Counselling for people working through a change in roles, routines, relationships, or responsibilities, offered in Edmonton and St. Albert and virtually across Alberta. Psychologists registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP), alongside social workers regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), Certified Canadian Counsellors (CCCs) regulated by the Canadian Counselling and Psychological Association (CCPA), and mental health therapists. Practice governed by Alberta privacy legislation and professional standards. In-person at five locations, or virtual anywhere in Alberta. 50-minute sessions, days, evenings, and weekends.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Life Transitions Counselling Is Right for You

You may be asking yourself whether this really counts as a reason to see someone. Nothing catastrophic happened. You made a choice, or a choice was made for you, and on paper things are fine or even good. The doubt usually sounds like this: other people manage changes like this all the time, so why is this one sitting on you the way it is.

People often describe some version of the following. Going through the motions of a new job, a new city, or a new household while feeling oddly absent from it. Making small decisions take far longer than they should, because the framework you used to decide things no longer fits. Feeling flat about something you expected to feel glad about, then feeling guilty for feeling flat.

These are common reactions to change, not evidence that something is wrong with you. A transition rearranges the routines and roles that quietly held everything in place, and it takes time for new ones to form. Difficulty during that gap is a reasonable response to a real disruption.

The rest of this page describes what this kind of counselling involves, what it does not involve, and what it costs, so you can decide for yourself whether it seems relevant.

Who We Help

Life transitions counselling may be a reasonable fit if you are:

• Adjusting to a career change, a promotion, a job loss, or a return to work
• Working through a separation, divorce, or change in family structure
• Settling into a new city, country, or home
• Becoming a parent, or adjusting as children grow older or leave home
• Taking on care for an aging parent or another family member
• Approaching or adjusting to retirement
• Managing a change in health, ability, or independence
• Finishing school, starting school, or moving into adult roles and responsibilities
• Working through changes in culture, identity, faith, or sense of belonging
• Gathering information on behalf of a partner, adult child, parent, or friend

This service may not be the right fit in the following situations:

• You are in crisis or unsafe right now. Please use the crisis resources below. This clinic cannot respond to emergencies.
• You need a psychological assessment, a formal report, or documentation. Psychological assessments are a separate service at this clinic and are not included in counselling. The admin team can explain the difference and what would be involved.
• You need a court-ordered, forensic, or custody evaluation. These are legal processes rather than therapy, and they fall outside this service.
• You need legal, financial, immigration, or medical advice. Counselling can help you think through decisions, but it does not replace advice from a lawyer, financial advisor, or physician.
• You are currently living with abuse or family violence. Safety planning comes first. The Family Violence Info Line below can help, and counselling can follow when it is safe to pursue.

If You Need Help Right Now

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service. Sessions are scheduled in advance, and messages are not monitored around the clock. If you need immediate support, 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, 7 days a week
• Family Violence Info Line (Alberta): 310-1818, available 24 hours a day, toll-free
• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741

What This Service Is

Life transitions counselling is a series of scheduled conversations with a therapist about a period of change you are working through. You describe what has shifted, what feels hardest, and what you would like to be different. Together you and your therapist decide what to focus on and at what pace.

The work usually involves some combination of making sense of what changed, rebuilding routines that got disrupted, thinking through decisions you are facing, and working out how to talk with the people affected by the change.

Several things are worth naming clearly about what this service is not:

• It is not a psychological assessment. This page describes counselling only. Assessments are a separate service with a different process, purpose, and fee structure.
• It is not a diagnosis. Your therapist may talk with you about what you are experiencing, but this page does not diagnose anyone, and difficulty during change does not automatically indicate a mental health condition.
• It is not a legal service, an investigation, or a source of documentation for a legal or workplace process.
• It is not crisis intervention or emergency care.
• It is not medical treatment, and therapists at this clinic do not prescribe or manage medication.

You set the pace. You decide what to talk about and what to leave for another time. Whatever you share is confidential, within the legal limits set out later on this page, and your therapist will walk you through those limits in the first session before you share anything personal.

Signs a Life Transition May Be Affecting You

People notice this in different ways. Some of the following may sound familiar:

• Feeling unsettled or on edge without being able to point to a clear cause
• Sleeping poorly, or sleeping a great deal and still feeling depleted
• Finding ordinary decisions unusually effortful
• Rehearsing the same conversation or choice repeatedly without resolution
• Feeling detached from a change you had actually wanted
• Being short-tempered with the people closest to you
• Pulling back from friends, or letting messages sit unanswered
• Losing your footing with routines like eating, exercise, or work habits
• Carrying physical tension, headaches, or stomach upset with no clear medical explanation

Experiences like these are common while the ground is shifting, and they tend to move as new routines take hold. They do not mean something is permanently wrong with you, and they do not by themselves indicate a disorder. If they are persisting or getting in the way of daily life, structured support is one option worth considering.

How Counselling Works Here

• Find your therapist. You can use the Match with a Therapist tool, browse profiles on the Our Therapists page, or call the admin team at 780-904-4880 and describe what you are looking for.
• Book your first session. The first session covers confidentiality and consent, including the limits explained below. Your therapist will ask about what has changed and what feels hardest, and you will talk about what you would like to work on. You are not required to have this figured out beforehand.
• Build your plan together. You and your therapist agree on goals and on how to approach them. The plan belongs to both of you, and you can say when something is not working.
• Continue with ongoing sessions. Follow-up sessions are typically weekly or bi-weekly and are adjusted as needed. Each session runs 50 minutes.
• Review progress. Your therapist will check in on how things are going and whether the focus still fits. Plans change as circumstances change, and that is expected rather than a setback.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Some people attend only a few sessions during one specific change, while others continue for longer or return later when something new comes up. Your voice matters at every stage, including on the question of whether to continue.

Evidence and Approaches

Before describing individual approaches, one point about the evidence behind this page. The research reviewed for this topic was limited. It supports general principles for supporting people through change, but it does not establish how effective any particular counselling approach is for adult life transitions. The descriptions below reflect that honestly, and the limitations are stated for each approach rather than left out.

Collaborative, Client-Centred Counselling

What it helps with: Making sense of a change that has rearranged your roles, routines, or relationships.

Evidence summary: Guidance on supporting people through transitions emphasises person-centred practice that treats the person as an equal partner, agrees goals with them, and reviews the plan as needs change (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], 2016). That guidance addresses young people moving between children's and adults' health and social care services, so it supports the principle rather than a measured outcome for counselling.

Limitations: The evidence reviewed for this page does not measure how well this approach works for adult life transitions. Individual responses vary and are not predictable in advance.

Strengths-Based Planning

What it helps with: Identifying what is already working and what practical next steps fit your actual circumstances.

Evidence summary: Transition guidance recommends support that is strengths-based and focused on what is positive and possible, rather than on a fixed menu of options (NICE, 2016). The same guidance recommends that planning take account of a person's maturity, personal and social circumstances, caring responsibilities, and communication needs (NICE, 2016). These are practice principles drawn from service-transition guidance, not outcome findings for counselling.

Limitations: No systematic review of strengths-based counselling for life transitions was available in the evidence reviewed. Benefit for this specific service is not established.

Structured Coping and Routine Support

What it helps with: Rebuilding sleep, routines, and decision-making capacity that a period of change has disrupted.

Evidence summary: Counselling can offer a structured and confidential space to reflect, cope, communicate, and plan next steps during change, though the evidence reviewed for this page does not measure that effect directly. The International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision, places adjustment disorder among disorders specifically associated with stress, which supports treating serious difficulty during change as a distinct question rather than assuming it applies to anyone (World Health Organization [WHO], 2025).

Limitations: The evidence reviewed contains no outcome research on structured coping support for life transitions. Effects vary between people and are not guaranteed.

What Results to Expect

Adjustment is rarely a straight line. People often report a settled stretch followed by a difficult week, particularly around anniversaries, holidays, or the next practical step in the change. That pattern is ordinary rather than a sign that things are going backwards.

Some people attend only a few sessions during one specific change and find that enough. Others work over a longer period, especially when several changes have arrived together or when an older difficulty has resurfaced. Nobody can tell you in advance which of these will apply to you.

Several things influence how counselling goes:

• The nature and number of changes you are working through
• What else is happening in your life at the same time, including finances, health, and housing
• The support available to you outside of sessions
• How well you and your therapist work together

No therapy guarantees an outcome, and this clinic does not promise one. The evidence reviewed for this page does not support claims about how quickly people improve or by how much.

Fit between you and your therapist matters, and it is not a reflection on either of you if it turns out not to work. You can change therapist or approach at any point, and the admin team can help arrange that.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you discuss in session is kept confidential. Your therapist will explain how your information is recorded, stored, and protected, and you can ask questions about any of it before you share anything personal.

Psychologists at this clinic are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and practise under its Standards of Practice (College of Alberta Psychologists [CAP], 2023), alongside the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. Alberta has several privacy laws that govern how personal and health information is collected, used, and disclosed, including the Health Information Act (HIA) and the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). Which one applies depends on the nature of the organization holding the information and the type of information involved (CAP, 2026).

Confidentiality is not absolute. Alberta law and professional standards require disclosure in a limited set of circumstances:

• When there is a risk of serious harm to you or to another person
• When there is reason to suspect that a child is being abused or neglected, which carries a mandatory duty to report under Alberta law
• When a court orders records to be released

These limits are narrow and specific. Your therapist will go through them with you in the first session, in plain language, before you decide what you want to talk about.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to explain everything that has happened?

No. You decide what to share and when. Some people want to tell the whole story in the first session, and others prefer to start with what is happening in the present, such as sleep, routines, or a decision in front of them. Both are workable. Your therapist will follow your pace rather than pushing for detail you are not ready to give.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, within limits set by Alberta law. The narrow exceptions are risk of serious harm, suspected child abuse or neglect, and a court order. These are covered in more detail in the confidentiality section above, and your therapist will explain them in the first session before you share anything personal.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no set answer. Some people attend a few sessions during one specific change, while others work over a longer period, particularly when several changes have arrived at once. Your therapist reviews progress with you regularly, and deciding to stop is a legitimate outcome of that review rather than a failure.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and it is not always clear until you have met. If it is not working, you can say so, either to your therapist or to the admin team at 780-904-4880, and a different clinician can be arranged. You do not need to justify the request. 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 are often practical if you are managing shift work, caregiving, rural travel, or a recent move. The same confidentiality standards apply. You will need a private space and a reliable connection.

Do I need a referral?

No. You can book directly through the online booking system or by calling 780-904-4880. Some insurance plans require a physician referral for reimbursement, so it is worth checking your policy before your first session.

Is this the same as a psychological assessment?

No. Counselling and psychological assessment are separate services with different purposes, processes, and fees. Assessment involves formal testing and a written report, often for a specific question such as a diagnosis or an accommodation request. Nothing on this page includes assessment. If you think an assessment may be what you need, the admin team can explain what is involved.

Meet Your Clinicians

The clinic includes Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Certified Canadian Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and Student Therapists. These credentials differ in training, regulatory body, scope of practice, and fee, which is why the fee tiers above vary.

All psychologists at the clinic are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW). Certified Canadian Counsellors (CCCs) are regulated by the Canadian Counselling and Psychological Association (CCPA), not CAP. Registered Provisional Psychologists have completed their graduate training and practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist while they complete the requirements for full registration. Student Therapists are graduate-level practicum students working under supervision.

Individual profiles list each clinician's areas of focus, locations, and current availability on the Our Therapists page. If you would rather not sort through profiles, the Match with a Therapist tool asks a few questions and suggests options, or you can call the admin team at 780-904-4880 and they will walk you through it. The Getting Started with Therapy page explains the process in more detail.

Children and Youth

Transitions affect younger people too, and often in ways the adults around them do not immediately see. A move, a parental separation, a change of school, or a shift in family responsibilities can land heavily on a child or teenager. The clinic offers counselling for children, adolescents, and young adults.

Therapists working with younger clients use approaches suited to the child's age and stage of development rather than adapting adult sessions downward. Clinicians also work with caregivers, since a child's recovery environment at home matters as much as what happens in session.

Guidance on supporting young people through transitions recommends that support be developmentally appropriate, taking account of maturity, cognitive abilities, personal circumstances, and communication needs, and that planning begin early rather than at the point of change (NICE, 2016). The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Ontario makes a related point about the move from youth to adult mental health services: the transition is usually triggered by chronological age rather than developmental readiness, which is why planning ahead and building skills gradually can make the shift less daunting (CMHA, n.d.).

Related pages include Child and Youth Counselling and Adolescent Mental Health.

Other Pages You May Find Relevant

Depending on the change you are working through, these may be closer to your situation than this general page: Career Transitions, Loss of Employment, Divorce or Separation, Stress of Moving, Transition Into Parenthood, Retirement Stress, Empty Nest, Family Caregiver Stress, Grief and Loss, and Online Counselling.

Taking a Next Step

If this page describes something close to your situation, here are the ways to start:

• Book a session online through the booking system
• Match with a therapist if you would like help choosing
• Call 780-904-4880 to speak with the admin team
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read Getting Started with Therapy for a fuller picture of the process

If you are still deciding, that is a reasonable place to be, and the information above is here whenever you want to return to it. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Starting the conversation is enough.

References

• Canadian Mental Health Association Ontario. (n.d.). Transitioning from youth to adult mental health services. Retrieved July 25, 2026, from https://ontario.cmha.ca/documents/transitioning-from-youth-to-adult-mental-health-services/
• College of Alberta Psychologists. (2023). Standards of practice. https://www.cap.ab.ca/
• College of Alberta Psychologists. (2026). Interpretive guide: Privacy legislation in Alberta. https://www.cap.ab.ca/
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2016). Transition from children's to adults' services for young people using health or social care services (NICE Guideline NG43). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng43
• World Health Organization. (2025). ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics (2025-01 release). https://icd.who.int/