A calm place for individuals and couples to think through whether, when, or how parenthood may fit into your life, at a pace you set. Psychologists registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Psychologists, social workers regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), counsellors certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), and supervised therapists on one team. In-person sessions in Edmonton and St. Albert. Virtual sessions available across Alberta. 50-minute sessions, including evening and weekend hours available.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Parenthood Planning Counselling Is Right for You

You may be wondering whether this is even something people bring to counselling. Deciding whether to have children can feel like a question you should be able to answer on your own. And when nothing is exactly wrong, it is easy to doubt that your uncertainty is serious enough to talk through with a professional.

Maybe your answer changes depending on the week. You might avoid the topic with your partner because the conversation keeps ending in the same place. Or you might feel a quiet pull from family, friends, or a timeline you did not choose, and find it hard to tell which wishes are actually yours.

Mixed feelings about parenthood make sense. This decision touches identity, relationships, work, money, health, faith, and culture all at once. Wanting two different things at the same time is a common human response to a choice this large. It does not mean something is wrong with you or with your relationship.

If you are curious what it might look like to think this through with someone outside the situation, the sections below explain what this counselling covers, what it does not, and how it works. Some readers are ready to book. Others are reading on behalf of a partner, or simply gathering information, and this page is written for them too.

Who We Help

Parenthood planning counselling may be a good fit for:

• People who are unsure whether they want children, or who feel differently from one month to the next
• Couples and partners talking through timing, roles, expectations, or different levels of readiness
• Single people and couples of any family structure exploring their own path to parenthood
• People weighing family-building paths such as pregnancy, fertility care, or adoption
• People whose family, cultural, faith, or community expectations are shaping the decision
• Parents deciding whether to expand their family, including blended families
• People who are leaning toward not having children and want space to sit with that choice

If you are reading this for a partner or family member, you are welcome to share it with them. Sessions may involve one person or partners together, depending on your needs and therapist availability.

This service may not be the right fit if you need:

• Immediate help in a crisis. Please use the crisis resources below.
• Medical, fertility, genetic, or medication advice. A physician or another qualified health professional can answer those questions within their scope of practice.
• Legal or financial advice. Questions about contracts, adoption law, or finances belong with a lawyer or financial professional. Forensic or legal needs are outside this counselling service, and psychological assessments are a separate service that is not part of parenthood planning counselling.
• Joint sessions when you do not feel safe with a partner. If that is your situation, let the admin team or your therapist know, so you can talk about individual sessions instead.

If You Need Help Right Now

Counselling is not emergency care. If you are in danger or worried about your immediate safety, please reach out to one of these services:

• 911 for immediate danger, 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), if someone at home is hurting, threatening, or controlling you
• Crisis Text Line (Canada): text TALK to 686868 (24/7)

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What Parenthood Planning Counselling Is, and What It Is Not

Parenthood planning can bring questions about whether, when, or how parenthood may fit into your life. Counselling can offer a structured space to explore values, expectations, communication, and practical considerations. Your therapist will not decide for you or steer you toward a particular answer.

Topics people often bring include:

• Whether parenthood fits your current priorities and values
• Conversations with a partner about hopes, timing, and roles
• Family, cultural, faith, or community influences
• Changes to identity, work, routines, and support networks
• Boundaries with family members or others involved in your plans
• Feelings that come up while considering fertility struggles, adoption, or preparing for pregnancy

There are clear limits to this service:

• Counselling is not a legal service, an investigative process, or crisis intervention.
• Counselling does not replace medical, fertility, legal, financial, or genetic advice.
• This service does not include psychological assessments. Assessments are offered separately.
• Clinicians work within the scope of practice set by their regulatory or certifying body, and refer elsewhere when a question falls outside it.

You set the pace. You decide what to talk about and when. What you share is kept confidential, within limits that your therapist will explain at the start (see Confidentiality and Privacy below).

Signs Parenthood Questions May Be Weighing on You

You do not need a diagnosis or a crisis to look for support. People often describe experiences like these:

• Going back and forth on the decision, sometimes within the same day
• A knot in your stomach, or trouble sleeping, when the topic comes up
• Avoiding the conversation with your partner, or having the same argument again
• Feeling distant from a partner when your readiness does not match
• Guilt or shame about not wanting what others seem to expect of you
• Running through timelines and costs in your head without reaching an answer
• Comparing yourself to friends who seem certain
• Worry or sadness about whether parenthood will be possible, or how
• Feeling caught between your own wishes and the hopes of family or community

These are common reactions to a decision with real weight. They do not mean something is permanently wrong, and they are not a sign that you are failing at being decisive. Having a structured place to sort through them may help some people feel steadier, whatever they eventually decide.

How Counselling Works Here

• Find your therapist. You can use the Match Tool or browse therapist profiles. If you would rather talk it through, the admin team can help at 780-904-4880.
• Book your first session. You can book online through Jane. The first session includes a conversation about consent, confidentiality, and what you would like to address. If you attend with a partner, your therapist will also talk about how privacy and shared goals will be handled.
• Build your plan together. You and your therapist decide which areas to explore and whether individual or joint sessions make sense for you.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes. Many people meet weekly or every two weeks, and the schedule can change as your needs do.
• Progress check-ins. Your therapist will check in with you about how things are going. The plan can shift if your circumstances or questions change.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Counselling is collaborative, and your voice shapes each stage, from the first goals you set to the decision about when to stop. The Getting Started page walks through these steps in more detail.

Evidence and Approaches

Parenthood planning counselling draws on general counselling skills rather than one named treatment model. The Canadian sources reviewed for this page give useful context, but they do not measure how well counselling works for parenthood decisions. So the approaches below are described as areas of focus, with their limits stated plainly.

Values and Timing Conversations

What it helps with: Sorting through whether, when, or how parenthood may fit with your values, priorities, and circumstances.

Evidence summary: Statistics Canada has published national research on Canadians' intentions to have biological children, which places these questions within broader Canadian population study (Statistics Canada, 2026). The sources reviewed for this page do not include studies of counselling for parenthood decisions, so no effectiveness claim is made here.

Limitations: This is described as a focus of conversation, not as a tested treatment. How helpful it feels varies from person to person.

Communication Support for Partners

What it helps with: Talking through hopes, timing, roles, and differences in readiness when partners are deciding together.

Evidence summary: This description reflects the clinic's service scope: counselling can offer a structured space to explore expectations and communication. No research on partner communication outcomes for parenthood decisions was included in the evidence reviewed for this page.

Limitations: Joint sessions depend on each person's needs and therapist availability. Counselling does not guarantee that partners will reach agreement. For broader relationship concerns, couples counselling may also be worth exploring.

Emotional Preparation Alongside Medical Care

What it helps with: Making room for the feelings and practical questions that can come up alongside health planning, fertility care, adoption, or other paths.

Evidence summary: Canadian public health guidance treats health before pregnancy as a topic worth attention in its own right (Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC], n.d.). Counselling can sit alongside that kind of medical guidance by focusing on the emotional and relational side of planning, while health questions stay with a qualified medical professional.

Limitations: The PHAC resource is public health education, not research on counselling. This page does not offer medical, fertility, or genetic guidance.

What Results to Expect

Clarity about parenthood is rarely linear. You may feel settled one week and unsure the next, and that is a normal part of working through a large decision.

• Some people come for a small number of sessions to work through one specific question. Others return over months as plans and circumstances unfold.
• What you get from counselling can depend on your circumstances, whether you attend alone or with a partner, what else is happening in your life, and how well you connect with your therapist.
• No counselling can guarantee an outcome. It cannot ensure a particular decision, agreement between partners, a pregnancy, or a specific emotional result.
• Therapeutic fit matters. If something is not working, you can change therapists or adjust the approach at any point.

If parenthood becomes part of your plans, related support is available for pregnancy and the transition into parenthood.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in counselling is kept confidential. Psychologists at the clinic are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and follow the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. Other clinicians follow the standards of their own regulatory or certifying bodies.

Alberta has more than one privacy law. The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) generally governs how private clinics in Alberta collect, use, and disclose personal information. The Health Information Act (HIA) applies to health information held by designated custodians, such as Alberta Health Services, and to the professionals who work for or contract with them. Your therapist can explain which rules apply to your records.

There are legal limits to confidentiality. A clinician may need to share information without your consent when:

• There is a risk of serious harm to you or to someone else
• There is suspected abuse or neglect of a child (mandatory reporting under Alberta law)
• A court orders the release of records

Your therapist will explain these limits clearly during your first session. If you attend with a partner, you can also talk about how information shared in individual and joint sessions will be handled. You are welcome to ask questions about privacy before you share anything personal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to explain my whole history or situation in detail?

No. You decide what to share and when. Some people want to talk about past experiences, such as earlier pregnancies, family history, or a past relationship. Others prefer to stay with the decision in front of them. Your therapist will follow your lead, and you can say "not yet" to any question.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, within legal limits. Confidentiality can be broken only in specific situations, such as a risk of serious harm, suspected abuse or neglect of a child, or a court order. Your therapist explains these limits in the first session. The Confidentiality and Privacy section above has more detail, including how Alberta's HIA and PIPA apply.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no set number. Some people use a few sessions to think through one question, while others prefer longer-term support as their plans evolve. You and your therapist will review how things are going and decide together whether to continue, change focus, or stop.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and it is reasonable to want someone different. You can let your therapist or the admin team know, and they can help you find another clinician whose style or experience suits you better. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Can I have sessions online?

Yes. Virtual sessions are available anywhere in Alberta, and the same confidentiality standards apply as for in-person sessions. Some couples find virtual sessions easier to schedule, especially when partners work different hours. You can read more about online counselling.

Can I come on my own, or do we need to come as a couple?

Either is possible. Depending on your needs and therapist availability, sessions may involve one person or partners together. Some people start on their own to sort out their own thoughts before involving a partner.

Can a counsellor tell me whether to have children, or answer fertility questions?

No to both. Your therapist will not make the decision for you or push you toward one answer. Counselling also does not replace medical, fertility, or genetic advice, so questions about health before pregnancy, fertility treatment, or medications are best taken to a physician or another qualified health professional.

What if I feel pressured or unsafe about decisions around pregnancy?

Your safety comes first. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. The Family Violence Info Line (Alberta) is available 24/7 at 310-1818. If you would like counselling, you can ask for individual sessions rather than joint ones, and you can share as much or as little as feels safe.

Meet Your Clinicians

Our team includes Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Certified Canadian Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and 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's areas of focus are different. Individual profiles on the Our Therapists page describe their training and interests, and the Match Tool can help you narrow down options. If you would like guidance finding someone with experience in parenthood, fertility, or relationship questions, the admin team can help at 780-904-4880.

Children and Youth

Parenthood decisions sometimes involve children who are already part of the family, such as in a blended family or when parents are considering another child. The clinic offers counselling for children and youth, and therapists who work with younger clients use age-appropriate approaches. They also work with parents and caregivers to support the child at home. For families adjusting to a new structure, blended family support is also available.

Taking a Next Step

If you would like to explore whether this kind of support could help, you can:

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

Whatever you decide about parenthood, you can bring your questions as they are. Starting the conversation is enough.

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

References

• Public Health Agency of Canada. (n.d.). Preconception health: Health before pregnancy. Government of Canada.
• Statistics Canada. (2026, April 9). Making plans for the future: Canadians' intentions to have biological children.