FAQ

Deciding to engage in therapy is a personal decision to support oneself, or someone in your family, to explore, learn, and grow intra-personally. That is, it is a personal self-discovery journey that may start with something that is bothering a person and move towards greater self-consideration & self-connection. When a couple or family engages, the journey also involves exploration of inter-personal connections.

How do I choose a therapist?

The therapeutic relationship is a major factor in therapeutic change. Therefore, making a connection with a therapist may make a noticeable difference in the way you live, feel, breathe, and approach your life. At Aspirations, all of our therapists have similar beliefs and values in regards to working with clients as well as their own specialized skill sets.

 

We create a safe therapeutic environment 

  1. We respect our client’s values, life choices, sexual orientation, and religious/spiritual orientation
  2. We conduct therapy in a non-invasive and non-judgmental manner
  3. We work collaboratively to identify and support clients to grow
  4. We impart our knowledge and skill base to support clients

We approach the client holistically

  1. We recognize that client’s struggles have not been created in isolation of the client’s broader life context
  2. We address the “whole person” (thoughts, feelings, body, and spirit) into our therapeutic practice
  3. We engage in a healing journey of discovery towards living a healthier more wholesome life in all ways

If, for any reason, you don’t feel like your therapist is the right one for you, we will be happy to place you with someone else within our company. If this were to happen, with your permission, a consultation would occur between the existing and new therapist to support the transfer of services. Alternately, we can also provide referrals to other community services that may be a good match for you.

What is the easiest way to make an appointment?

We understand that when clients decide to start therapy they may be in distress and want to talk with someone as soon as possible. There are several ways to access our services.

  1. If you are NEW to Aspirations Inc., the quickest way to make an appointment is to click the “BOOK NOW” button at the top Right hand corner of our website. This will direct you to a secure site to complete the steps to register an account with us and book your initial appointment.  The information gathered through our registration process creates the basis of your client account within which all of your transactions for any counselling services or product orders you acquire will be held.  
  2. You can sign into your account at any time to manage your account details, counselling appointments, access your services or products, access your order and billing history, and to complete or add relevant documents to your active services.
  3. You can call our office at 780.468.1366 and direct yourself to your therapist by entering in his/her appropriate extension. PLEASE NOTE: We rely solely on our auto-attendant system. That means, that if you call into our office there is a high probability that you will be asked to leave a message on our main voicemail or you could leave one on your therapist’s extension. 
  4. You can email your therapist directly at the email address found on your therapist's bio-page or booking reference notification.

How can I pay for services?

Therapy is an investment in yourself or someone you care about. We do follow the Psychologists Association of Alberta guidelines to determine our fees. Most people have some coverage that they may not be aware of to cover some or all of the fee.  Psychologists and Registered Provisional Psychologists are covered under insurance health plans.  At times, we do have student therapists that offer a sliding fee for those who are not covered. 

  1. Check to see if you have health insurance benefits that cover Psychological Services. Determine what credentials they require, the amount they cover, and the timeframe of coverage (e.g., calendar year or from time of access).
  2. If you have no coverage, and cannot afford our regular fees – determine what you could afford if you were to attend weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly sessions. 
  3. Receipts can also be kept and used as a Medical Expense with Canada Revenue Agency 
  4. Some people also have access to EAP (Employee Assistance Programs), which may cover some of their services. See below for a description of EAP counselling services. At times, we may have therapists who offer services from various EAP programs - you will have to check with your EAP service to determine if a referral is possible. 

What is the difference between EAP Counselling and Therapy?

Many employers offer counselling services through an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or Employee Assistance Family Program (EAFP). These programs are designed to support employee’s to access counselling services in order to support employee’s overall well-being and maintain employee productivity. Considering that emotional distress or dysfunction is one of the leading reasons for employee absenteeism, these programs are not only a good investment for their employee’s but also for the employer as well.


Often we discover that the description of these services are not well outlined to employee’s and can create some confusion about what services are covered for the employee or their family members. EAP or EAFP are generally a POINT of ENTRY for therapeutic services.

EAP Counselling Services involve:

  1. Conducting a conversationally-based general counselling assessment of client needs
  2. Identifying and supporting any SHORT – TERM counselling goals (surface level & strategy-based)
  3. Identifying and offering clients appropriate THERAPY resources in either private or public sectors
  4. Closing the File once these activities are completed

The initial assessment determines whether or not there is a fit between the EAP program framework and the client’s needs. When client’s needs do not match, we immediately resource clients to the appropriate resource so that they can begin with the services that are best suited to their needs.

THERAPY usually involves:

  1. Opening a private file with Aspirations Inc. that can remain opened for as long as needed or required  (self- or professional- referred)
  2. Direct payment for services from clients, which they are then reimbursed by their insurance company (if applicable)
  3. Development of a deeper understanding of clients, their issues, their systems, their function or dysfunction
  4. Incorporating various methods of specialized treatment modalities that are collaboratively determined to support clients towards their goals
  5. Offering longer term continuity of care – many clients will re-visit their therapist over the years because they have established a trusting relationship with someone who already holds pertinent information about them. This continuity of care translates into a more immediate focus on the clients presenting concerns and more likely a quicker resolution.

How many sessions will I need?

We can’t put a time limit on how long it takes anyone to feel better. Therapy is not an exact science and there are NO quick fixes! Since the process of therapy often involves working through tough personal issues it can take less or more time than expected. Sometimes changes occur quite rapidly and at other times it can be slow and possibly frustrating. However, by staying engaged in the process it does produce change. We stay committed to your process until there is a collaborative agreement that it is no longer needed. I usually suggest clients to budget for 6-10 sessions, although the range of actual sessions needed to show improvement can vary and depends upon several factors. For example, client’s improvement in therapy has been related to the strength of the therapeutic relationship, the readiness and commitment of the client, and the amount of energy clients personally invest in their well-being outside of the therapy room. 

Is therapy confidential?

We strive to provide an emotionally safe and confidential environment. Generally, the law protects the confidentiality of all counselling or psychological services with a few exceptions. Disclosure of any identifiable information from any client file occurs only when clients have given written or verbal permission and usually involves clear conversations about the disclosure (what information, to whom etc.) The few exceptions to our confidentiality are:

  • If we suspect that a child is in danger or harm we have a legal obligation to contact Child & Family Services
  • If a client indicates harm to him/herself or another person, we may need to breach confidentiality to create safety. We prefer to have our client’s cooperation in such actions but we DO NOT need it in order to ensure safety. Safety of life is our priority.
  • All files have the potential to be subpoenaed to a court of law without obstruction
  • If you are seeking services covered by a third party, there may be more exceptions to confidentiality which will be fully discussed in your first session

Do you provide Phone or Video Counselling?

Yes we do! Both are possible. Note that phone sessions reduce the amount of information we have access to during session, so are more limiting in overall process. However, we have full capability to offer private and secure video sessions to our clients. When you book your appointment you can choose which modality you'd like for your session  - in person, video, or phone.

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