Collaborative counselling for people who serve or have served in uniformed roles, in person in Edmonton and St. Albert or virtually across Alberta. Registered Psychologists and Registered Provisional Psychologists regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Registered Social Workers regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), Canadian Certified Counsellors certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), Mental Health Therapists, and master's-level student therapists. In-person sessions at five Edmonton and St. Albert locations, plus virtual sessions across Alberta available.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Counselling for Uniformed Personnel Is Right for You

You may be questioning whether what you carry from work is serious enough to talk to someone about. Maybe nothing "big" happened. Maybe something did, and you have told yourself it comes with the job, or that others on your crew, unit, or shift have handled worse. You might also be unsure what reaching out could mean for your career, or how it would look to the people you work beside. Some of it is hard to put into words. You might stay switched on long after a shift ends, even at home. You might be shorter with the people closest to you, or quieter than you used to be, without a clear reason. Or you might keep work to yourself because talking about it feels like handing someone a weight they did not ask for. These reactions make sense. Uniformed work can involve shifting schedules, high responsibility, and demands that are hard to set down at the end of the day. Responses like the ones above are common human reactions to demanding and sometimes harmful experiences. They are not a character flaw, and they do not mean something is permanently wrong with you. If you are considering whether talking with someone could help, this page may be a useful starting point. It explains what counselling here involves, what it does not cover, how privacy works, and what it costs. You can read at your own pace and take what is useful.

Who We Help

This page is for people currently or formerly serving in uniformed roles who want a space to talk through what is happening for them. Clinician experience and openings vary, so you are welcome to ask the admin team about fit and availability for your situation.

Counselling here may be a good fit if you:

• serve or have served in a uniformed role, such as policing, fire services, emergency medical services, corrections, or the military
• want to talk about stress, sleep, changes in routine, or emotional wellbeing
• are moving into, within, or out of a role, including a return to work or retirement (see our page on life transitions and adjustment challenges)
• notice strain in your relationships or in how you communicate at home
• want a private place to check in with yourself, even without a clear "problem" to name
• are a partner, family member, or colleague gathering information for someone else

This service may not be the right fit if you:

• are in immediate danger or crisis. Please use the crisis resources below.
• need a fitness-for-duty decision, a workplace investigation, legal advice, or an independent or insurer-requested assessment. These needs are outside this counselling service. Psychological assessments are a separate service.
• need medical care or a medication review. A family doctor or other medical provider is the right starting point.

If You Need Help Right Now

Counselling is not set up to respond to emergencies. If you or someone else is at risk right now, these services are available:

• Immediate danger: call 9-1-1.
• Thinking about suicide, or worried about someone who is: call or text 9-8-8, available 24/7 across Canada (Government of Canada, n.d.).
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642, available 24/7. You can also dial 811 and follow the prompts for the Addiction and Mental Health team (Alberta Health Services [AHS], n.d.).
• Family Violence Info Line (Alberta): 310-1818, available 24/7 and toll-free, if you or someone in your home is not safe.

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What This Service Is, and What It Is Not

This is outpatient counselling with a regulated clinician. It offers a structured space to talk about your concerns, priorities, and goals. You decide what to bring in and you set the pace. Your clinician follows your lead on what to discuss and when.

Counselling is different from other processes you may come across through work. It is not:

• emergency response or crisis intervention
• medical care
• a fitness-for-duty decision
• a workplace investigation or any other investigative process
• a legal service or legal advice
• a psychological assessment or independent assessment (assessments are a separate service)

Peer support is different again. In Alberta, OSI-CAN offers peer support for first responders through the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Alberta Division and the Centre for Suicide Prevention (CMHA Alberta Division, n.d.). Peer support and counselling are separate options, and you can ask your clinician how they might fit together for you.

Clinicians work within the scope of their training and registration. If your needs fall outside what counselling here can offer, your clinician can talk with you about other options. Privacy is explained in detail below. In short, your clinician reviews consent, record handling, and the limits of confidentiality with you at the start.

Signs the Demands of Uniformed Work May Be Affecting You

You do not need a diagnosis, or a single defining event, to start counselling. The patterns below are not a checklist, and they cannot tell you what is going on. They may simply help you put words to something you have noticed.

• Staying on alert after a shift, as if part of you has not clocked out
• Sleep that does not feel restful, or a mind that keeps running at night
• Feeling irritable, numb, or far away from people you care about
• Pulling back from friends, family, or things you used to enjoy
• Second-guessing decisions you made on the job long after the fact
• Keeping busy, joking it off, or working more so you do not have to think about certain things
• Feeling unsettled during a change, such as a new posting, an injury, a return to work, or retirement
• Tension at home about schedules, time away, or what you can and cannot talk about
• Physical tension, headaches, or a sense of running on empty

Having some of these experiences does not mean something is permanently wrong with you. They are common responses to sustained pressure, and they can change over time. Counselling offers a structured place to look at them, at your pace, with someone outside your workplace.

How Counselling Works Here

• Find your therapist. Use the Match with a Therapist tool or browse Our Therapists. You can also call the admin team at 780-904-4880 for help with booking and availability.
• Book your first session. Your clinician will go over consent and confidentiality, ask what brings you in, and talk with you about what you hope to get from counselling. You share only what you choose to share.
• Build your plan together. If you decide to continue, you and your clinician agree on priorities and how to approach them. Your input shapes the plan. You can read more about our approach.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes, usually weekly or every two weeks. Frequency can be adjusted as your schedule and needs change, and evening and weekend hours are available.
• Progress check-ins. Your clinician reviews progress with you regularly. The plan adapts as your needs change.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Counselling is collaborative, and your voice matters at every stage. Our Getting Started with Therapy page walks through these steps in more detail.

Evidence and Approaches

You may want to know which therapy approaches are used and what research says about them. That is a fair question. Clinicians here use different approaches, and what suits you depends on your goals, your preferences, and your clinician's training.

This page does not yet summarize research on specific treatment approaches. We would rather leave that out than describe evidence we have not fully reviewed for this page. Any clinician can explain the approach they would suggest, why they suggest it, and what its limits are.

Questions You Can Ask About Any Approach

• What it helps with: What is this approach designed to help with, and how does that connect to my goals?
• Evidence summary: What does research say about it, and has it been studied with people in roles like mine?
• Limitations: What are its limits, and what would we try if it does not suit me?

Canadian Public Health Context

Mental health in uniformed and public safety work has been studied and discussed in Canada:

• Statistics Canada has reported on a 2018 follow-up survey on the mental health of Canadian Armed Forces members and Veterans (Statistics Canada, 2019).
• Research published by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has examined the influence of mental health stigma in Ontario public safety organizations (PHAC, 2026).
• PHAC also provides plain-language public information on PTSD and trauma (PHAC, 2025).

These sources describe the Canadian context. They do not describe how any one person will respond to counselling.

What Results to Expect

Counselling rarely follows a straight line. Some weeks may feel clearer than others, and a hard stretch does not mean it is not working. Some people notice changes in how they handle stress or relationships. Others find progress slower or more uneven. Outcomes vary.

Several things can shape what counselling looks like for you:

• the nature of what you have experienced, at work and outside it
• what is going on in your life right now, including schedules, health, and support at home
• how well you and your clinician work together
• your goals, and how they change over time

No therapy can guarantee a particular result. Fit matters, and changing therapist or approach is always an option. Your clinician will check in with you about how things are going, so you can decide together what to adjust.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in counselling is treated as confidential. Privacy and its limits are reviewed with you during consent at your first session, before you are asked to share anything personal. If you have questions about privacy, you can ask them first.

Psychologists in Alberta are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and follow the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW).

Two Alberta privacy laws are relevant. The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) generally governs how private clinics collect, use, and disclose personal information. The Health Information Act (HIA) governs health information held by designated health custodians and their affiliates, for example when a clinician provides services on behalf of Alberta Health Services. Your clinician can explain which rules apply to your file.

In general, information about your counselling is shared outside the clinic only with your consent. There are legal exceptions where a clinician may need to share information without consent, including:

• a risk of serious harm to you or to someone else
• suspected abuse or neglect of a child, which must be reported under Alberta law
• a court order or other legal requirement

If your sessions are paid for through a benefits plan, an employer program, or another third party, ask what information that payer may receive, such as receipts or attendance dates. Apart from the exceptions above, the clinic does not share information with your employer without your consent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to describe what happened in detail?

No. You decide what to share and when. You can start with what is going on now, such as sleep, stress at home, or a change at work, rather than going back over specific events. If you choose to talk about something difficult later, your clinician will move at a pace that feels manageable to you.

Is what I share kept private? Will my employer find out?

What you share is treated as confidential, and your clinician will review privacy and its limits with you during consent. Information is generally shared only with your consent, apart from legal exceptions such as a risk of serious harm, suspected child abuse or neglect, or a court order. If a third party pays for your sessions, ask what they may receive. The Confidentiality and Privacy section above has more detail.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no set number. Some people come in to work through one specific concern over a shorter period, while others prefer longer-term support. You and your clinician will review progress regularly and decide together whether to continue, change focus, or take a break.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and wanting a different match is a reasonable request. You can tell your clinician, or contact the admin team at 780-904-4880, and they can help you find another clinician. 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, which can help if shift schedules or distance make in-person visits hard. The same confidentiality standards apply. It helps to find a private spot where you will not be overheard. Please ask about current virtual availability when booking, or read more about online counselling.

Is this a fitness-for-duty or workplace assessment?

No. This page describes counselling. It is not a fitness-for-duty decision, a workplace investigation, a legal service, or an independent assessment. Psychological assessments are a separate service. If you have been asked to get an assessment, the admin team can tell you which service applies.

Do I need a diagnosis or a referral?

No diagnosis is needed to start counselling. You can book directly online or by phone. Some benefit plans have their own requirements for reimbursement, so it is worth checking your plan before your first session.

I am asking for a family member or colleague. Where do I start?

You can share this page with them, and you are welcome to call the admin team with general questions. Family members can also seek counselling for themselves. Our page on support for families of uniformed personnel and first responders may be a helpful place to start.

Meet Your Clinicians

The Wholesome Psychology 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. Provisional psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist.

Each clinician has their own training and areas of focus. If experience with uniformed, military, or first responder work matters to you, review individual profiles on Our Therapists page or ask the admin team at 780-904-4880. The Match with a Therapist tool can also help you narrow your options.

Children, Youth, and Families

When one person in a family serves in uniform, schedules, time away, and stress can affect others at home too. Wholesome Psychology offers counselling for people of all ages, including children and teens.

Clinicians who work with younger clients use age-appropriate approaches, and they work with parents and caregivers to support the child at home. You can learn more on our child and youth counselling page.

When You Are Ready to Learn More

If you would like to explore counselling, you can take the next step in whichever way feels most comfortable:

• Book a session online
• Match with a therapist
• Call the admin team: 780-904-4880
• Email: info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read Getting Started with Therapy to see what the first steps look like

Starting the conversation is enough.

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

References

• Alberta Health Services. (n.d.). Addiction and Mental Health Help Line [Service listing].
• Canadian Mental Health Association, Alberta Division. (n.d.). OSI-CAN: Peer support for first responders in Alberta. Retrieved October 7, 2026, from https://alberta.cmha.ca/osi-can/
• Government of Canada. (n.d.). [Suicide prevention information, including the 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline]. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/suicide-prevention/about-suicide.html
• Public Health Agency of Canada. (2025). Addressing PTSD and trauma. Retrieved October 7, 2026, from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/topics/mental-health-wellness/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/addressing-ptsd.html
• Public Health Agency of Canada. (2026). Evolving influence of mental health stigma in Ontario public safety organizations: A qualitative study. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada: Research, Policy and Practice, 46(4). https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/reports-publications/health-promotion-chronic-disease-prevention-canada-research-policy-practice/vol-46-no-4-2026/evolving-influence-mental-health-stigma-ontario-public-safety-organizations-qualitative-study.html
• Statistics Canada. (2019, April 23). Canadian Armed Forces members and Veteran Mental Health Follow-up Survey, 2018. The Daily. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/190423/dq190423d-eng.htm