For anyone facing an unexpected pregnancy and unsure what they feel or want, this is a private, non-directive place to talk it through. 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 (CCCs) certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), Mental Health Therapists and supervised Student Therapists. In-person sessions in Edmonton and St. Albert. Virtual sessions for people anywhere in Alberta.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Unplanned Pregnancy Counselling Is Right for You

You may not be sure counselling makes sense right now. Maybe you have not decided anything yet and wonder what there would even be to talk about. Maybe you have already decided and feel you should be able to handle the rest on your own. Or you may worry that speaking with someone means being judged, or quietly steered toward a choice that is not yours.

You might recognize some of this:

• changing your mind several times in one day, sometimes in the same hour
• feeling relief, fear, sadness or excitement all at once, and not knowing which one to trust
• keeping the news to yourself because you are not ready for anyone else's reaction

These reactions make sense. An unplanned pregnancy can touch your body, your relationships, your plans and your sense of who you are, all at the same time. Feeling unsettled or pulled in different directions is a human response to that. It does not mean you are handling this badly, and it does not mean something is wrong with you.

If you are trying to work out whether talking with someone could help, the sections below explain what this kind of counselling involves, what it does not do, and how to start if you decide you want to.

Who This Counselling May Help

Unplanned pregnancy counselling is open to anyone affected by an unexpected pregnancy. You do not need to have made a decision. You do not even need to know what you want to say.

It may be a good fit if you are:

• pregnant unexpectedly and unsure how you feel or what you want to do
• leaning toward a decision and wanting space to check it against your own values
• a partner, or someone else involved, trying to make sense of your own reactions
• caught between your own wishes and the expectations of family, culture or faith (the clinic also offers support with faith and culture in pregnancy)
• supporting a daughter, friend or partner and wondering how to help without taking over
• living with feelings after a decision has been made, whatever that decision was
• a teen or young adult who wants a private place to think (see the section on teens and young people below)

It may not be the right fit if you need:

• urgent help with your own or someone else's safety. Please use the crisis resources below.
• medical care or medical information, such as confirming a pregnancy, a health assessment, medication or procedures. A physician, nurse practitioner or other healthcare provider is the right starting point, and Health Link (811) can answer health questions at any hour.
• legal advice, or reports for court or other legal matters, such as custody or adoption proceedings. These needs are outside this therapy service. Psychological assessments are a separate service and are not part of this counselling.
• someone to persuade another person toward a particular decision. Counselling here does not take sides on what anyone should choose.

If You Need Help Right Now

Counselling is for ongoing support. It cannot respond to emergencies. If you or someone else is in danger, or you are thinking about ending your life, please contact one of these services:

• 911, or go to the nearest emergency department, if anyone's safety is at immediate risk
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642 (24/7)
• Family Violence Info Line (Alberta): 310-1818 (24/7, toll-free), including if a partner or family member is pressuring, threatening or controlling you
• 9-8-8: call or text 9-8-8 for suicide crisis support anywhere in Canada

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What Unplanned Pregnancy Counselling Is, and What It Is Not

Unplanned pregnancy counselling is a private space to talk through what is on your mind. Sessions may give you time to sort through feelings, questions, values, relationships and practical concerns. You decide what to talk about and which next steps, if any, feel right. Your therapist's role is to listen, ask thoughtful questions and reflect back what they hear, not to hand you an answer.

Some people arrive with one question. Others want to look at everything: parenting, adoption, abortion, continuing the pregnancy, how to tell a partner or parent, or simply what they need to find out next. These are examples, not a checklist. You can bring as much or as little as you like.

It also helps to be clear about the limits. Counselling here:

• is not medical care. It cannot confirm a pregnancy, assess your health, or provide medication or procedures.
• is not a legal service or an investigative process, and therapists do not give legal advice.
• is not crisis intervention. The crisis resources above are the right place for urgent safety concerns.
• does not include psychological assessment or diagnosis. An unplanned pregnancy is not a mental health condition.
• will not make a decision for you or tell you which option is best.

You set the pace. Nothing has to be discussed before you are ready, and you can change direction at any point. Clinicians work within the scope of their own registration and training. When a question falls outside that scope, such as a medical or legal one, they can talk with you about where to look for the right kind of help.

What you share is kept confidential within legal and professional limits. Your therapist will explain those limits in your first session, and the Confidentiality and Privacy section below sets them out.

Signs an Unplanned Pregnancy May Be Affecting You

There is no single way to react to an unplanned pregnancy. You may notice some of these patterns, none of them, or different ones from week to week:

• lying awake running through the same questions
• feeling numb or flat when you expected to feel something stronger
• swinging between certainty and doubt about what you want
• blaming yourself, or replaying how this happened
• finding it hard to focus at work or school
• pulling back from people because you do not want to explain, or because you fear their reaction
• tension with a partner or family member about what should happen next
• carrying the stress in your body, such as tight shoulders, a clenched jaw or a constant sense of being on edge
• grief, relief or mixed feelings about a decision that has already been made

These are common human reactions to a big and unexpected situation. They are not a sign that something is permanently wrong with you. Counselling may offer a structured space to look at them, one at a time if that helps.

If self-blame is part of what you are carrying, it may help to know that pregnancy planning and contraception are studied in Canada as public health topics. Statistics Canada, for example, has looked at contraception use among sexually active women who wanted to avoid pregnancy (Statistics Canada, 2025). Research like this describes populations. It says nothing about any one person's responsibility, intentions or worth.

How Counselling Works Here

• Find your therapist. You can browse therapist profiles on the Our Therapists page or use the Match with a Therapist tool to narrow your options. If you would rather talk it through with a person, the admin team can help at 780-904-4880.
• Book your first session. Your first appointment starts with confidentiality and consent, then moves to what has brought you in and what you hope to get from counselling. You are welcome to ask about the process, scheduling or privacy before sharing anything personal.
• Build your plan together. You and your therapist decide together what to focus on. For some people that is a single decision. For others it is a relationship, family expectations, or coping with stress while things feel uncertain.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes. They usually happen weekly or every two weeks, and the schedule can change as your needs change.
• Progress check-ins. Your therapist will check in with you regularly about what is useful and what is not. The plan can shift as your situation does.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Some people want one or two conversations while they think things through. Others prefer ongoing support, especially when circumstances keep changing. Your voice guides the process at every stage. The Getting Started with Therapy page walks through these steps in more detail.

Evidence and Approaches

The sources reviewed for this page describe what this kind of counselling covers and why pregnancy concerns are a recognized reason to seek support. They do not measure outcomes. Each approach below is described with its limits.

Non-Directive Pregnancy Options Counselling

What it helps with: Talking through options, feelings, practical considerations, relationships and support needs without being steered toward a particular outcome.

Evidence summary: A systematic literature review examined how pregnancy options counselling is practised in social service and healthcare settings in the United States ("The Practice of Pregnancy Options Counseling," n.d.). This work supports describing options counselling as a setting for discussing options, feelings, practical considerations, relationships and support needs.

Limitations: The review focused on settings in the United States. The information available for this page does not show that one counselling method works better than another, or that counselling leads to a particular outcome.

Supportive Counselling for Pregnancy-Related Concerns

What it helps with: Giving worries, stress and unanswered questions about a pregnancy their own time and attention, separate from medical appointments.

Evidence summary: The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) lists contact with health services for counselling, and it names concerns about pregnancy and problems related to unwanted pregnancy among the reasons people contact health services (World Health Organization [WHO], n.d.). This supports treating pregnancy-related concerns as a legitimate reason to seek support, not as a mental health diagnosis.

Limitations: ICD-11 is a classification system. It recognizes the reason for contact but does not measure whether counselling helps.

Values-Based Reflection on Pregnancy Options

What it helps with: Thinking through how parenting, adoption, abortion or continuing to gather information fits with your values, circumstances and relationships, at your own pace.

Evidence summary: Canadian government information on abortion (Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC], n.d.) and an abortion care guideline (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], n.d.) both treat abortion as one possible pregnancy outcome. Counsellors aim to use neutral, non-directive language so each option can be discussed without any being presented as preferable.

Limitations: These are healthcare information sources, not counselling research. They are not used here for medical, access, cost or legal details, which are best discussed with a healthcare provider.

What to Expect From Counselling

Feelings about an unplanned pregnancy do not always move in a straight line. You might feel settled one week and unsure the next, especially as new information or conversations come up. Going back and forth does not mean you are doing it wrong.

Some people use a few sessions around a specific decision. Others choose to keep meeting over several months, for example through a pregnancy, after an adoption or abortion, or while relationships adjust.

How counselling goes can depend on many things, including:

• the circumstances of the pregnancy
• what is happening in your life and relationships right now
• how much support you have around you
• how comfortable you feel with your therapist

No therapy can guarantee an outcome, whether that is a decision, a sense of clarity or a particular feeling. Outcomes vary from person to person. Fit with your therapist matters, and you can change therapists or try a different approach at any time.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in counselling is confidential. Your therapist will not tell a partner, parent, employer or anyone else what you discuss without your consent, except in the limited situations listed below.

Psychologists at Wholesome Psychology are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). They follow the CAP Standards of Practice and 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 applies to private clinics such as Wholesome Psychology. It sets the rules for how personal information, including what you share in counselling, is collected, used, shared and protected. The Health Information Act (HIA) covers health information held by health system custodians, such as Alberta Health Services and hospitals. Psychologists are not currently designated as custodians under the HIA, but it can apply when a psychologist works for or is contracted by a custodian.

There are a few situations where the law or professional standards require or permit a therapist to share information without your consent:

• a risk of imminent and serious harm to you or to someone else
• reason to believe a child is being abused or neglected, which must be reported under Alberta's Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act
• a court order for records, or another law that requires disclosure

Even then, only the information that is needed is shared, and only with the people who need it. Your therapist will go over these limits in your first session. You are welcome to ask questions about privacy before you share anything personal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to explain how the pregnancy happened, or go into detail?

No. You decide what to share and when. Some people talk about the circumstances of the pregnancy, while others focus only on what is happening now, such as a decision, a relationship or stress at home. If the pregnancy is connected to something that was not your choice, you can still get support without describing it. If you would like help with that experience as well, the clinic also offers abuse counselling.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, within a few legal limits. The exceptions involve a risk of imminent and serious harm, suspected abuse or neglect of a child, and court orders or other legal requirements. Your therapist will explain these in your first session. The Confidentiality and Privacy section above has more detail.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no set number. Some people come for one or two sessions while they work through a specific question. Others prefer support over several months. You and your therapist will review how things are going and adjust as you go.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, especially for something this personal. If it does not feel right, you can tell your therapist or the admin team, and they can help you find a different clinician. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Can I have counselling sessions online?

Yes. Virtual sessions are available to people anywhere in Alberta, and the same confidentiality and professional standards apply as in person. It helps to find a private spot where you will not be overheard. Not every therapist offers every format, so the admin team can help you find someone who works virtually.

Will my therapist try to steer me toward a particular decision?

No. Counselling here aims to be non-directive. Your therapist will not tell you which option is best or push you toward or away from any choice, including parenting, adoption or abortion. The aim is to give you room to think on your own terms.

Can my partner or a support person come to a session?

You can ask about this when you book. Some people prefer to come alone. Others want a partner, parent or friend involved for some sessions. If you and a partner want to work on how you are communicating, couples counselling is another option. When more than one person attends, your therapist will explain at the start how confidentiality works for everyone involved.

What if someone is pressuring me, or I do not feel safe?

Your safety comes first. If a partner, family member or anyone else is pressuring, threatening or controlling you about the pregnancy, the Family Violence Info Line (310-1818, 24/7) can help you think through your options for staying safe. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Counselling can also be a place to talk about what is happening at home, at whatever pace feels safe, and the clinic offers family violence counselling.

Meet Your Clinicians

The team at Wholesome Psychology includes Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Canadian Certified Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists and Student Therapists. All psychologists are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists. Registered Provisional Psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist, and Student Therapists are master's level practicum students working under clinical supervision.

The clinic also offers related services, including pregnancy support, perinatal mental health counselling and support with adoption issues. Each clinician's profile on the Our Therapists page describes their background and areas of focus. If you are not sure where to start, the Match with a Therapist tool or a call to the admin team at 780-904-4880 can help narrow things down.

Support for Teens, Young People and Families

An unplanned pregnancy can affect teens and young adults, and the families around them. Wholesome Psychology offers counselling for children, adolescents and young people. Therapists who work with younger clients aim to use approaches that suit their age and stage.

If you are a teen, you can talk with a therapist about what you are feeling, about telling a parent or partner, or about anything else on your mind. If a parent or guardian is involved in your care, your therapist will explain at the start what can stay private and where the law may set limits.

If you are a parent or caregiver supporting a young person, counselling may give you space to sort out your own reactions and think about how to be supportive while respecting their choices. Where it fits, clinicians can work with caregivers as part of a young person's support. You can read more about counselling for teens.

If You Would Like to Talk With Someone

When you feel ready to reach out, you can:

• Book a session online
• Use the Match with a Therapist tool to find someone whose approach suits you
• Call the admin team at 780-904-4880
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read Getting Started with Therapy to see what the first session involves

You do not need a decision made, or even the right words. Starting the conversation is enough.

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

References

• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (n.d.). Abortion care [Guideline].
• The practice of pregnancy options counseling in social service and healthcare settings in the United States: A systematic literature review. (n.d.).
• Public Health Agency of Canada. (n.d.). Abortion in Canada. Government of Canada.
• Statistics Canada. (2025, February 10). Contraception use among sexually active women wanting to avoid pregnancy.
• World Health Organization. (n.d.). ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics.