Counselling support for the emotional and day-to-day impact of dyslexia and reading-related learning challenges, for children, teens, and adults. Care is provided by registered clinicians regulated in Alberta. Sessions are available in person in Edmonton and St. Albert, and virtually across Alberta.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Dyslexia Counselling Is Right for You

You may not be sure whether counselling is the right kind of help when the main issue seems to be reading. Maybe a formal assessment has already named dyslexia, or maybe nothing has been confirmed and you are only going on a feeling that words have always been harder for you than they seem to be for other people.

Some of what you carry might look like this. Avoiding tasks that involve reading aloud or writing in front of others. A quiet voice that calls you careless or slow, even when you are working twice as hard as everyone around you. Pulling back from school, work, or conversations because explaining your needs feels exhausting.

These reactions make sense. When reading and writing have been a source of stress for a long time, the mind learns to brace for difficulty, and that bracing can show up as frustration, low confidence, or avoidance. They do not mean something is permanently wrong with you, and they are not a measure of your intelligence or effort.

You may wish to read on and see what this kind of support actually looks like, and whether it feels relevant to your situation or to someone you care about.

Who We Help

Dyslexia counselling at Wholesome Psychology may be a good fit if you recognize yourself in some of the following:

• You feel discouraged, anxious, or self-critical about reading and writing demands.
• You want help coping with stress at school, in post-secondary, or at work.
• You are a parent or caregiver supporting a child or teen who is struggling with reading-related challenges.
• You want to build confidence in asking for accommodations or explaining your needs to others.
• You already have an assessment and want support with the emotional side of living with a learning difference.

This service may not be the right fit in some situations, and there are clearer pathways for those needs:

• If you are in crisis or immediate danger, please use the crisis resources below rather than booking a counselling appointment.
• If you need a formal diagnosis, school documentation, or a full learning profile, a psychological assessment is a separate service. You can read about Learning Disorder Assessment or Psychoeducational Assessment.
• If you are looking for reading instruction or tutoring, counselling is not a literacy or remedial reading programme, and a tutoring or educational service would suit that goal better.

If You Need Urgent Help

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service. If you need immediate support, please use one of these resources:

• Call 911 if you or someone else is in immediate danger.
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642 (24/7).
• 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 988 (24/7).

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What Dyslexia Counselling Is

Dyslexia counselling is talk-based support for the feelings and daily challenges that can come with reading-related learning differences. It offers a private space to work through stress, self-esteem, communication, and planning, at a pace you set rather than one the therapist imposes.

It helps to be clear about what this service is not. Counselling is not a legal service, an investigative process, or a crisis intervention. It is also not a psychological assessment, psychoeducational testing, or reading instruction. Reading-related difficulties are commonly described in formal classification systems as developmental learning disorder with impairment in reading (World Health Organization [WHO], 2025), and confirming or ruling out that kind of profile is the job of an assessment, not counselling.

If you need diagnostic clarification or documentation for school or work, an assessment may be a better starting point, either on its own or alongside counselling. What you share in counselling is treated as confidential, with limits that are explained at the start of care. Those limits are described in detail further down this page.

Signs Dyslexia-Related Challenges May Be Affecting You

Dyslexia is about how a person reads, but its effects often reach further than the page. You do not need a diagnosis to notice these patterns, and you do not need to have all of them. People describe experiences such as:

• Dreading emails, forms, or any task that involves reading or writing under time pressure.
• Feeling drained or foggy after sustained reading, even for short periods.
• Avoiding reading aloud or writing where others can see.
• Harsh self-talk, such as feeling slow, careless, or not good enough.
• Anxiety or a knot in the stomach before tasks that involve text.
• Tension with parents, teachers, partners, or employers about what you need.
• Holding back from opportunities at school or work to avoid being found out.
• For a child or teen, reluctance, tears, or shutdowns around homework and reading.

Having these experiences does not mean something is permanently wrong with you or your child. They are common reactions to challenges that have often gone unrecognized for a long time, and structured support can help make them more manageable.

How Counselling Works Here

Getting started is straightforward, and you can move at your own pace.

• Find your therapist. You can use the Match with a Therapist tool, review profiles on the Our Therapists page, or call the admin team at 780-904-4880 for guidance.
• Book your first session. The first session usually covers confidentiality and consent, what brought you in, and a discussion of your goals. You set the direction.
• Build your plan together. You and your therapist co-create a plan that fits your situation. The plan belongs to you, and your voice matters at every stage.
• Ongoing sessions. Many people meet weekly or every other week, and the frequency can be adjusted as needs change. Sessions are 50 minutes.
• Progress check-ins. Your therapist reviews progress with you regularly, and the plan adapts as things shift.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Therapy is collaborative, and you can revisit your goals whenever you need to. If you would like to understand the process before booking, the Getting Started with Therapy page walks through it in more detail.

Evidence and Approaches

The research that applies here is more developed for questions of scope and classification than for the specific question of whether counselling changes outcomes for dyslexia. Because of that, this service is offered as supportive care, and the approaches below are described with honest limits. Counselling does not improve reading ability, and it is not a substitute for assessment or educational support.

Supportive counselling for emotional impact

What it helps with: The stress, frustration, low confidence, and self-criticism that can build up around reading-related challenges.

Evidence summary: Formal classification systems describe reading-related learning difficulties as developmental learning disorder with impairment in reading (WHO, 2025), which helps frame counselling as support for the emotional side of that experience rather than treatment of the reading difference itself. Broader clinical guidance on social, emotional, and mental wellbeing in education settings exists, although it is not dyslexia-specific (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], n.d.).

Limitations: The available evidence does not establish that counselling improves reading or academic performance, and individual responses to supportive counselling vary.

Parent and caregiver support

What it helps with: Helping parents and caregivers respond to a child or teen who is navigating reading-related challenges, including stress at home and around homework.

Evidence summary: A 2025 systematic review identified support for parents of children with learning disorders as a studied area of intervention (Guerra et al., 2025). Canadian public-education resources on learning disabilities in children are also available for caregivers (Canadian Psychological Association [CPA], n.d.).

Limitations: The review describes the field rather than quantifying specific benefits, so it should not be read as a promise of particular results. What is helpful for one family may differ for another.

Coordination with assessment and educational supports

What it helps with: Thinking through whether an assessment, tutoring, or school-based support might be needed alongside counselling.

Evidence summary: Counselling is distinct from formal assessment and reading instruction, and reading-related difficulties are recognized as a population-level topic in Canadian public statistics (Statistics Canada, 2024). Where diagnostic clarification or documentation is needed, an assessment is the appropriate route.

Limitations: Counselling cannot provide a diagnosis or formal documentation, and decisions about educational supports usually involve schools or other professionals.

What Results to Expect

Progress in counselling is rarely a straight line, and it can look different from one person to the next. Some people find relief from just 2-3 sessions, while others prefer longer-term support as they work through bigger changes in confidence, relationships, or routines.

Several things influence how counselling goes, including the nature of the challenges you are facing, your current circumstances, and how well you and your therapist work together. No therapy guarantees a particular outcome, and counselling will not change how dyslexia affects reading.

Therapeutic fit matters a great deal. If an approach or a particular therapist does not feel right, changing direction is always an option, and the admin team can help you make that change.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in counselling is kept confidential. Depending on their professional designation, your clinician follows the standards of their applicable regulatory body or certifying association. Registered Psychologists and Registered Provisional Psychologists are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP), Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), and Certified Canadian Counsellors hold certification through the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). Psychologists also follow the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Code of Ethics, and your personal health information is protected under Alberta legislation, including the Health Information Act (HIA) and the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) (College of Alberta Psychologists [CAP], 2023; CPA, 2017).

There are a few limits to confidentiality that apply by law and professional duty. Your clinician would need to act on:

• a risk of serious harm to you or to someone else,
• a reasonable suspicion of abuse or neglect of a child, which carries a mandatory duty to report under Alberta law, and
• a court order requiring disclosure of records.

Your clinician will explain these limits clearly during the first session. You are also welcome to ask any questions about privacy before you share anything personal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to talk about everything in detail?

No. You set the pace, and you decide what to share and when. Many people focus on present-day patterns, such as stress, confidence, or routines, rather than recounting every past difficulty, and that is a valid way to work.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, with a few limits set by law and professional duty, such as a risk of serious harm, a suspicion of child abuse or neglect, or a court order. These are explained at the start of care. You can read more in the Confidentiality and Privacy section above.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no fixed answer. Some people benefit from a short series of sessions, while others prefer longer-term support. Your therapist reviews progress with you regularly, so the plan can change as your needs do.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and it is completely reasonable to want a different match. The admin team can help you move to another clinician at any time. 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 across Alberta, and the same confidentiality standards apply as for in-person care. You can learn more on the online counselling page.

Is counselling the same as a dyslexia assessment?

No. Counselling supports emotional wellbeing, coping, and communication. Assessment focuses on diagnostic clarification and documentation. If you need a diagnosis or school documentation, a Learning Disorder Assessment or Psychoeducational Assessment is the right service, and it can run alongside counselling if you wish.

Can counselling improve my reading?

Counselling is not a reading programme, and it does not aim to change reading ability. It may help with the emotional and practical impact of reading-related challenges, and it can sit alongside assessment, tutoring, or school supports that focus on literacy.

Meet Your Clinicians

Wholesome Psychology includes Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Certified Canadian Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and Student Therapists. Registered Psychologists and Registered Provisional Psychologists are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP), Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), and Certified Canadian Counsellors hold certification through the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). Provisional psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist.

Many of our clinicians have training relevant to dyslexia and reading-related challenges, neurodiversity, and supporting children, teens, and families. You can review individual profiles on the Our Therapists page, use the Match with a Therapist tool, or call the admin team at 780-904-4880 for help choosing.

Children and Youth

Reading-related challenges often show up first in childhood, so we offer counselling for children, adolescents, and young people. Therapists working with younger clients use age-appropriate approaches and adjust to where each child is.

Clinicians also work with caregivers to support the child's day-to-day environment at home and school. If your child may need diagnostic clarification, you can also explore Child and Youth Counselling, Parenting Support, and related Learning Disorders Counselling or Neurodiversity Counselling services.

Taking the Next Step

If dyslexia counselling in Edmonton feels relevant to you or someone you care about, there are a few simple ways to begin:

• Book a session online
• Match with a therapist
• Call 780-904-4880
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read the Getting Started with Therapy page

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

Starting the conversation is enough.

References

• Canadian Psychological Association. (n.d.). Psychology works fact sheet: Learning disabilities in children.
• Canadian Psychological Association. (2017). Canadian code of ethics for psychologists (4th ed.).
• College of Alberta Psychologists. (2023). Standards of practice. https://www.cap.ab.ca/
• Guerra, G. C., et al. (2025). Supporting parents of children with learning disorders: A systematic review of intervention strategies. (Full citation metadata not extracted in the evidence pack.)
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (n.d.). Social, emotional and mental wellbeing in primary and secondary education.
• Statistics Canada. (2024). Learning disabilities, 2022 [Infographic].
• World Health Organization. (2025). ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics.