Counselling for people in same-sex relationships who want a respectful place to talk through communication, closeness, parenting and the pressures that shape a relationship. Psychologists registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Sessions for individuals, couples and co-parents. In person at five Edmonton and St. Albert locations. Virtual sessions available across Alberta.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Same-Sex Relationship Counselling Is Right for You

You may be unsure whether a counsellor will understand your relationship without you having to explain it, defend it, or teach them the basics first. You might also be asking yourself whether what is happening between you is serious enough to bring to someone. Or you may worry that booking a session means admitting something has gone wrong. Those are fair questions to sit with.

Maybe one of you goes quiet when things get tense while the other keeps pushing to talk it out, and the same argument comes back in a new form every few weeks. Maybe you are carrying the weight of family members who have never fully accepted your relationship. Or you are a single parent who has started dating again, unsure how much of a new partner to bring into your children's lives, and tired of making those calls alone.

These patterns tend to make sense once you look at what a relationship has been carrying. Conflict is a normal part of being a couple, and stress from outside the relationship can add strain to what happens inside it (Canadian Psychological Association [CPA], 2021). None of this means your relationship, or who you are, is the problem.

If you are trying to work out whether talking with someone could help, the sections below describe who this service is for, how it works, and what it can and cannot offer. You may wish to read on and see whether it fits.

Who We Help

This service may be a good fit for:

• Couples in same-sex relationships who want to work on communication, recurring conflict, trust, or emotional and physical closeness
• Partners who would rather start on their own, to sort out their own thoughts before involving the other person
• Same-sex couples who are planning a family, raising children, or bringing two households together (see Parenting Support and Blended Family Adjustment)
• Single parents who are in, or entering, a same-sex relationship and want help with dating, introducing a partner to their children, or co-parenting arrangements
• Couples going through a change such as moving in together, marriage, a move, illness, or separation
• People who want room to talk about family acceptance, culture, faith, or other outside pressures affecting the relationship
• Family members or friends looking for information on behalf of someone they care about

This service may not be the right fit for:

• Immediate safety concerns or a crisis. Please use the crisis resources below.
• Relationships involving violence, coercion, or fear of a partner. Joint couples sessions may not be the right starting point. A clinician can talk with you about individual support and specialized services, and the clinic's family violence counselling page has more information.
• Legal or forensic needs, such as custody disputes or reports for court. These needs are outside this therapy service. Psychological assessments are a separate service.
• Programs for addressing abusive behaviour toward a partner. This service is not that kind of program. Please contact the clinic to ask about other options.

If You Need Help Right Now

Counselling is not designed for emergencies. If you or someone else is in danger, or you are worried about your safety at home, these services are available:

• 911 for immediate danger
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642 (24/7)
• Family Violence Info Line (Alberta): 310-1818 (24/7, toll-free)
• 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 9-8-8 (24/7)

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What Same-Sex Relationship Counselling Is, and What It Is Not

Same-sex relationship counselling is relationship support for people in same-sex relationships. It offers structured, confidential time to talk through what is happening between partners, or what you are working through about a relationship on your own. You can attend alone or with a partner, depending on your goals.

It is not an attempt to change anyone's sexual orientation. It does not hold up one model of what a relationship should look like. Your relationship agreements, identities, family structure and values are the context the work respects.

The World Health Organization lists relationship distress with a partner among the reasons people may have contact with health services, separately from mental disorders (World Health Organization [WHO], 2024). In plain terms, you do not need a diagnosis to bring a relationship concern to counselling. Seeking support does not mean anyone is unwell.

Same-sex couples are part of the fabric of Canadian family life. Statistics Canada counted 72,880 same-sex couples in the 2016 Census, a number that grew considerably in the decade before (Statistics Canada, 2021).

To be clear about scope, this service is not:

• A legal service. Clinicians do not give legal advice about separation, property, custody or parenting arrangements.
• An investigation, or a process for deciding who is right.
• Crisis intervention.
• A psychological assessment. Assessments are a separate service and are not part of this counselling.
• A replacement for medical care or specialized family violence services.

You set the pace. You decide what to talk about, how much to share, and when. Your clinician will explain confidentiality and its limits in your first session, and there is more detail in the confidentiality section below. Each clinician works within the scope of their training and professional regulation, and may suggest a referral if a need falls outside what they offer.

Signs Relationship Strain May Be Affecting You

Relationship strain shows up differently for everyone. You might recognize some of these patterns:

• The same disagreement keeps returning, and neither of you feels heard by the end of it
• One of you tends to go quiet while the other criticizes or pushes harder
• Certain topics get avoided altogether because raising them feels like starting a fight
• Feeling lonely or far apart, even when you are in the same room
• Less affection, intimacy or sexual connection than either of you wants
• Replaying conversations in your head, or second-guessing whether to stay
• Tension with family, or feeling that you have to manage how others see your relationship
• Disagreements about parenting, co-parenting, or how a new partner fits into your children's lives
• Poor sleep, a tight chest or a drained feeling after conflict

These are common reactions to strain in a close relationship. They do not mean your relationship is failing, or that something is permanently wrong with either of you. How couples handle conflict matters a great deal, and outside stressors such as money, health and past experiences of discrimination can add pressure (CPA, 2021). Structured support can give you room to look at these patterns with fresh eyes.

How Treatment Works Here

• Find your therapist. You can use the Match with a Therapist tool or browse Our Therapists to read clinician profiles. If you would like help choosing, the admin team can be reached at 780-904-4880.
• Book your first session. You can book online through Jane. In the first session, your clinician explains confidentiality and consent, asks what brings you in, and talks with you about your goals. If you are attending as a couple, this is also when you discuss how information shared outside joint sessions will be handled.
• Build your plan together. You and your clinician decide on a direction together, including whether individual sessions, joint sessions or a mix makes sense for now.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes and usually take place weekly or every two weeks. The rhythm can change as your needs change.
• Progress check-ins. Your clinician reviews progress with you regularly, and the plan adapts as things shift.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Counselling is collaborative, and your voice matters at every stage, including when you want to slow down, change focus, or take a break. The Getting Started with Therapy page explains the process in more detail.

Evidence and Approaches

Clinicians may draw on different approaches depending on your goals and their training. The three below are described in a Canadian professional fact sheet on relationship distress. Not every clinician offers every approach, so it is worth asking when you book.

Behavioural and Cognitive Behavioural Couple Therapy

What it helps with: Communication that breaks down and conflicts that keep going unresolved.

Evidence summary: The CPA identifies Behavioural Marital Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Couple Therapy as approaches shown to help distressed couples communicate more effectively and solve problems together (CPA, 2021). The fact sheet reports that in clinical trials of couple therapies, most couples felt more satisfied with their relationship by the end of treatment, and a few studies found gains still present two years later (CPA, 2021).

Limitations: This summary comes from a professional fact sheet rather than a systematic review, and the trials it describes were not specific to same-sex couples. Individual results vary.

Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy

What it helps with: Feeling disconnected, unseen or unimportant to a partner, and the hurt that can sit underneath repeated arguments.

Evidence summary: The CPA describes Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy as an approach that addresses the unmet emotional needs underlying relationship distress (CPA, 2021). Rather than focusing on solving problems, the therapist helps partners talk about their need to feel loved and important to each other, which may open up new ways of relating (CPA, 2021).

Limitations: The fact sheet does not report results for this approach separately or for same-sex couples. How well it suits you depends on your goals and your fit with the clinician.

Discernment Counselling

What it helps with: Times when one or both partners are unsure whether to keep working on the relationship or move toward ending it.

Evidence summary: The CPA describes discernment counselling as a brief intervention that helps couples decide whether to take steps toward separation or commit to working on the relationship for a set period of time (CPA, 2021). It is presented as one possible way to approach that decision.

Limitations: The fact sheet gives no outcome data for this approach, so its evidence base should be treated as limited. Availability varies by clinician.

Some clinicians also use other couple approaches, such as Gottman Method couples therapy. The evidence sources reviewed for this page do not cover those approaches, so you are welcome to ask any clinician how their approach works and what it is based on.

What Results to Expect

Change in a relationship rarely follows a straight line. A few good weeks can be followed by an old pattern returning, and that is part of the work rather than a sign it has failed.

Some people notice shifts within months. Others benefit from longer-term work, especially when several concerns are tangled together. Sometimes the most useful result is clarity about a decision, rather than agreement on every issue.

Outcomes are shaped by many things, including:

• What brought you to counselling and how long it has been building
• Current pressures outside the relationship, such as work, money, health or family
• Whether one or both partners are taking part
• Your fit with the clinician and their approach

No form of counselling can guarantee a particular outcome, whether that is staying together, separating well, or communicating differently. Fit matters, and changing therapist or approach is always an option.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in counselling is confidential. Psychologists at the clinic are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP), and clinicians follow the professional and ethical standards that apply to their profession, including the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Code of Ethics.

Alberta privacy law also applies. In a private clinic, the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) generally governs how personal information is collected, used and disclosed. The Health Information Act (HIA) applies to health custodians, such as Alberta Health Services, and to clinicians working as their affiliates. Your clinician 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, which must be reported under Alberta law
• A court orders the release of records

Couples counselling adds another layer. Before you begin, your clinician will talk with you both about how information shared by one partner outside joint sessions is handled, and how shared records are managed.

Your clinician will explain these limits clearly during the first session. You are welcome to ask questions about privacy before sharing anything personal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to describe what happened in detail?

No. You decide what to share and when. Many people start with what is happening now, such as how arguments unfold or where things feel stuck, rather than going back over every past event. If you attend as a couple, you do not have to share everything in front of your partner, and your clinician can help you think through what feels right to bring into joint sessions.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, with some legal limits. Information may be shared without consent if there is a risk of serious harm, suspected abuse or neglect of a child, or a court order. For couples, your clinician will also explain how information shared outside joint sessions is handled. The confidentiality section above has more detail.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no fixed answer. Some people come for a short stretch of work around a specific question or decision. Others benefit from longer-term support. Your clinician reviews progress with you regularly, and you can adjust the plan at any point.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and it is reasonable to want a clinician you both feel comfortable with. If the first clinician does not feel right, the admin team can help you find 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 the same confidentiality standards apply. Partners can join from the same place or, where suitable, from different locations. The online counselling page has more information.

Do both partners need to attend?

Not always. Some people begin on their own to clarify their own priorities or prepare for a hard conversation. Others attend together from the start. Single parents often come on their own to think through dating, family changes or co-parenting. Your clinician can talk with you about which format may fit your goals.

What if I do not feel safe in my relationship?

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. The Family Violence Info Line (Alberta) is available any time at 310-1818. When there is fear, threats or control in a relationship, joint sessions may not be the right starting point, and individual counselling can be a more private place to think about your options and safety.

Will my therapist understand same-sex relationships, or will I have to explain everything?

The clinic describes its approach as collaborative, client-centred and inclusive. Clinician profiles list training and areas of focus, and the Match Tool can help you find someone whose experience includes relationship work and LGBTQ2S+ therapy. You are also welcome to ask a clinician about their experience before you begin.

Meet Your Clinicians

The clinic's team includes:

• Registered Psychologists
• Registered Provisional Psychologists
• Registered Social Workers
• Canadian Certified Counsellors
• Mental Health Therapists
• Student Therapists completing master's-level practicum training

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 in couples, relationship and LGBTQ2S+ work, so profiles are the best place to compare.

You can read individual profiles on the Our Therapists page or use the Match with a Therapist tool. For guidance, call the admin team at 780-904-4880.

Children and Youth

Many same-sex couples are raising children. In the 2016 Census, about 1 in 8 same-sex couples in Canada had children living with them (Statistics Canada, 2021). Children notice tension at home, and the CPA notes that children who repeatedly witness conflict between their parents may be at greater risk of emotional and behavioural difficulties (CPA, 2021).

• The clinic offers counselling for children, adolescents and young people, including child and youth counselling and support for LGBTQ+ youth.
• Therapists who work with younger clients use age-appropriate approaches.
• Clinicians work with parents and caregivers to support a steady environment for the child at home.

Taking a Next Step

If you would like to learn more or get started, 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

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. (2021). "Psychology Works" fact sheet: Relationship distress. Canadian Psychological Association.
• Statistics Canada. (2021, June 15). A statistical portrait of Canada's diverse LGBTQ2+ communities. The Daily. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210615/dq210615a-eng.htm
• World Health Organization. (2024). ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics: Factors influencing health status or contact with health services; problems associated with relationships.