If you don’t find the answers you’re looking for here, we invite you to reach out to us at any time.
If something is affecting your quality of life, your relationships, or your sense of yourself — it’s worth talking about. You don’t need a formal diagnosis or a crisis to seek support. Many people come in with a general sense that something isn’t working, without being able to name exactly what. That’s a completely valid starting point.
Psychotherapy has many benefits, as well as potential risks, and the healing modality you choose will have unique considerations involved. Since therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings, such as sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, and helplessness. Some of these feelings may continue after the session. You may also experience the resurfacing of memories or experiences, which can cause disturbance. The psychologist will work with you to ensure your emotional safety and will respect your limits. As difficult as the process can be, the benefits of therapy are great and include personal growth, improved relationships, reduced anxiety & stress, improvement in functioning and wellbeing, and at times, solutions to specific problems.
Therapy involves a large commitment of time, money, and energy. As well, the therapeutic relationship is a significant factor in healing and growth. With these factors in mind, it is imperative that you feel comfortable working with your psychologist and that you trust in their abilities. If you have any questions about procedures, please bring these questions forward so that your psychologist can work with you to either better understand the methods or to adjust the approach to better fit your needs. If doubt in your psychologist persists, we will be happy to refer you to another psychologist.
Psychological therapy varies depending on the personalities of the therapist and patient, and the particular problems being brought forward. Psychologists may draw from a variety of therapeutic modalities, techniques, and approaches to best serve your particular needs. Effective therapy involves active client effort, which requires dynamic participation in the session and working on things at home.
The terms psychologist, counsellor, and therapist are often used interchangeably, but they are not necessarily the same thing. The title ‘Registered Psychologist’ represents a professional designation that is issued through the College of Alberta Psychologists. In Alberta, this designation requires a minimum of a Masters Degree in a counselling related field, in addition to the completion of a 1600 hour internship and multiple examinations. The title ‘Provisionally Registered Psychologist’ refers to someone in the process of completing the registration requirements, usually meaning they are completing the internship hours and are under the supervision of a Registered Psychologist.
The designation of Canadian Certified Counsellor (C.C.C.) is issued through the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association and represents a practitioner that has completed a minimum of a Masters Degree and some supervised counselling experience. The certification requirements aren’t quite as rigorous as those required for by the College of Alberta Psychologists, but they nonetheless ensure a minimum standard of education, training, and experience, which is important in ensuring quality services. Please note that some insurance providers will not reimburse for services provided by a C.C.C.
The terms counsellor, therapist, and psychotherapist are not protected titles, meaning that anyone can claim to provide these services without adequate training or authorization of a regulating body. Regulation provided by the College of Alberta Psychologists or the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association is essential for the protection of the public. While they can’t promise the quality of each practitioner, they do present an important gateway that guarantees a minimum of training and ability.
We accept credit card and electronic payment. Payment details are provided when your appointment is booked.
Some of our practitioners hold a small number of reduced-fee spots in their practice for clients experiencing financial strain. These spots are limited and not always available, but if cost is a barrier, you’re welcome to raise this when you make contact. Requests are handled respectfully and confidentially.
We do not offer direct billing at this time, with the exception of Veterans Affairs. Extended health plans vary widely in coverage, reimbursement rates, and documentation requirements — and direct billing platforms can introduce delays and errors. It’s also worth noting that direct billing can affect confidentiality. Some insurers require access to clinical documentation, session notes, or diagnostic information as a condition of reimbursement. Paying directly keeps your file entirely private — no third party has access to your information, your diagnosis, or the content of your sessions.
For concerns as personal as sexual health, trauma, or relationship difficulties, that distinction matters. Payment is collected at the time of your session and you receive a detailed receipt to submit to your insurer directly.
Most extended health plans cover services provided by a Registered Psychologist. Coverage varies by plan — check directly with your insurer regarding coverage limits, reimbursement rates, and any required referrals. You will receive a detailed receipt after each session that you can submit directly to your insurance provider for reimbursement.
That depends on what service you are getting. For individual therapy, the Psychological Association of Alberta has a recommended rate of $235/session. Transcend’s fees are in accordance with this, though individual therapists within Transcend may vary slightly. Please contact your individual therapist for more information.
Psychological services are not covered through Alberta Health Care Benefit, however, they are often reclaimable through private insurance or employee health benefits.
Because we understand that the cost can be prohibitive, we do offer a limited number of reduced rate sessions for clients that demonstrate significant financial need. As Registered Psychologists, our services are usually covered by extended health care coverage and many employers offer benefit packages that include resources for psychological treatment.
Please contact us for information about pricing for other services, such as assessments, workshops, and group therapy.
Yes. Research consistently shows that online therapy is as effective as in-person therapy for most concerns. Some clients find it easier to engage from their own space. Others prefer the structure and separation of coming in person. Both are valid — we can discuss what makes the most sense for you.
We offer in-person sessions in Edmonton, AB (several days per month), and Victoria, BC (ongoing), as well as secure virtual appointments for clients across British Columbia and Alberta.
We see clients in person at two locations:
Edmonton, AB — #506, 8215-112th Street. In-person appointments are available several days per month.
Victoria, BC — #221, 560 Johnson Street, second floor of Market Square. Enter through the Regional Assembly of Text storefront.
Yes. Not everyone arrives with a clear sense of what they’re looking for. That uncertainty is a legitimate starting point, not a problem to solve before we begin. Get in touch and we can figure out together what kind of support makes the most sense.
Ideally, yes — but both partners don’t need to be equally ready. In practice, one person often makes the first move before the other fully commits, and that’s fine. We also occasionally work with individual partners where joint sessions aren’t possible or where individual work is a better fit for a particular stage of the process.
Completely. Most of the people we see have never had a frank clinical conversation about their sexual health before they come in. We know how to make this territory feel manageable. You don’t need to arrive with language, a clear narrative, or certainty about what the issue is.
Yes — and not in a “it’s all in your head” way. Psychological treatment for sexual pain is evidence-based and addresses the real neurological, physiological, and relational dimensions of conditions like vulvodynia, vaginismus, and dyspareunia. Most people with these conditions have spent years in a medical system that told them there was nothing to be done. There usually is. Select members of our team have been working in this area for over a decade and have seen meaningful change in a large majority of the clients they’ve worked with.
Short-term therapy (roughly 4–10 sessions) is solution-focused and designed to address one specific concern. It can be very useful — but because most challenges are interconnected, working on them in isolation has limits. Longer-term therapy (10–30 sessions) allows for broader healing by addressing problems from multiple angles and working at the level of underlying patterns rather than surface symptoms. Some clients also find ongoing intermittent sessions valuable as a form of maintenance. All approaches are valid — what matters is that the approach matches what you actually need.
Sometimes, yes — and that’s worth knowing in advance. Therapy often involves discussing things that are difficult, and you may experience uncomfortable feelings during or after sessions. Some clients also notice the resurfacing of memories or experiences that cause temporary distress. This is a normal part of the process, not a sign that something has gone wrong. We work carefully to ensure your emotional safety throughout and will always respect your limits about pace and depth.
Where possible, we recommend starting with weekly or biweekly sessions — particularly in the early stages of therapy, when building momentum matters. As the work progresses, it’s common for clients to transition to monthly or intermittent appointments. The frequency is always something we discuss and adjust based on what’s most useful for you.
The first one or two sessions are primarily evaluative — we’re getting a clear picture of what brings you in, what you’re hoping to achieve, and what approach is likely to be most useful. By the end of that stage, we’ll be able to offer more specific information about a treatment plan and realistic expectations for the work ahead. You’ll also have enough of a sense of your therapist to know whether this feels like a good fit.
The first session is primarily about understanding what brings you in and what you’re hoping to get out of the work. I’ll ask questions, you’ll have space to share as much or as little as you’re ready to, and we’ll begin to get a sense of whether this is a good fit. There’s no pressure to have everything figured out before you arrive.
Though we encourage you to think about what you want to talk about and to clarify your treatment goals before coming in, therapy is an exploratory process so don’t be surprised if we veer off course for a bit.
While not always possible, the preference is to meet weekly. This is particularly helpful in the early stages of therapy, as it allows for momentum to build. As therapy progresses, it is common for clients transition into bi-weekly or monthly treatment.
Individual and couples therapy sessions are around 50minutes long. Extended sessions are available and the fee will be prorated. For group therapy, you can expect 1.5-2 hours/per meeting.
There are several ways to approach treatment. Short-term therapy (4-10 sessions) is solution-focused and is designed to address one specific problem. This may be beneficial for clients with time/financial restrictions; however, because our challenges are often interrelated, it can be hard to work on them in isolation of each other. As such, short-term therapy may be less effective overall.
It may be helpful to think of your mental health like a patch of grass. If you mow over the weeds, your lawn will temporarily look nice. However, if the roots are still there, the weeds will continue to grow back. Longer-term therapy (10-30 sessions) provides opportunity for broader healing and growth, by attending to our problems from different angles and effectively pulling the weed out from the root. Just as roots have branches and offshoots, so do your challenges. As such, you may find yourself spending time talking about things that seem unrelated to your purpose of seeking treatment, but be assured it is relevant.
The course of therapy varies for everyone. It depends entirely on what you’re working on and what you want from the process. Some concerns resolve meaningfully in 8–12 sessions. Others, particularly complex trauma or long-standing patterns, benefit from longer engagement. We work actively and don’t believe in extending therapy beyond what’s useful. Our goal is to give you tools you can carry with you — not to create ongoing dependency.
Yes. In couples therapy, the couple as a unit is the client. This means there is a strict no-secrets policy — any information shared in an individual session or correspondence with me as your couples therapist may need to be shared with your partner. This policy exists to prevent conflicts of interest and to protect the integrity of the couples work. If critical information comes forward that one partner is unwilling to share, it may be necessary to end couples treatment and provide referrals for individual work.
Due to the high demand of our services and the limited availability of appointments, Transcend employs a strict cancellation policy and requires a minimum of 24 hours notice if you aren’t able to make the scheduled time. This allows us time to offer the appointment to someone on our waitlist. Cancellations made with less than 24 hours notice will be subject to a cancellation fee (up to the full price of a session).
The laws and standards governing the profession require that psychologists keep treatment records. The information contained with in client files includes all paperwork completed by the client, as well as case notes. Case notes vary for each therapist, but generally include basic information about what has been discussed during each session and may include treatment planning and conceptualization notes. By law, the client files are required to be maintained for a minimum of ten years, at which time they are destroyed. Files are stored in a secure and confidential manner.
In general, law protects the privacy of all communications between a patient and a therapist, and therefore information about your work will only be released with your written permission.
There are three possible exceptions:
Please be assured that in the event confidentiality needs to be breached, every effort will be made to discuss it with you prior to taking any action. If action is required, in the case of risk of harm to self or others, action may include calling the police or emergency response teams or notifying personal supports and family. In most legal proceedings, the client has the right to prevent a psychologist from providing information about treatment.
It is important to note that if a psychologist seeks consultation with another professional, every effort is made to avoid revealing identifying information about the client. As well, the consultant is legally bound to keep information confidential. If you don’t object, these consultations may be done without your knowledge, unless it is important for the clinical work.
If you’re unsure whether therapy is right for you, have questions about fees or scheduling, or want help deciding between in-person and virtual — get in touch. I respond to all enquiries personally.
