A respectful, collaborative place to talk about long-standing patterns in emotions, relationships, and coping, whether or not you have a diagnosis. Psychologists registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). A team that includes Registered Psychologists, Registered Social Workers regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), and counsellors certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). In-person sessions in Edmonton and St. Albert. Virtual sessions for people located in Alberta.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Personality Disorder Counselling Is Right for You

You may have been given a diagnosis that does not quite feel like it fits. Or you may have read a description online and wondered, with some unease, whether it describes you. The harder question might be this one: if these patterns have been part of your life for years, can things really feel different? And would asking for help mean accepting a label you do not want?

Some people notice the same things happening again and again. Relationships that start out close and then come apart in familiar ways. Reactions that feel bigger than the moment, followed by shame once things settle. A sense of not quite knowing who you are, or of reshaping yourself to suit whoever you are with.

Patterns like these are human responses. They often make sense given what a person has been through. They are not a sign that you are broken or "too much," and they do not mean something is permanently wrong with you.

You might be reading this for someone else, such as a partner, parent, or adult child. Or you may be somewhere that does not feel safe right now. Both are covered below, including where to find immediate help. If you are considering whether speaking with someone could help, this page may be a useful starting point.

Who We Help

Counselling for personality-related concerns may be a good fit if you:

• have received a personality disorder diagnosis and want a place to talk about what it means for your life
• are thinking about a formal assessment and want support while you decide (assessment is a separate service)
• want to understand recurring patterns in your emotions, relationships, sense of self, or ways of coping, with or without a diagnosis
• have tried therapy before and would like to try again with a different clinician
• care about someone and want support for yourself in how you relate to them

This service may not be the right fit if you:

• are in crisis or unable to stay safe right now. Please use the crisis resources below.
• need a court report, custody evaluation, or other forensic or legal opinion. These needs are outside this counselling service. Psychological assessments are a separate service.
• are hoping to get a diagnosis for another person, such as a partner or family member. No one can be diagnosed through someone else's sessions.
• need a court-ordered or violence-intervention program. Please tell the admin team what you need so they can talk through whether this service fits.
• need medical or psychiatric care, such as a medication review. Counselling does not replace care from a physician or psychiatrist.

If a more specific page fits your situation, you may wish to read about borderline personality disorder counselling, avoidant personality disorder counselling, emotional regulation counselling, or counselling for relationship concerns.

If You Need Help Right Now

Counselling is not set up for emergencies. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or you do not feel able to stay safe, please contact one of these services:

• Call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department if there is immediate danger.
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642 (24/7)
• 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 988 (24/7, across Canada)
• Family Violence Info Line (Alberta): 310-1818 (24/7, toll-free), if you are being hurt or feel unsafe at home or in a relationship

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What This Service Is

Personality disorder counselling at Wholesome Psychology is talk therapy. You meet with a clinician to look at recurring patterns in how you feel, think, relate to others, and cope. The approach is collaborative and client-centred, so you and your clinician decide together what to focus on.

You may come across the term in official sources. The World Health Organization's ICD-11 classification includes a section called "personality disorders and related traits" (World Health Organization [WHO], n.d.). That is a classification system used in health care. It is not a description of any one person, and no webpage can tell you whether it applies to you.

If you would like plain-language background from a Canadian organization, one option is the public education page on personality disorders from the Nova Scotia Division (Canadian Mental Health Association [CMHA], n.d.).

What this service is not:

• It is not a psychological assessment. Counselling sessions do not include formal testing or a diagnostic assessment. Assessment is a separate service, described on the personality and behavioural assessment page.
• It is not a legal service or an investigative process.
• It is not crisis intervention or emergency care.
• It does not replace medical or psychiatric care.

You set the pace, not your clinician. You will not be pushed to talk about anything before you are ready. What you share is confidential within limits set by law, and those limits are explained at your first session (see Confidentiality and Privacy below). Each clinician works within the scope of their training and registration, and will tell you if a concern would be better served by another service or provider.

Signs Personality Patterns May Be Affecting You

These are experiences people often describe when they look for this kind of counselling. They are not a checklist. Recognizing yourself in some of them does not point to any diagnosis.

• Feeling emotions very strongly, or having moods that shift fast and are hard to settle
• Relationships that follow a painful pattern, such as getting close and then pulling away
• Finding conflict, criticism, or feeling overlooked especially hard to recover from
• Feeling unsure who you are or what you want, depending on who you are with
• Harsh self-talk, or a running sense that you are "too much" or "not enough"
• Ways of coping that once helped but now cost more, like shutting down, avoiding people, or doing things in the moment you later regret
• Keeping people at a distance because closeness feels risky or exhausting
• Feeling physically tense, drained, or on guard after time with others

These experiences are common human responses to strain. They are not fixed features of who you are, and having them does not mean something is permanently wrong with you. Counselling may offer a structured place to understand them and decide what, if anything, you want to change.

How Treatment Works Here

• Find your therapist. Use the Match Tool or browse Our Therapists. If you would like help choosing, the admin team can talk through options at 780-904-4880. Availability changes, so the team can tell you who is accepting new clients.
• Book your first session. Your clinician will explain confidentiality and its limits, review consent, and ask what has brought you in. You will talk about what you hope might be different. You can ask questions at any point, including how your clinician works.
• Build your plan together. You and your clinician agree on goals and a direction for the work. The plan depends on your needs, your clinician, and the scope of the service.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes. They are often weekly or every two weeks, and the schedule can be adjusted as needed.
• Progress check-ins. Your clinician will check in with you about what is helping and what is not. The plan can change as your needs change.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Your voice shapes the work at every stage, including when to slow down, change focus, or stop. The Getting Started page explains these first steps in more detail.

Evidence and Approaches

This page only describes research that can be traced to its listed sources, so the summary below is deliberately limited. Your clinician can talk with you about specific approaches, how they work, and whether they suit your goals.

Outpatient and Community Counselling

What it helps with: Regular counselling outside a hospital setting may give people space to work on goals related to emotions, relationships, coping, and daily life.

Evidence summary: A systematic review and meta-analysis in BMC Psychiatry has examined outpatient and community treatments for people with a diagnosis of personality disorder (BMC Psychiatry, n.d.). The material available for this page does not include the review's results, so this page does not describe its findings or compare approaches.

Limitations: Without the review's findings, no conclusion about effectiveness can be drawn here. Outcomes vary from person to person, and research on groups may not reflect any one person's experience.

What Results to Expect

Change in long-standing patterns is rarely a straight line. Some people notice small shifts early, such as having words for what happens in hard moments. For others the work takes longer, and progress can include setbacks.

What happens in counselling depends on many things. These include the nature of your experiences, your current circumstances, your goals, and the fit between you and your clinician. No therapy can guarantee a particular outcome, and outcomes vary.

Fit matters. If the relationship with your clinician does not feel right, you can raise it with them or ask the admin team about changing therapists or trying a different approach. That is a normal part of finding support that works for you.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in counselling is confidential. Psychologists at Wholesome Psychology are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and follow the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Code of Ethics. Your personal and health information is protected under Alberta privacy law, including the Health Information Act (HIA) and the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA).

There are a few situations where a clinician may be required or permitted by law to share information without your consent:

• if there is a risk of serious harm to you or someone else
• if there is reason to believe a child is being abused or neglected, which must be reported under Alberta law
• if a court orders the release of records

Your clinician will explain these limits clearly in your first session. You are welcome to ask questions about privacy before you share anything personal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to talk about my past or describe what happened in detail?

No. You decide what to share and when. Many people start with what is happening now, such as a recent conflict or a pattern they keep noticing, and that can be a useful focus on its own. If you want to explore the past later, your clinician can go at a pace that feels manageable.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, within limits set by law. Your information is protected under Alberta's Health Information Act (HIA) and Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). A clinician may need to share information if there is a risk of serious harm, a concern about a child's safety, or a court order. The Confidentiality and Privacy section above has more detail, and you can ask your clinician about it at your first session.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no set number. Some people come for a shorter stretch to work on one concern. Others find longer-term work more useful for patterns that have been around for years. You and your clinician will review progress regularly and decide together whether to continue, change focus, or finish.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and it is fine to say so. You can raise it with your clinician directly, or call the admin team at 780-904-4880 to talk about working with someone else. 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 for people located in Alberta, and the same confidentiality standards apply as for in-person sessions. You can read more about online counselling.

Do I need a diagnosis to start counselling?

No. You can start counselling to talk about patterns or concerns that affect your well-being or relationships, whether or not you have a diagnosis. If questions about diagnosis come up, your clinician can talk with you about whether a separate assessment or another service might be worth considering.

Can counselling tell me whether I have a personality disorder?

Counselling sessions are not a diagnostic assessment, so they are not set up to give you a diagnosis. Psychological assessments are a separate service. A clinician can discuss whether assessment or another service may be appropriate for you.

I am worried about someone close to me. Can counselling help me?

Counselling can give you a place to talk about your own experience of the relationship, including how it affects you and what you need. Your clinician will not diagnose the other person. If you feel unsafe with someone, the Family Violence Info Line (Alberta) at 310-1818 is available 24/7. You may also wish to read about counselling for family issues.

Meet Your Clinicians

Our team includes Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Canadian Certified Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and Student Therapists. All psychologists are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists. Provisional psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist. Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW).

Clinicians bring different training and areas of focus. Each profile on the Our Therapists page describes that clinician's background, so you can look for experience with the concerns that matter to you. If you are unsure where to start, the Match Tool or a call to the admin team at 780-904-4880 can help you choose.

Children and Youth

Wholesome Psychology offers counselling for children, adolescents, and young people. Clinicians who work with younger clients use age-appropriate approaches. They also work with parents and caregivers to support the young person's day-to-day environment.

If you are a parent worried about a child's or teen's behaviour, moods, or relationships, counselling can be a place to talk that through. This page does not suggest that any young person has a personality disorder, and no one can be diagnosed from a description alone. You may also wish to read about child and youth counselling or adolescent mental health counselling.

Taking a Next Step

If you would like to learn more, you can take the next step in whatever way feels most comfortable:

• Book a session online
• Match with a therapist using the Match Tool
• Call the admin team at 780-904-4880
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read the Getting Started page to see what the first steps involve

Starting the conversation is enough.

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

References

• BMC Psychiatry. (n.d.). Effectiveness of outpatient and community treatments for people with a diagnosis of 'personality disorder': Systematic review and meta-analysis.
• Canadian Mental Health Association, Nova Scotia Division. (n.d.). Personality disorders.
• World Health Organization. (n.d.). ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics: Personality disorders and related traits.