A plain-language walk-through of what happens before, during and after your first therapy session, so you can decide what feels right for you. Registered Psychologists regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Registered Provisional Psychologists, 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) and reduced-rate clinicians. In-person sessions in Edmonton and St. Albert, and virtual sessions for people located anywhere in Alberta.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Therapy Is Right for You

You may not be sure that what you are dealing with is serious enough for therapy. It might feel too small to bring to a professional, or too tangled to explain to someone you have never met. You might also be wondering what actually happens once you sit down, and whether you will know what to say.

Perhaps you have opened a booking page more than once and closed it again. Perhaps you keep telling yourself that other people have it worse, even as the same worries keep you up at night. Or you have been carrying something on your own for a long time, and you are tired.

Hesitating before a first appointment makes sense. Therapy asks you to speak openly with a stranger about things that matter to you. Feeling cautious about that is a common, reasonable response to something unfamiliar. It does not mean you are not ready, and it does not mean therapy is not for you.

If a clearer picture would help, this page walks through how therapy works here, from choosing a therapist to what later sessions can look like. You can read the parts that are useful to you and leave the rest.

Who We Help

People come to therapy for many reasons. You do not need a diagnosis, a crisis or a clear goal to start. Therapy here may be a good fit if you are:

• feeling stuck, stressed or low, and wanting space to sort through it
• going through a change, such as a move, a loss, a new job, a breakup or becoming a parent
• noticing patterns in your moods, habits or relationships that you would like to understand
• trying therapy for the first time, or coming back to it after a break
• ready to book, and wanting the practical details first
• a parent or caregiver looking into support for a child or teen (see Children and Youth below)
• gathering information for a partner, friend or family member (our page on supporting someone's mental health may also help)

This service may not be the right fit if:

• You are in crisis or in immediate danger. Please use the crisis resources below.
• You need a forensic, legal or court-related report. These needs are outside this therapy service. Psychological assessments are a separate service with their own process and fees.
• You are looking for a court-ordered or mandated program, such as a program for people who have used violence. These programs are outside the scope of this service. If you are unsure whether your situation fits, the admin team can talk it through with you.

If You Need Help Right Now

Therapy is a scheduled support service. It is not a substitute for emergency or 24-hour crisis care. If you or someone else is in danger, or you need support right away, please contact 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)
• 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 988 (24/7)
• Family Violence Info Line (Alberta): 310-1818 (24/7, toll-free), if you are being hurt or threatened at home

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What This Service Is

Therapy, also called counselling or psychotherapy, is a series of scheduled, confidential conversations with a trained clinician. Together, you look at what is weighing on you, notice patterns, and work out ways of responding that fit your life. It is collaborative. Your therapist brings training and structure, and you bring what you know about your own life.

You set the pace. Your therapist may ask questions or suggest a direction, but you decide how much to share and when.

Therapy here is not:

• A legal service or investigation. Sessions are not a way to gather evidence or prepare for court.
• Crisis or emergency care. See the crisis resources above if you need help right now.
• A psychological assessment. Ongoing therapy does not include formal testing or a diagnostic report. Psychological assessments are a separate service.
• Medication management. Psychologists in Alberta are not authorized to prescribe medication. Your family doctor or a psychiatrist is the usual contact for medication questions.

Each clinician works within the limits of their training and professional registration. If what you need falls outside what your therapist offers, they can talk with you about other options. What you share is kept confidential, with some legal limits. Your therapist explains these in the first session, and the details are in the Confidentiality and Privacy section below.

Signs What You Are Carrying May Be Affecting You

There is no checklist you need to pass before starting therapy, and this list is not a way to diagnose yourself. Still, people often describe a few common experiences when they first reach out. Some of these may sound familiar:

• feeling on edge, irritable or flat more days than not
• replaying conversations or worries long after they are over
• finding it harder to focus at work or school
• sleeping poorly, or feeling tired no matter how much you rest
• holding tension in your body, like a tight jaw, headaches or an unsettled stomach
• pulling back from friends or family without quite knowing why
• arguing more with people close to you, or avoiding hard conversations altogether
• losing interest in things that used to feel good
• feeling like you are coping, but only just

These are common human reactions to stress, loss, pressure and change. They do not mean something is permanently wrong with you. They can be a sign that you are carrying a lot, and that structured support might help you make sense of it.

Questions about mental health and getting care are widely shared in Canada. Statistics Canada has examined how people across the country rated their own mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the mental health care they felt they needed and the barriers they faced in getting it (Statistics Canada, 2021). Wondering whether you need support, and how to find it, is part of that much wider picture.

How Treatment Works Here

• Find your therapist. You can browse our therapists' profiles to read about each clinician's training and focus, or use the Match with a Therapist tool for suggestions. If you would rather talk it through, the admin team can help at 780-904-4880.
• Book your first session. You can book through the online booking system or by phone. The first session usually starts with the practical pieces: how confidentiality works and where its limits are, your consent to begin, and how fees and scheduling work. Your therapist may then ask what brought you in, what is happening in your life right now, and what you hope might change. The first session is not a test, and you are welcome to ask about your therapist's approach as well.
• Build your plan together. Over the first session or two, you and your therapist shape a plan around your goals. The plan is co-created. If part of it does not feel right, you can say so and it can change.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes. Follow-up sessions are typically weekly or every two weeks, and timing can be adjusted to suit your needs and schedule. Depending on your goals, sessions may involve talking through recent events, noticing patterns, practising new skills or reflecting on relationships.
• Progress check-ins. Your therapist checks in with you regularly about what is helping and what is not. Plans adapt as your needs change, and you can raise questions about progress at any time.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Therapy is a shared process, and your voice matters at every stage, including decisions about how often to meet and when to finish. For more on booking and intake, see Getting Started with Therapy.

Evidence and Approaches

Therapists draw on different approaches, depending on their training and what you want to work on. Any approach your therapist suggests should be explained in plain terms: what it involves, why they think it may suit your goals, and what the alternatives are. You can ask these questions at any point, and you can decline or stop an approach that does not feel right.

What the Sources for This Page Cover

This page is about the process of starting therapy rather than any single treatment method. The sources reviewed for it do not evaluate or compare specific therapy approaches. For that reason, we have not summarized research on individual methods here, and we do not suggest that any one approach is best for everyone.

If you would like to read about how clinicians here work before your first session, see Our Unique Approach or our page on psychotherapy. Your therapist can also tell you what is known about the approach they use, including its limits.

What Results to Expect

Change in therapy rarely moves in a straight line. Some weeks may feel like progress. Others may feel stuck or heavier, especially when you start talking about things you have kept to yourself.

Some people notice small shifts fairly early, such as feeling a little lighter after saying something out loud for the first time. For others, change builds more gradually through longer-term work. Neither pattern means you are doing therapy wrong.

How therapy goes can depend on many things, including:

• what you are dealing with, and how long it has been going on
• what else is happening in your life, such as work, money, health or relationships
• how regularly you are able to attend
• how comfortable you feel with your therapist

No therapy can guarantee a particular outcome, and outcomes vary from person to person. Fit matters, too. If the connection with your therapist does not feel right, you can ask to try a different clinician or a different approach. Raising it is a normal part of the process.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in therapy is confidential. Psychologists at the clinic are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). They follow CAP's Standards of Practice and the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists published by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA).

Two Alberta laws shape how your information is handled. The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) generally applies to private clinics like ours, and sets rules for how personal information is collected, used, stored and shared. The Health Information Act (HIA) applies to health custodians, such as Alberta Health Services, and to clinicians providing services on their behalf. Your therapist can explain which rules apply to your care.

There are a few situations where a therapist may be required or permitted to share information without your consent:

• when there is a risk of serious harm to you or to someone else
• when there are reasonable grounds to suspect a child is being abused or neglected, which must be reported under Alberta's Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act
• when a court order or subpoena requires records to be released
• in other situations where the law requires disclosure

In those situations, therapists are expected to share only what is needed for that purpose. Your therapist will explain these limits clearly in your first session, before you get into anything personal. If you have questions about privacy, records or virtual sessions, you are welcome to ask them before you share anything.

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 going on day to day, like trouble sleeping, tension at home or stress at work. Some share only a starting point in the first session and add more over time. If a topic feels like too much, you can say so, and your therapist can slow down or change direction.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, with some legal limits. Your therapist protects your information under professional standards and Alberta privacy law. They may share information without your consent only in specific situations, such as a serious risk of harm, suspected abuse or neglect of a child, or a court order. These limits are explained in your first session and in the Confidentiality and Privacy section above.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no set number. It depends on what you want to work on, how often you can attend, and how things change along the way. Some people come for a shorter stretch to work on one concern, while others prefer longer-term support. You and your therapist review progress regularly and decide together when to change the frequency or wrap up.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

It is reasonable to raise this, and it happens more often than people expect. You can mention it to your therapist directly, or contact the admin team at 780-904-4880 to ask about trying someone else. The Match with a Therapist tool can also suggest other clinicians. 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 for people located anywhere in Alberta, and the same confidentiality standards apply as in person. Some people find virtual sessions easier to fit around work or family. You can learn more on our online counselling page.

What if I do not know what to say?

You do not need a prepared story or a clear goal. Your therapist can ask questions to help you get started. It can also help to jot down a few notes beforehand: what has been hardest lately, what you would like to be different, and any questions you have about how therapy works.

What is the difference between a psychologist and a counsellor?

At the clinic, Registered Psychologists are regulated by CAP. Registered Provisional Psychologists are also CAP members, and they practise under the supervision of a fully registered psychologist while they complete the requirements for full registration. Canadian Certified Counsellors hold a national counselling certification. Fees differ by credential, and the right choice often comes down to your needs, your budget and who you feel comfortable with.

I am looking into this for someone else. How can I help?

Sharing information like this page can be a gentle start. You could offer to look through therapist profiles together, or sit nearby while they make the call. For adults, the decision to start therapy, and consent to it, belongs to the person themselves. For children and most teens, a parent or guardian is usually involved in consent, as described in the Children and Youth section below.

Meet Your Clinicians

The clinic's team 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. Provisional psychologists practise under the supervision of a fully registered psychologist. Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW).

Mental Health Therapists and Student Therapists offer reduced-rate counselling. Student Therapists are master's-level practicum students working under clinical supervision.

Clinicians bring different training and areas of focus, and each therapist profile describes their background and the concerns they work with. If you are not sure who to choose, the Match with a Therapist tool can narrow the options, or the admin team can talk it through with you at 780-904-4880.

Children and Youth

The clinic offers counselling for children, teens and young adults as well as adults. Therapists who work with younger clients use age-appropriate ways of talking and working together. Clinicians also work with parents and caregivers, since a young person's home and school life shape how therapy goes.

For children and most teens, a parent or guardian is usually part of the consent process. Your child's therapist will explain how confidentiality works for young clients, including what is and is not shared with parents. If you are getting a child ready for a first appointment, our page on preparing children for therapy may help, and child and youth counselling describes the service in more detail.

If You Would Like to Take a Next Step

When you feel ready to explore therapy, you can:

• book a session through our online booking system
• use the Match with a Therapist tool to see who might suit you
• call the admin team at 780-904-4880
• email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• read Getting Started with Therapy for more about the intake process

Starting the conversation is enough.

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

References

• Statistics Canada. (2021, September 8). Self-perceived mental health and mental health care needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.