentiality:

Confidentiality is a fundamental right of all clients seeking counselling. Any information shared during sessions is kept strictly confidential and will not be disclosed without the client’s written consent, except in specific cases. These include: (a) Duty to Warn, where the counsellor must notify appropriate parties if a client poses a danger to themselves or others, or if there is suspected or confirmed abuse involving a child, elder, or vulnerable person. (b) Court Subpoenas, where legal cases may require the disclosure of the counsellor’s notes or records. (c) Consultation, where information may be discussed confidentially with other counselling professionals to ensure the client receives the best possible care, without revealing the client’s identity.

Clients’ Rights:

Clients have the right to ask questions about any aspect of their therapy. Therapists are open to discussing their methods and are willing to explore alternatives that may better suit the client’s needs. Clients are encouraged to request adjustments or refuse certain counselling techniques if they do not feel comfortable. Additionally, clients may inquire about the therapist’s qualifications and can request a referral if they feel the therapist is not the right fit. Clients are free to discontinue therapy at any time, though a termination session is recommended for closure.

Record Keeping:

All records, including demographic and clinical documentation, are maintained in a secure digital format utilizing encryption protocols and industry-standard safeguards to prevent unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. Such records shall be retained for a minimum period of seven (7) years following the date of the final termination session, in accordance with applicable professional, legal, and regulatory requirements.

Clinical records are concise in nature, documenting attendance, therapeutic interventions, and general discussion topics relevant to the course of treatment. Individual session notes may not be disclosed. Upon written request, clinical summaries may be prepared and made available to the client or other authorized parties, subject to applicable legislation and professional standards governing confidentiality, disclosure, and record-keeping.

The treating therapist shall ensure appropriate document control, confidentiality, and compliance with all relevant professional obligations and statutory requirements. Reasonable administrative fees may apply for the preparation, duplication, or transmission of such summaries.

Contacting your Therapist:

Therapists are not available by phone without a pre-arranged appointment. Voicemail is typically monitored, with responses provided within 36 hours. Emails are also generally answered within the same timeframe. In cases of extended absence, the therapist will provide an alternate contact. For scheduling, billing, or other administrative matters, please contact the administrative team, who are available Monday through Friday to provide assistance.

Emergencies:

In case of an emergency between sessions, clients are advised to contact the appropriate support based on their location:

• Calgary: Contact the Distress Centre Calgary at 403-266-4357 (available 24/7), visit the nearest Emergency Room or Urgent Care Centre, or call 911 for immediate assistance.
• Dartmouth and surrounding areas: Contact the Mental Health Crisis Line at 1-888-429-8167 (available 24/7), visit the nearest Emergency Room, or call 911 in an emergency.

Clients in either location may also call the 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline, a national, 24/7, confidential service available across Canada, by dialing 988.

Clinic Structure:

Therapists operating under the name “Your Counselling Ltd” are independent practitioners and not business partners. While they may collaborate on clinical or business matters when necessary, each practitioner is autonomous. All client concerns are addressed directly between the client and their respective therapist. If needed, clients may request the contact information of the therapist’s governing body based on their clinical registration.

Standard Rates:

* Fees are billed in 15 min increments based on session type should any variation need to occur. In these instances, for extended or shortened Sessions, fees will be discussed with your therapist.

Fees are paid following each session. Debit, Credit, Cash, and E-Transfer are all accepted forms of payment. Detailed receipts are provided following payment.

While we offer direct billing to various insurance companies we cannot speak to the level/type of coverage you have as we are not able to access this information.

Any balance not covered by direct billing is payable at the end of your session.   

CANCELLATION AND MISSED APPOINTMENT POLICY

We consider any appointment that you have made important. Your appointment is for your exclusive use and when it is cancelled with short notice, or missed altogether, it is too late or impossible to offer this time to someone else and the appointment time goes unfilled.

The following outlines how missed and late cancelled appointments are handled:

• A full 24-hour notice period is required for cancelling appointments.
• Confirmation from either our booking system or our admin team is required for confirm a session has been successfully cancelled.
• If you cancel with less than 24 hours before your appointment time, you will be billed for 100% of the cost of your appointment.
• Clients who fail to show up for a scheduled appointment (“no show”) are billed/invoiced for the full cost of their scheduled session.

• Our booking system will send out reminder emails. These reminders are a courtesy only; clients are responsible to keep or cancel their appointment regardless of whether they receive a reminder or not.
• If you are uncertain when your next appointment is, please call our office.

• There is a range of valid reasons for cancelling an appointment. To be consistent with all clients, cancellation fees will only be waived in the event of a documented medical emergency requiring urgent professional treatment, a death in the family or unsafe weather for travelling (i.e. severe snowstorm).

• If you have booked a series of counselling appointments and have cancelled your most recent appointment with less than 24 hours’ notice or have missed that appointment, you have 24 hours to pay the associated fees to retain your remaining pre-booked sessions.
• For any bookings of more than two (2) appointments in the future, we require a credit card on file. This  helps us manage our schedule effectively and ensures your appointments are confirmed. Your card will only be charged in accordance with this cancellation policy.

• Missed appointments and late cancellations are payable via debit, credit, cash or e-transfer prior to your next session.

• All no-show fees or cancellations fees collected have receipts marked “cancellation fee” or “missed appointment” and cannot be marked as a “counselling session”.
• We are unable to direct bill your insurance for any late cancellation or no show appointments.
• Weekend Appointments must be cancelled by the Friday before the appointment occurs.
• Clients with overdue invoices and funds owned are not able to book sessions.
• Any unpaid accounts may be referred to a third-party collection agency for recovery. To avoid this, we encourage timely payment or to contact us to discuss payment arrangements.
• Online scheduling may, at times, be unavailable at our discretion or due to automatic system changes. This may occur as a result of program requirements, outstanding invoices, or a pattern of frequent cancellations, changes, or no-shows. When online booking is unavailable, appointments must be scheduled through our reception team during regular business hours.

For support with scheduling, please call our reception team during our regular business hours.