Paced, collaborative counselling for people still feeling the effects of a frightening or distressing experience, offered in person in Edmonton and St. Albert and online across Alberta. Psychologists registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), Canadian Certified Counsellors (CCCs) certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), Mental Health Therapists, and supervised Student Therapists. Five locations in Edmonton and St. Albert, plus virtual sessions anywhere in Alberta.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether PTSD Treatment Is Right for You

You may be asking yourself whether what happened was serious enough to count as trauma. Maybe it was a long time ago. Maybe other people went through worse, or seemed to move on quickly, and you feel you should be over it by now.

And yet something has stayed with you. Sleep may not come easily, or it comes with dreams you would rather not have. You might feel on edge in places that used to feel ordinary, or snap at people you love without quite knowing why. Some people notice they have quietly rearranged their days around avoiding certain roads, sounds, or conversations.

Reactions like these are common after experiences that overwhelmed a person's sense of safety. They often make sense as ways your mind and body have tried to protect you. They do not mean you are weak, and they do not mean something is permanently wrong with you.

If you are trying to work out whether talking with someone could help, this page explains what PTSD treatment at Wholesome Psychology involves, what it does not involve, and how people get started. If you are reading on behalf of someone you care about, much of it will apply to them too. If you are not safe right now, the crisis resources below are the better place to begin.

Who We Help

PTSD treatment here may be a good fit if you:

• keep returning, in your mind or body, to an experience that frightened or overwhelmed you, whether it happened last month or many years ago
• are unsure whether what you went through "counts" and want a place to talk it through
• have noticed changes in your sleep, mood, concentration, work, or relationships since a difficult experience
• have been given a PTSD diagnosis elsewhere and want counselling alongside other care
• work in a role with repeated exposure to distressing events, such as first responder work or military service
• are dealing with the aftermath of a motor vehicle collision or a workplace incident
• are a parent, partner, or family member looking for guidance on supporting someone you care about

This service may not be the right fit if:

• You are in immediate danger or crisis. Please use the crisis resources below.
• You need a legal or forensic service, such as a report for court or a legal claim. These needs are outside this counselling service. Psychological assessments, including PTSD and trauma assessment, are a separate service with their own process.
• Your main goal is to stop harming someone else. A program built for that purpose may be a better fit, and the admin team can talk with you about options.

If You Need Help Right Now

Counselling appointments are not designed for emergencies. If you or someone else is in danger, or you are thinking about ending your life, please contact one of these services instead.

• Immediate danger: call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642 (24/7)
• Family Violence Info Line (Alberta): 310-1818 (24/7, toll-free), if someone at home is hurting or threatening you
• 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 988 (24/7)

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What PTSD Treatment Here Is, and What It Is Not

PTSD treatment here is counselling with a registered clinician. Together you look at how a distressing experience is affecting your life now and what you would like to be different. The plan is shaped around your goals, preferences, and current needs, and it can change as those change.

PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a clinical term. The World Health Organization's ICD-11 places PTSD and complex PTSD within a group of conditions specifically associated with stress (World Health Organization [WHO], 2025). Whether that term applies to you is not something a webpage can decide. You do not need a diagnosis to book, and a clinician can help you explore whether counselling is a good fit.

For general background, the Public Health Agency of Canada provides public information about trauma and PTSD for people in Canada (Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC], n.d.).

Counselling here is not:

• a crisis or emergency service
• a legal service or an investigation. Your clinician's role is not to decide what happened or who was at fault.
• a psychological assessment. Formal assessments are a separate service.
• a medication service. Questions about medication are best taken to your family doctor or a psychiatrist.

The pace is yours to set. You decide how much to share and when, and you can say "not yet" at any point. What you discuss is kept private within limits your clinician will explain at the start, and the confidentiality section has the details. Each clinician works within the scope of their registration and training, and if what you need falls outside it, they can talk with you about a referral.

Signs Trauma May Be Affecting You

This is not a checklist, and it cannot tell you whether PTSD applies to you. These are experiences some people describe when something difficult is still with them:

• sleep that is hard to fall into, keeps breaking, or is disturbed by unsettling dreams
• feeling tense, jumpy, or on alert, even somewhere you know is safe
• memories or images of what happened arriving when you do not want them
• steering around places, people, or topics that bring it back
• moods that swing between irritability, numbness, and sadness
• trouble focusing at work or school, or losing the thread of conversations
• pulling away from friends, family, or a partner, or feeling cut off from people you care about
• seeing yourself or the world differently, such as feeling less safe or more critical of yourself

Having some of these experiences does not confirm a diagnosis, and it does not mean something is permanently wrong with you. They are common responses to events that felt overwhelming. Structured support may help make them easier to understand and manage, and a clinician can help you look at what is going on for you.

How Treatment Works Here

• Find your therapist. You can use the Match with a Therapist tool or browse therapist profiles. If you would rather talk it through, the admin team can help at 780-904-4880. Clinician availability and areas of practice change over time, so the team can point you toward someone currently seeing people with trauma-related concerns.
• Book your first session. You can book online or by phone. Your first appointment covers confidentiality, consent, and your goals. It is also a chance to ask about your clinician's approach and decide whether it feels right. You choose what to talk about.
• Build your plan together. You and your clinician agree on what to focus on and how. The plan reflects your goals, your preferences, and what is happening in your life right now.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes, often weekly or every two weeks. The schedule can be adjusted as your needs change.
• Progress check-ins. Your clinician reviews progress with you regularly, and the plan can change if something is not working.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Therapy here is collaborative, and your voice matters at every stage, including decisions about slowing down, changing direction, or finishing. The Getting Started page walks through the process in more detail.

Evidence and Approaches

Several structured approaches are used in trauma-focused counselling. Which one suits you depends on your goals and preferences, your clinician's scope and training, and current availability. Not every approach is offered by every clinician. Our pages on trauma therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, EMDR therapy, and accelerated resolution therapy describe each one in more depth.

This page does not report success rates or rank one approach above another. If you want to read about the research on PTSD treatment, the guideline and professional resources listed under References are a reasonable place to start.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

What it helps with: CBT looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect, including patterns of worry, self-blame, or avoidance that can take hold after a distressing experience.

Evidence summary: Research findings specific to CBT are not summarized on this page. For further reading, the Canadian Psychological Association has published a resource on post-traumatic stress disorder (Canadian Psychological Association [CPA], 2020).

Limitations: No effectiveness claim is made here for CBT. People respond differently, and your clinician can explain what this approach would involve before you decide.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

What it helps with: EMDR is a structured approach some clinicians use when memories of a distressing event still feel vivid or raw.

Evidence summary: This page does not summarize research findings for EMDR. Clinical guidance on post-traumatic stress disorder from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is listed in References for readers who want to look further (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], n.d.).

Limitations: No effectiveness claim is made here for EMDR. Memory-focused work can feel hard at first, so it is worth asking your clinician how pacing and preparation would work.

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)

What it helps with: ART is a structured approach some clinicians use when particular memories or images continue to cause distress.

Evidence summary: Research findings for ART are not summarized here, and none of the sources listed under References is cited in support of it. A clinician trained in ART can describe what sessions involve and answer questions about the approach.

Limitations: No effectiveness claim is made here for ART. Availability depends on whether a clinician with ART training is currently accepting new clients.

What Results to Expect

Progress is not always a straight line. Some weeks may feel lighter and others heavier, and a harder stretch does not mean therapy has stopped working.

Some people notice changes earlier on, while others find that longer-term work suits them better. There is no set timeline. What happens can depend on:

• the nature of what you went through, and whether it was a single event or something ongoing
• what is happening in your life now, including stress, safety, and support
• how well you and your clinician work together
• whether the approach fits your goals and preferences

No form of therapy can guarantee a particular outcome, and outcomes vary. Fit matters, and changing clinician or approach is always an option if something does not feel right.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in counselling is kept confidential, with a small number of exceptions set by law and professional standards. Privacy, consent, and the limits of confidentiality are reviewed at the start of care.

Psychologists at Wholesome Psychology are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). They follow CAP's Standards of Practice and the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists, published by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA). Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW).

Two Alberta privacy laws are relevant to counselling records:

• Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA): generally governs how private clinics, including ours, collect, use, and disclose personal information.
• Health Information Act (HIA): governs health information held by health custodians, such as Alberta Health Services, and by people working on their behalf.

Your clinician can tell you which rules apply to your records. Confidential information may be shared without your consent only in limited situations, such as:

• a risk of serious and imminent harm to you or to someone else
• a concern that a child is being abused or neglected, which must be reported under Alberta law
• a court order or another legal requirement

Your clinician will explain these limits clearly in your first session, before you share anything personal. You are welcome to ask questions about privacy first, and you do not have to share anything until you understand how your information will be handled. The same standards apply to virtual sessions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to describe what happened in detail?

No. You decide what to share and when. You can start by talking about how things are affecting you now, such as sleep, work, or relationships, rather than going through the event itself. Some approaches do involve working with memories at some point. If that becomes part of your plan, your clinician will explain what it involves and check that you agree before starting.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, within limits. Counselling is confidential, with exceptions that include a risk of serious and imminent harm, a concern that a child is being abused or neglected, and a court order. Your clinician explains these limits in the first session. The Confidentiality and Privacy section above explains how PIPA, the HIA, and professional standards apply.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no fixed answer. Some people find a shorter period of focused work helpful, while others benefit from longer-term support. It depends on your goals, your circumstances, and how the work is going. You and your clinician review progress regularly and decide together whether to continue, change the plan, or finish.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and it is okay to say so. You can raise it with your clinician directly, or contact the admin team at 780-904-4880 to find someone whose style or approach suits you better. Changing clinicians is a normal part of finding the right match. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Can I access therapy online?

Yes. Virtual sessions are available to people anywhere in Alberta, depending on each clinician's schedule, and the same confidentiality standards apply as in person. Your clinician will talk with you about privacy for video sessions, such as finding a space where you will not be overheard. You can learn more about online counselling.

Do I need a PTSD diagnosis to book?

No. You can book to talk about a distressing experience and how it is affecting you, whether or not anyone has used the word PTSD. Counselling does not include a formal assessment. If you want or need one, PTSD and trauma assessment is offered as a separate service.

What if I am still in an unsafe situation?

Counselling can still be a place to talk, but your safety comes first. If someone is hurting or threatening you, the Family Violence Info Line (Alberta) at 310-1818 is available 24/7, and 911 is there for immediate danger. You can also talk with your clinician about safety and what support you need. Our family violence counselling page has more information.

I am worried about someone else. What can I do?

You are welcome to call the admin team with general questions about how counselling works. For adults, counselling is voluntary, so the person will usually need to decide to book for themselves. Some family members book their own sessions to help with the strain of supporting someone. Our page on supporting someone's mental health may also help.

Meet Your Clinicians

Wholesome Psychology brings together clinicians with different training and credentials:

• Registered Psychologists are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists.
• Registered Provisional Psychologists are also registered with CAP. They practise under the supervision of a fully registered psychologist while they complete the requirements for full registration.
• Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers.
• Canadian Certified Counsellors (CCCs) hold a national counselling certification.
• Mental Health Therapists provide counselling at a reduced rate.
• Student Therapists are master's-level practicum students who see clients under clinical supervision, at the lowest fee tier.

Training and areas of focus vary from clinician to clinician, including experience with trauma-related concerns. Each profile on our Our Therapists page describes that person's approach. If you are unsure where to start, the Match with a Therapist tool or a call to the admin team at 780-904-4880 can help narrow it down.

Children and Youth

Children and teens can also be affected by frightening or distressing experiences. Wholesome Psychology offers counselling for children, adolescents, and young people. Therapists who work with younger clients use age-appropriate approaches, which may include play or creative activities for younger children.

Caregivers are an important part of the process. Clinicians work with parents and caregivers to support a steady, safe environment at home, and they explain at the start how confidentiality works when a young person is in counselling. You can learn more about child and youth stress and trauma counselling or mental health support for teens.

When You Are Ready to Talk

If you would like to take a next step, here are a few ways to do it:

• Book a session online
• Use the Match with a Therapist tool
• Call the admin team at 780-904-4880
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read Getting Started with Therapy to see what the first steps look like

Starting the conversation is enough.

New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

References

• Canadian Psychological Association. (2020). Post-traumatic stress disorder.
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (n.d.). Post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Public Health Agency of Canada. (n.d.). About trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Government of Canada.
• World Health Organization. (2025). ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics.