Counselling that follows your pace and your priorities, rather than a fixed programme you have to keep up with. Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Canadian Certified Counsellors, and Mental Health Therapists. Psychologists are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW). Canadian Certified Counsellors (CCCs) are certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). In person at five Edmonton and St. Albert locations, or virtually across Alberta. 50-minute sessions, evenings and weekends available.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Humanistic Client-Centered Counselling Is Right for You

You may be wondering whether what you are carrying is heavy enough to bring to a therapist. Perhaps nothing dramatic has happened. Perhaps you have work, people who care about you, and a life that looks fine from the outside, and you still move through it at a distance.

You might recognise some of this. Rehearsing a conversation for hours after it ended. Saying yes when you meant no, then feeling quietly resentful about it. Being asked how you are and not knowing how to answer honestly, even to yourself.

Responses like these often build slowly, through long stretches of stress, loss, or years of putting other people first. They are common human reactions to circumstances that asked a lot of you. They do not mean something is broken in you, and they do not require a diagnosis to be worth talking about.

You may wish to read on and see whether this way of working sounds like something you would want. Nothing on this page asks you to decide anything today.

Who We Help

This approach may be a reasonable fit if you:

• want space to think out loud with someone who is not involved in your life
• are working through a life transition, a loss, or a change in your health or relationships
• find that structured worksheets and homework have not held your attention in the past
• are questioning your direction, your values, or who you have become
• are carrying self-criticism that has been with you a long time
• are gathering information for a partner, adult child, parent, or friend

This approach may not be the right starting point if you:

• are in immediate danger or thinking about acting on thoughts of harm. Please use the crisis resources below rather than waiting for an appointment.
• need a formal psychological assessment, a diagnosis, or documentation for court, an insurer, an employer, or a school. Counselling is a separate service from psychological assessment. Our administrative team can point you to the correct assessment service.
• need legal advice, an investigation, or a custody recommendation. Therapy is not a legal or investigative process.
• are looking for medication management. That is handled by a physician or psychiatrist, not by a psychologist or counsellor.

If You Need Help Right Now

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service. We cannot respond to urgent messages outside of booked appointments. If you need support before an appointment is possible, these lines are staffed around the clock.

• 911 if you or someone else is in immediate danger
• 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline, call or text 988, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line, 1-877-303-2642, toll-free, 24 hours a day
• Crisis Text Line, text HOME to 741741

What This Service Is

Humanistic client-centered counselling is a collaborative talk-therapy approach that centres your perspective, your goals, and your pace. Instead of the therapist arriving with a set curriculum, the two of you work from what you bring into the room. Sessions may involve careful listening, reflection, emotional exploration, and making sense of what matters to you.

You will see the words humanistic, client-centered, and person-centered used in similar ways by clinics and training programmes. On this page we use humanistic client-centered counselling as the main label. If you would like to read about a closely related way of working, our person-centered therapy page covers similar ground from a different angle.

There are things this service is not. It is not a crisis service. It is not a legal or investigative process. It does not include psychological assessment, diagnosis, or formal reports, which are offered separately and require a different referral pathway. It is not medical care, and no one here prescribes or adjusts medication.

Your therapist sets no fixed pace. You decide what to raise and when. What you discuss is kept private within specific legal and ethical limits, which your therapist will go through with you in the first session and which are explained further down this page.

Signs This Kind of Counselling May Be Relevant to What You Are Carrying

People arrive with very different histories. Some of the patterns below may sound familiar, and others may not apply at all.

• a flatness or heaviness that does not lift much even when circumstances improve
• replaying conversations, decisions, or old mistakes long after they are over
• difficulty naming what you feel, or noticing feelings only once they have become physical
• pulling back from people who have not done anything wrong
• tiredness that sleep does not seem to fix, or trouble settling at night
• losing interest in things that used to hold your attention
• a sense of performing a version of yourself that no longer fits
• irritability that surprises you, followed by guilt about it
• an unformed feeling that something needs to change, without knowing what

These are experiences, not a checklist for any condition, and reading them here is not a diagnosis. Reaching this point is more common than it may feel. Drawing on the 2022 Mental Health and Access to Care Survey, Statistics Canada reported that about half of people who met the criteria for a mood, anxiety, or substance use disorder had not spoken with a health professional about their mental health in the previous year, and that counselling or psychotherapy was among the types of care people most often said they needed more of (Stephenson, 2023). Not knowing whether to reach out is an ordinary place to be standing.

How Counselling Works Here

• Find your therapist. You can use our Match with a Therapist tool, browse profiles on the Our Therapists page, or call our administrative team at 780-904-4880 and describe what you are looking for. They can narrow the list for you.
• Book your first session. The first appointment covers consent and the limits of confidentiality, a conversation about what brings you in, and an early discussion of what you would like to be different. You are not expected to tell your whole history in the first hour.
• Build your plan together. You and your therapist decide together what to focus on and how to work. If something is not useful, say so. The plan is meant to be revised.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes and are often weekly or bi-weekly at first, then adjusted as things change. Some people space sessions further apart over time.
• Progress check-ins. Your therapist will return to your goals regularly to ask what is shifting and what is not. Canadian Psychological Association guidance describes this kind of monitoring and open discussion of progress as part of evidence-based practice, along with adjusting the approach when it is not working well (Canadian Psychological Association [CPA], n.d.).

There is no fixed number of sessions. Some people come for a short stretch and stop. Others return later when something new surfaces. Your voice governs the pace at every stage.

Evidence and Approaches

Below is a plain summary of what the research we reviewed does and does not show. We have kept the limitations visible because the evidence base for this way of working is narrower than it is for some other therapies.

Humanistic Client-Centered Counselling

What it helps with: Working through emotional weight, self-understanding, and relationship patterns at a pace you set, without a fixed session-by-session structure.

Evidence summary: A qualitative study of 50 young people aged 13 to 16 who received up to 10 sessions of school-based humanistic counselling found they most often described warm, affiliative therapist qualities as helpful, along with unburdening, gaining insight, and better relationships (Cooper et al., 2025). About a third wanted more input from their therapist or found silences uncomfortable.

Limitations: This was a small qualitative study of UK adolescents, mostly female, based on self-report rather than measured outcomes. It does not establish effectiveness for adults or for specific conditions.

Counselling as Described in Clinical Guidelines

What it helps with: Low mood, particularly where psychosocial, relationship, or work difficulties are part of the picture.

Evidence summary: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence ([NICE], 2022) guideline on depression in adults lists counselling among the treatment options, describing it as empathic listening and facilitated emotional exploration that helps people find their own solutions. NICE reported some evidence that counselling may be effective, though less cost effective on average than several alternatives, and included it as an option that may suit some people.

Limitations: The guideline refers to a counselling protocol developed specifically for depression, not to open-ended humanistic counselling, and NICE is a United Kingdom body.

Attention to the Working Relationship

What it helps with: Building enough trust to speak openly, which is the ordinary precondition for the rest of the work.

Evidence summary: Public education material from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health ([CAMH], n.d.) describes psychotherapy as talking work whose success depends on a supportive and comfortable relationship with a therapist you trust. CPA guidance similarly frames therapy as a collaborative relationship in which you are an active participant and are kept informed about your progress (CPA, n.d.).

Limitations: These are general public-education and professional-practice statements about psychotherapy overall. They are not evidence that this particular approach outperforms any other, and neither source addresses humanistic counselling specifically.

Drawing on Other Approaches Where Useful

What it helps with: Situations where you would like more structure, skills practice, or a narrower focus than open-ended counselling provides.

Evidence summary: Depending on your therapist's training and what suits you, sessions may include elements of other models such as cognitive behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, or existential therapy. CPA guidance notes it is reasonable to ask whether research supports a method for your concerns, and that where evidence is not strong the clinician should explain their rationale and describe alternatives (CPA, n.d.).

Limitations: The sources reviewed for this page do not compare these approaches for the concerns described here, so no claim is made that any one works better.

What Results to Expect

Progress is rarely a straight line. People often describe a few useful sessions followed by a harder one, then a stretch where things settle.

Some people find relief from just 2-3 sessions, particularly when something specific needs to be said out loud and thought through with another person. Others find that a longer piece of work suits what they are carrying. Guidance from CAMH describes psychotherapy as sometimes short-term, dealing with immediate concerns, and sometimes longer-term where difficulties are more longstanding (CAMH, n.d.).

What tends to influence how this goes includes what you are working through, how much support and stability you have around you right now, how much room your circumstances leave for this kind of reflection, and the fit between you and your therapist.

No therapy can guarantee an outcome, and no clinician can predict in advance how you will respond. Anyone who promises a specific result is overstating what is known. If the work is not helping, that is worth raising directly, and changing your approach or your therapist is a normal step rather than a setback.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you say in session stays between you and your therapist, within limits set by law and professional ethics.

Our psychologists are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and practise under its Standards of Practice, alongside the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists.

Two pieces of Alberta legislation are relevant to how your information is handled. The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) generally governs private clinics such as ours. The Health Information Act (HIA) applies in other settings, for example where a psychologist works as an affiliate of a custodian such as a hospital or Alberta Health Services (College of Alberta Psychologists [CAP], 2026).

There are specific situations where a clinician may be required to disclose information without your consent:

• where there are reasonable and probable grounds to believe disclosure is necessary to prevent imminent and grave harm to you, to another person's health or safety, or to public safety (CAP, 2023)
• where there is reason to suspect a child is being abused or neglected, which carries a reporting duty under Alberta law
• where records are compelled by a court order or subpoena

Your therapist will walk through these limits with you at the start of the first session, before you share anything personal. You are welcome to ask questions about how your records are stored and who can access them before deciding what to discuss.

Common Questions

Do I have to describe everything that happened in detail?

No. You choose what to say and when to say it. Some people want to tell the whole story early, and some never go into detail about particular events at all. It is possible to work on how something affects you now, in your relationships, your sleep, or your reactions, without a full account of the past. If your therapist asks something you would rather not answer, saying so is a legitimate answer.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, within the legal and ethical limits described in the confidentiality section above. The main exceptions are risk of imminent and grave harm, suspected abuse or neglect of a child, and court orders. Your therapist explains these limits at the beginning of the first session, before you share anything personal, so you can make an informed decision about what to discuss.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no fixed answer, and anyone who gives you a firm number before meeting you is guessing. Some people come for a handful of sessions to work through one specific thing. Others stay longer, particularly where difficulties are longstanding. Your therapist reviews progress with you regularly, and stopping is always a decision you get to make.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and not every pairing works. You are not obliged to explain yourself or to continue out of politeness. Call our administrative team at 780-904-4880 and they can help you move to a different clinician, or you can use the Match with a Therapist tool again. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Can I access counselling online?

Yes. Virtual sessions are available across Alberta and follow the same confidentiality standards as in-person appointments. Many people find it easier to book virtually around work, caregiving, or travel from outside Edmonton. You can switch between virtual and in-person appointments as it suits you.

What is the difference between a psychologist and a counsellor?

The credentials differ in training, regulation, and fee. Registered Psychologists and Registered Provisional Psychologists are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW). Canadian Certified Counsellors (CCCs) are certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). Mental Health Therapists hold their own qualifications, and these clinician groups sit at lower fee tiers. Many people work well with clinicians across all of these designations. Our administrative team can explain the differences for your situation.

Do I need a referral or a diagnosis to book?

No referral is needed to book counselling, and you do not need a diagnosis. If your insurer requires a physician referral for reimbursement, that is worth checking with them first. If you are specifically seeking a diagnosis or documentation, that falls under psychological assessment, which is a separate service with a different process.

Meet Your Clinicians

Our team includes Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Canadian Certified Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and Master's level Student Therapists. All psychologists are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW). Canadian Certified Counsellors (CCCs) are certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). Registered Provisional Psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist.

Many of our clinicians have training in humanistic and person-centered ways of working, as well as in related areas such as grief and loss, life transitions, self-esteem, and relationship concerns. Individual profiles list each clinician's training, areas of focus, and locations on the Our Therapists page.

If reading through profiles feels like too much, the Match with a Therapist tool narrows the options, or you can call our administrative team at 780-904-4880 and talk it through with a person.

Children and Youth

We also offer counselling for children, adolescents, and young adults. Therapists working with younger clients adapt how they work to the young person's age and stage, which may mean shorter sessions, more activity, or more use of play and creative work than a conversation-based adult session.

Research on humanistic counselling with adolescents suggests young people often value a therapist who is warm and reasonably active, and some find long silences difficult (Cooper et al., 2025). Our clinicians take that into account.

Caregivers are usually part of the picture. With the young person's knowledge, therapists work with parents and guardians to support the environment around the child, while still protecting the young person's space to speak. You can read more on our child and youth counselling page.

Taking a Next Step

If you would like to go further, there are a few ways to start:

• Book a session online through our booking system
• Match with a Therapist if you would like help narrowing the options
• Call 780-904-4880 to speak with our administrative team
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read our Getting Started with Therapy page if you would like to know more about the process first

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.). Getting the best psychological help: Your guide to seeking effective psychological treatment. Retrieved July 25, 2026, from https://cpa.ca/seekingtreatment/
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. (n.d.). Psychotherapy. Retrieved July 25, 2026, from https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/psychotherapy
• College of Alberta Psychologists. (2023). Standards of practice (effective May 31, 2023). College of Alberta Psychologists.
• College of Alberta Psychologists. (2026). Interpretive guide: Privacy legislation in Alberta. College of Alberta Psychologists.
• Cooper, M., Smith, S., Sumner, A. L., Eilenberg, J., Childs-Fegredo, J., Kelly, S., Subramanian, P., Holmes, J., Barkham, M., Bower, P., Cromarty, K., Duncan, C., Hughes, S., Pearce, P., Rameswari, T., Ryan, G., Saxon, D., & Stafford, M. R. (2025). Humanistic therapy for young people: Client-perceived helpful aspects, hindering aspects, and processes of change. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 34(3), 686-705. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-024-02955-3
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2022). Depression in adults: Treatment and management (NICE Guideline NG222). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng222
• Public Health Agency of Canada. (n.d.). Mental health support: Get help. Retrieved July 25, 2026, from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html
• Stephenson, E. (2023). Mental disorders and access to mental health care. Insights on Canadian Society. Statistics Canada (Catalogue no. 75-006-X). https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2023001/article/00011-eng.htm