A private, collaborative place to talk about experiences of physical abuse, at a pace you help set. Psychologists registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP), along with other regulated and supervised clinicians. In-person sessions in Edmonton and St. Albert, plus virtual sessions across Alberta. 50-minute sessions, with weekday evening and weekend hours.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Physical Abuse Counselling Is Right for You

You may be questioning whether what happened to you counts as abuse. Maybe there were no serious injuries. Maybe it only happened a few times, or it was years ago, or the person who hurt you was also someone who loved you. Doubts like these can keep people from talking to anyone for a long time.

You might still flinch at a raised voice or a sudden movement. You might find yourself watching other people's moods closely and keeping the peace at any cost. Or you might feel fine most days, then get caught off guard by a memory, a tone of voice, or a smell.

Reactions like these make sense when someone has been hurt by another person, especially someone they depended on. They do not mean you are overreacting. They do not mean something is permanently wrong with you.

Whether you are making sense of something from long ago, are still in a hard situation, or are reading this for someone you care about, this page explains what counselling for physical abuse involves and what it does not. You can read on and decide for yourself whether it fits.

Who We Help

Physical abuse counselling may be a fit if you:

• experienced physical harm in childhood, in a relationship, in your family, or somewhere else, whether recently or long ago
• are unsure whether what happened "counts" and want a private place to think it through
• have left a harmful situation and are finding it hard to settle into life afterward
• are still in a relationship or home where physical harm has happened and want to talk privately about coping and options
• are a parent or caregiver looking for support for a child or teen (see Children and Youth below)
• are supporting a partner, family member, or friend and want to understand what counselling offers

This service may not be the right fit, or may not be enough on its own, if:

• You are in immediate danger or crisis. Please use the crisis resources below. Counselling is not an emergency service.
• You need a forensic or legal service. Court reports, custody or parenting evaluations, and documentation for legal proceedings are outside this counselling service. Psychological assessments are a separate service and are not part of counselling.
• You need medical care for an injury. Please see a doctor or go to an emergency department.
• You are hoping for joint sessions with the person who caused harm. Couples or family sessions are not a default when there has been violence or coercion. Whether any joint format is appropriate is something to consider carefully with a qualified professional.
• You are concerned about your own use of physical force. This page focuses on people who have experienced abuse. You can contact the admin team to talk about which service, if any, at the clinic may fit, or read about anger management counselling.

If You Need Help Right Now

If you are in danger or need urgent support, please contact one of these services. They are available any time.

• Immediate danger: call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642 (24/7)
• Family Violence Info Line (Alberta): 310-1818 (24/7, toll-free)
• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741

If it is safe to do so, you can also reach out to a trusted person. Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What Physical Abuse Counselling Is

Counselling related to physical abuse offers a private, collaborative setting to talk about current or past experiences. Sessions can also cover the concerns you are living with now, such as boundaries, coping, relationships, and personal goals. What you focus on is decided together with your therapist.

Just as important is what counselling is not. It is not:

• emergency response or crisis intervention
• medical care
• legal advice or a legal service
• an investigation into what happened
• a child-protection service
• a forensic assessment or a psychological assessment

You set the pace. You decide what to share and when. Your therapist may still check in about safety, consent, and what falls within the scope of counselling, and will explain when another kind of support might be useful.

What you share is kept confidential, within limits set by law and professional standards. Your clinician will explain those limits before you share anything personal. The confidentiality section below has more detail.

Clinicians work within the scope of their own training and professional regulation. If something you need is outside that scope, they can talk with you about other options.

Signs Physical Abuse May Be Affecting You

Not everyone reacts the same way, and none of the patterns below confirms a diagnosis or proves what happened. Some people who come to counselling describe experiences like these:

• feeling on guard or easily startled, even in places that are usually safe
• replaying certain moments, or going out of your way to avoid reminders
• doubting your own memory, or telling yourself "it wasn't that bad"
• feeling shame or blaming yourself for what someone else did
• finding it hard to trust people, or pulling away from people who have not done anything wrong
• struggling to say no, set limits, or hold boundaries
• changes in sleep, appetite, tension, or energy
• stress spilling into work, school, or parenting
• worrying about the safety of children or others in the home

Reactions like these are common responses to being hurt. They are not proof that something is permanently wrong with you. Many of them are ways your mind and body have tried to get through a difficult time. Talking them through with a trained clinician, in a structured way, can be one place to start.

How Treatment Works Here

• Find your therapist. You can use the Match with a Therapist tool or browse Our Therapists. If you would rather talk it through, the admin team can help at 780-904-4880.
• Book your first session. In the first session, your clinician will go over consent and confidentiality, explain the process, and answer your questions. You will talk about what brings you in and what you would like help with, as much or as little as you are comfortable sharing.
• Build your plan together. You and your therapist shape a plan that reflects your goals, circumstances, and preferences. Your voice guides it.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes. Many people meet weekly or every two weeks, and this can be adjusted as your needs change.
• Progress check-ins. Your therapist reviews progress with you regularly. The plan can change as you do.

There is no fixed number of sessions. You can pause, slow down, or change direction, and you can raise any concern about how therapy is going. More detail is on the Getting Started with Therapy page.

Evidence and Approaches

Clinicians draw on different methods, and the right fit depends on your goals and comfort. This page sticks to what the sources reviewed for it can support. It does not rank named therapies or promise particular results.

Profiles on Our Therapists give more detail about individual clinicians, and you are welcome to ask about methods in a first session. For a broader look at trauma-related work at the clinic, see Trauma Therapy.

Starting Without a Diagnosis

What it helps with: Talking about how you have been feeling without needing a label first.

Evidence summary: The ICD-11 classification includes a group of disorders specifically associated with stress, including post-traumatic stress disorder and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (World Health Organization [WHO], n.d.). This counselling service does not diagnose these or any other conditions, and you do not need a diagnosis to begin.

Limitations: ICD-11 is a classification system. It does not show that physical abuse leads to any particular condition for a given person, and it does not measure how well counselling works.

Attention to Children and Family Context

What it helps with: Planning support when children, parenting, or family relationships are part of what you want to discuss.

Evidence summary: Professional guidance has been published specifically on child abuse and neglect (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], n.d.). Canadian professional resources also address developmental trauma (Canadian Psychological Association [CPA], n.d.). These are listed here as background references.

Limitations: This page does not summarize specific recommendations from these documents. The right format of care for a child or family depends on the situation and is best discussed with a qualified clinician.

Awareness of Family Violence in Canada

What it helps with: Talking about physical harm within a family or close relationship, whether it is in the past or still going on.

Evidence summary: A national report from Canada's Chief Public Health Officer focused on family violence in Canada (Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC], 2016). Statistics Canada also reports on police-reported family violence (Statistics Canada, n.d.). Together, these sources reflect that family violence is treated as a public health concern in Canada.

Limitations: These are population and public health sources. They give context, not evidence about how well any counselling approach works, and this page does not quote statistics from them.

What Results to Expect

Change after painful experiences is rarely a straight line. Some weeks may feel steadier, and others may stir up more than you expected. That unevenness does not mean counselling is failing.

Some people notice shifts within a few months. Others find that longer-term work suits them better. Outcomes vary, and they can be shaped by things like:

• the nature of what happened and how long it went on
• whether you are safe now, and what else is happening in your life
• the support you have outside of sessions
• how well the therapist and approach fit you

No therapy can guarantee a particular outcome. If the fit does not feel right, changing therapists or trying a different approach is always an option.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in therapy is kept confidential, within specific limits. Psychologists in Alberta are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and are guided by 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:

• Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA): generally applies to private clinics like this one and sets rules for how personal information is collected, used, disclosed, and kept.
• Health Information Act (HIA): governs health information held by custodians in Alberta's health system and can also apply when a clinician provides services on behalf of one.

There are situations where a clinician may be required or permitted to share limited information without your consent. These include:

• 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

In those situations, only the information needed is shared, and only with the people who need it. Your clinician will explain these limits clearly in your first session. You are welcome to ask questions about privacy before you share anything personal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to describe what happened in detail?

No. You decide what to share and when. Some people focus on present-day patterns, like sleep, boundaries, or how stress shows up at home or work, rather than going back over specific events. You can say "I'm not ready to talk about that" at any point, and your therapist will respect it.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, within limits. What you share is confidential, but a clinician may need to act if there is a risk of serious harm, a suspicion that a child is being abused or neglected, or a court order. Your clinician will go over this in the first session. The confidentiality section above explains the Alberta privacy laws involved.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no fixed answer. Some people come for a short stretch of focused support. Others prefer longer-term work. Your therapist will review progress with you regularly, and you can change how often you meet or take a break.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and it is fine to say so. You can tell your therapist directly or contact the admin team at 780-904-4880, and they can help you find a different clinician. You do not need to give a detailed reason.

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 sessions. Availability can vary by clinician. If you live with someone who might overhear, you may want to think about where you can talk privately, and you can raise this with your clinician. Read more about online counselling.

What if I am still living with the person who hurt me?

You can still reach out for counselling. Your clinician can talk with you about what feels manageable and what other supports might help. Counselling cannot provide protection or emergency help, so if you are in danger, call 911. The Family Violence Info Line (310-1818) is available 24/7 for information and support. If you are worried someone may check your phone or computer, you may prefer to read this page in a private browsing window.

Do I need a diagnosis to start?

No. Counselling can begin with whatever concerns, experiences, or goals you want to talk about. A diagnosis is not required to book, and this counselling service does not provide one.

I am looking into this for my child or someone I care about. Where do I start?

For a child or teen, a parent or guardian can contact the admin team or use the Match with a Therapist tool to find a clinician who works with younger clients. For an adult, the choice to start counselling is theirs, but you can share this page with them. You can also find support for yourself through supporting someone's mental health. If you believe a child is being harmed, Alberta law requires that it be reported, and if there is immediate danger, call 911.

Meet Your Clinicians

Our team includes Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Canadian Certified Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and Student Therapists, who are master's-level practicum students. All psychologists at the clinic, including provisional psychologists, are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists. Provisional psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist.

Training and areas of focus vary from clinician to clinician. Individual profiles on Our Therapists describe each person's background, and the Match with a Therapist tool can help you narrow your options. If you would like guidance, the admin team can help at 780-904-4880.

Physical Abuse Counselling for Children and Youth

Wholesome Psychology offers counselling for children, adolescents, and young people. Clinicians who work with younger clients aim to use approaches suited to the child's age and stage of development, such as play, drawing, or shorter conversations.

Parents and caregivers may be involved in parts of the process where appropriate and consistent with consent and privacy. That can include helping the adults in a child's life understand how to support them at home and at school. If a caregiver has caused harm, the format of care is considered carefully.

Counselling is not a child-protection service. If a clinician has reason to believe a child needs protection, they must report it under Alberta law. For more on support for younger clients, see Child and Youth Stress and Trauma.

Exploring Physical Abuse Counselling in Edmonton

If you would like to learn more or take a next step, you can:

• Book a session online
• Use the Match with a Therapist tool
• Call the admin team at 780-904-4880
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read Getting Started with Therapy

You may also find related pages useful: Abuse Counselling, Family Violence Counselling, and Emotional Abuse Counselling.

You do not need to have the right words or a clear plan. Starting the conversation is enough.

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

References

• Canadian Psychological Association. (n.d.). Developmental trauma.
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (n.d.). Child abuse and neglect.
• Public Health Agency of Canada. (2016). The Chief Public Health Officer's report on the state of public health in Canada 2016: A focus on family violence in Canada. Government of Canada.
• Statistics Canada. (n.d.). Police-reported family violence in Canada: An overview.
• World Health Organization. (n.d.). ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics.