Counselling for adults who want more room between the urge and the action, offered in person in Edmonton and St. Albert and virtually across Alberta. Care provided by Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Canadian Certified 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). Canadian Certified Counsellors (CCCs) are certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), a non-statutory self-regulating body. 50 minute sessions, in person or virtual, weekdays and weekends.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Impulsivity Counselling Is Right for You

You may be asking yourself whether this counts as a real problem or whether it is just how you are. Nobody made you send the message, spend the money, or say the thing. That can make asking for support feel like asking for help with a choice you made on purpose, which is a strange position to be in.

Some of what brings adults to this page sounds like this. Sending the text, clicking buy, or saying the sharp thing, and then feeling the drop about ten seconds later. Promising yourself that next time you will pause, meaning it completely, and then watching the same sequence happen anyway. Being told you are careless by people who do not seem to understand that it does not feel careless from the inside.

Reacting quickly is a common human pattern, not a character defect. Speed can come from stress, exhaustion, how attention works for you, old habits that once served a purpose, or simply the way a moment lined up. A gap between what you intended and what you did is something people work on. It is not a fixed feature of who you are.

If you want to see what this kind of counselling actually involves before deciding anything, the rest of this page walks through it. Read as much or as little as is useful.

Who We Help

This service may be a good fit if you are:

• An adult noticing patterns of quick reactions, quick decisions, or quick spending that no longer match your goals.
• Someone who wants practical skills for pausing, planning, and following through.
• Someone whose relationships, work, or finances have been affected by fast decisions and who wants to talk it through without being lectured.
• Someone who has already been assessed or diagnosed elsewhere and wants counselling support alongside that.
• Someone who has never been assessed for anything and does not want to be pushed toward it.
• A partner, parent, or friend reading this on behalf of someone else and trying to understand the options.

This service may not be the right fit if:

• You are in crisis or there is an immediate safety concern. Please use the resources below instead.
• You need a psychological assessment, a formal diagnosis, or a report. Assessments are a separate service at this clinic and are not part of counselling. You can review the ADHD Assessment page if that is what you are looking for.
• You need documentation for a court, a lawyer, an insurer, or an employer. Counselling is not a forensic or legal service.
• You have been directed to a specific court mandated or offender specific program. Our admin team can talk through whether a referral elsewhere makes more sense.

If You Need Help Right Now

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service. We do not monitor calls or messages around the clock. If you need support before a scheduled appointment, please use one of the following:

• 911 if you or someone else is in immediate danger.
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741.
• Family Violence Info Line (Alberta): 310-1818, available 24 hours a day, toll free, if anyone in your home is unsafe.

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What This Service Is

Adult impulsivity counselling is talk based, collaborative counselling focused on the patterns you want to change. That usually means looking at what happens before, during, and after the moments that feel fast, and building skills for the gap in between. You and your therapist decide together what to work on.

Impulsivity is best understood as a pattern that can show up in many contexts rather than a single condition with a single cause. International classification systems list impulsive presentations in more than one place, including a hyperactive and impulsive presentation of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a separate grouping of impulse control disorders (World Health Organization [WHO], 2026). Counselling here does not assume which, if any, of those applies to you.

It is also useful to name what this service is not:

• This is not a psychological assessment service and does not include assessment or diagnosis. Assessments are booked separately.
• This is not a legal service, an investigative process, or crisis intervention.
• This is not medical care and does not include medication management.
• This page is general information and is not personal advice about your situation.

The pace is set by you, not by your therapist. What you share in sessions is confidential, with legal and ethical limits that your therapist explains at the start. Those limits are described in full further down this page.

Signs Impulsive Patterns May Be Affecting You

These are examples, not a checklist, and they do not point to any one explanation. People recognize themselves in some of these and not others.

• Replying, texting, or speaking before you have finished thinking, especially during conflict.
• Buying, booking, or committing quickly and feeling the consequences later.
• Finding it hard to slow down when emotion is running high.
• Starting things with real enthusiasm and struggling to carry them through.
• Feeling restless or physically wound up when you try to wait.
• Noticing the same pattern repeat even after you have decided it will not.
• Carrying embarrassment or regret about things you did quickly.
• Hearing the same feedback from different people in your life.

Recognizing several of these does not mean something is permanently wrong with you, and it does not tell you why the pattern is there. Different people arrive at similar patterns for very different reasons. Structured support gives you a place to look at the specifics of your own situation rather than guessing at it alone.

How Treatment Works Here

• Find your therapist. You can use the Match with a Therapist tool, browse profiles on the Our Therapists page, or call our admin team at 780-904-4880 and describe what you are looking for.
• Book your first session. The first appointment covers confidentiality, informed consent, and a discussion of what you want from counselling. You set the level of detail you go into.
• Build your plan together. You and your therapist agree on what to focus on. The plan belongs to both of you and can be revised.
• Ongoing sessions. Follow up is typically weekly or bi-weekly and can be adjusted as needed. Sessions are 50 minutes.
• Progress check-ins. Your therapist reviews progress with you at regular intervals. If something is not working, you can say so and the approach can change.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Counselling here is collaborative, and your view of what is useful matters at every stage. The Getting Started with Therapy page explains the process in more detail.

Evidence and Approaches

The research base for adult impulsivity counselling as a standalone topic is limited, and much of the available evidence comes from adjacent populations rather than from general adult counselling. The approaches below are described with that in mind. Your therapist will discuss which of these, if any, suits your situation.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

What it helps with: Noticing the triggers and situations that come just before a fast reaction, and building alternatives.

Evidence summary: A systematic review of treatments for impulsivity and compulsivity in behavioural addictions found cognitive behavioural therapy to be the most frequently supported approach (Aguilar-Yamuza et al., 2024). Canadian professional guidance suggests CBT focused on self-management of behaviour may be useful for adults (Canadian Psychological Association [CPA], 2021). Guidance for adults with ADHD describes structured psychological support that may include elements of, or a full course of, CBT (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], 2019).

Limitations: This evidence comes from specific populations rather than adults seeking help for impulsivity generally, so it is indirect. Individual responses vary.

You can read more about this approach on our cognitive behavioural therapy page.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

What it helps with: Tolerating strong emotion without acting on it immediately, and steadying reactions when distress spikes.

Evidence summary: In the same systematic review, dialectical behaviour therapy was among the approaches that produced the better results for impulsivity in problematic internet use, where standard CBT did not show significant improvement on impulsivity measures (Aguilar-Yamuza et al., 2024). The authors suggest the mechanisms behind that presentation may differ from those in other behavioural addictions.

Limitations: This finding rests on a small number of studies within a review of only 14 articles, so confidence is limited. It has not been tested as a general treatment for adult impulsivity.

More detail is available on our dialectical behaviour therapy page.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

What it helps with: Making room for uncomfortable urges without following them, and choosing actions that line up with what matters to you.

Evidence summary: The same review reported acceptance and commitment therapy among the approaches with the better results for impulsivity in problematic internet use (Aguilar-Yamuza et al., 2024). The authors suggest such approaches may work through processes like reducing avoidance of unwanted internal experiences rather than through craving.

Limitations: The supporting studies are few and the population studied is narrow. Whether the same holds for other impulsive patterns has not been established.

Our acceptance and commitment therapy page describes the approach further.

Motivational Interviewing

What it helps with: Working through mixed feelings about change without being pushed, which is common when a pattern has both costs and payoffs.

Evidence summary: The systematic review found that motivational interviewing combined with cognitive behavioural therapy was associated with reduced impulsivity in gambling disorder and in problematic pornography use (Aguilar-Yamuza et al., 2024). It is generally described there as a combined approach rather than a standalone treatment.

Limitations: Because it was studied in combination with CBT, the separate contribution of motivational interviewing is unclear. The review notes that included studies used no shared measure of impulsivity.

Mindfulness-Based Approaches

What it helps with: Building the moment of noticing between an urge and an action, and reducing automatic responding.

Evidence summary: The review included a pilot study of a mindfulness-based relapse prevention program that reported improvement in compulsivity with a medium effect size (Aguilar-Yamuza et al., 2024). Mindfulness appeared as one of several approaches examined rather than as a leading recommendation.

Limitations: Pilot studies with small samples cannot establish effectiveness. Evidence for mindfulness approaches applied specifically to adult impulsivity remains thin.

Our mindfulness therapy page covers this in more depth.

What Results to Expect

Progress in counselling is usually uneven. People often describe good stretches followed by a week where an old pattern returns, and that does not mean the work has failed. Some people find relief from just 2-3 sessions, particularly when the focus is narrow and practical. Others prefer longer term work, especially when the patterns are tied to long standing stress or to several areas of life at once.

Several things influence how counselling goes:

• What is driving the pattern, which is not always clear at the start.
• What else is happening in your life right now, including sleep, stress, work, and health.
• How well you and your therapist work together.
• How much opportunity you have to practise between sessions.

No therapy guarantees outcomes, and no therapist can promise that a pattern will stop. Research on these approaches suggests some people notice meaningful change, while others notice less, and outcomes vary between individuals. Therapeutic fit matters more than most people expect. If the fit is not right, changing therapist or changing approach is always an option and does not mean starting over.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in counselling is kept confidential. Your therapist reviews confidentiality and informed consent with you in the first session, before you are asked to share anything personal, and you are welcome to ask questions before you decide what to discuss.

Psychologists in Alberta are registered with and regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and practise in line with the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. Privacy of client information at a private clinic in Alberta is governed primarily by the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), which sets the rules for how private organizations collect, use, disclose, and retain personal information. The Health Information Act (HIA) applies to health information held by health custodians and to clinicians working as affiliates of a custodian, such as a psychologist contracted to a hospital or to Alberta Health Services.

Confidentiality has limits that apply to every regulated clinician in Alberta. Your therapist is required to act, and may need to disclose information, in situations including:

• Risk of serious harm to you or to another person.
• Suspected abuse or neglect of a child, which carries a mandatory reporting duty under Alberta law.
• A court order or other legal requirement to produce records.

Your therapist will explain these limits clearly and in plain language at the first session. If you have questions about records, note taking, or who can see what, you can ask before sharing anything you are unsure about.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to describe everything I have done in detail?

No. You control how much detail you go into and when. Some people want to talk through specific incidents; others prefer to work on present day patterns, triggers, and skills without recounting particular events. Both are workable. Your therapist will follow your pace rather than setting it.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, with limits that apply to all regulated clinicians in Alberta. Information may need to be disclosed where there is a risk of serious harm, where child abuse or neglect is suspected, or where a court orders it. The Confidentiality and Privacy section above sets out the legislation and the exceptions in full, and your therapist reviews all of this with you in the first session.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no fixed answer. Some people find relief from just 2-3 sessions when the focus is narrow and practical. Others work over a longer period, particularly when several areas of life are involved. Your therapist reviews progress with you regularly, and the plan can be shortened, extended, or changed.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit is a normal thing to get wrong the first time, and saying so is not rude or a setback. You can tell your therapist directly, or contact our admin team at 780-904-4880 and ask to be matched with someone else. 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. Some people find video easier for a first conversation. You can also mix formats, attending in person some weeks and online others.

Do I need a diagnosis or an assessment before starting?

No. You can start counselling to talk about patterns you have noticed, with no diagnosis and no prior assessment. Counselling and psychological assessment are separate services here, and this service does not include assessment or diagnosis. If an assessment seems relevant to you at some point, that can be discussed and booked separately.

Does this mean I have ADHD?

Not necessarily. Impulsivity appears in several different contexts and is not specific to any one condition, which is why this page does not assume an explanation. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) maintains Canadian information for professionals on adult ADHD screening and assessment, which is a separate pathway from counselling (CAMH, n.d.). If attention is something you want to look at, our ADHD in adults and emotional regulation pages may be useful starting points.

Meet Your Clinicians

Wholesome Psychology works with Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Canadian Certified 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). Canadian Certified Counsellors (CCCs) are certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), a non-statutory self-regulating body. Registered Provisional Psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist.

Many of our clinicians have training in areas relevant to impulsivity, including emotional regulation, attention and executive functioning, cognitive behavioural approaches, and trauma-informed practice. Credential type affects the fee tier, not the seriousness with which your situation is treated.

You can read individual profiles on the Our Therapists page, or use the Match with a Therapist tool if you would rather answer a few questions and be pointed toward a shortlist. Our admin team is available at 780-904-4880 to talk through options.

Children and Youth

Impulsive patterns often show up in families rather than in one person alone, and adults sometimes come to this page while also thinking about a child. Wholesome Psychology offers counselling for children, adolescents, and young people alongside adult services.

Clinicians working with younger clients use approaches suited to the child's age and stage, which may involve play, activity, or skills practice rather than sustained conversation. They also work with caregivers, since the environment around a child matters to how support goes. Our impulsivity in children and child and youth mental health pages describe these services.

Taking a Next Step

If counselling for impulsivity seems worth exploring, here is what is available:

• Book a session online through our booking system.
• Match with a therapist if you are not sure who to choose.
• Call our admin team at 780-904-4880 with questions about fit, fees, or format.
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca.
• Read the Getting Started with Therapy page if you would like to know more about how the process works first.

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

Starting the conversation is enough.

References

• Aguilar-Yamuza, B., Trenados, Y., Herruzo, C., Pino, M. J., & Herruzo, J. (2024). A systematic review of treatment for impulsivity and compulsivity. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1430409. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1430409
• Canadian Psychological Association. (2021). "Psychology Works" fact sheet: Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. https://cpa.ca/psychology-works-fact-sheets/
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. (n.d.). Adult ADHD: Screening and assessment. Retrieved July 25, 2026, from https://www.camh.ca/en/professionals/treating-conditions-and-disorders/adult-adhd/adult-adhd---screening-and-assessment
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2019). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Diagnosis and management (NICE Guideline NG87). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng87
• World Health Organization. (2026). ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics (2026-01 release). https://icd.who.int/en