Calgary Mental Health & Wellness Centre

Psychologists & Social Workers providing counselling in Alberta and New Brunswick, direct billing available.

Your First Visit

How does therapy help?

Therapy offers a supportive and confidential environment where individuals can explore their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with the guidance of a psychologist. It provides a safe space to address and work through personal challenges, such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship issues. Through therapy, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of themselves, develop healthier coping strategies, and learn new skills to manage stress and emotional difficulties. Additionally, therapy fosters personal growth, resilience, and improved communication, leading to a more fulfilling and balanced life. By addressing underlying issues and promoting mental well-being, therapy can be a transformative experience that empowers individuals to make positive changes and achieve their goals.

Some specific skills therapy can provide are:

  • Emotional management, including, but not limited to anger, jealousy, grief, and depression.
  • Coping mechanisms to allow you to work through situations which typically cause you anxiety, fear, or avoidance.
  • Stress-management techniques to apply to deal with stress within your everyday life, such as with your job and family.
  • Skills and techniques to help you better navigate relationships, or to work through relationship troubles.
  • Problem solving skills for you to enact when you encounter issues which may typically have caused you to shy away or back down, such as social situations or public speaking.
  • Improving self-love, self-confidence, and body image.
  • Improving communication, listening, and the ability to speak up for yourself.
  • Understanding your own skills, strengths, and positive attributes and learning to quiet your inner negative critique.
  • Finding a resolution to the issues that originally led you to therapy, such as having panic attacks, or being unable to sleep.

While the decision to begin therapy is an individual choice, in many regards it may be helpful for everyone. There are a wide variety of reasons to begin therapy ranging from a diagnosed mental illnesses to help managing daily stress or a transitional period of your life.

What to expect on your first visit?

Our first visit is a time for us to get to know each other. During this session, I’ll learn about the areas of concern you’d like to address, understand what you want to gain from therapy, and discuss the type of therapy you’re looking for. We’ll work together to create a personalized plan of action that fits your needs and goals. I will ask questions to help me better understand your primary issues and concerns, as well as your history, including significant events in your life, family, childhood, and career. During this time, you can also get to know me and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Establishing a strong and supportive client/therapist relationship is foundational for effective therapy. The nature and quality of our relationship are key factors in achieving your therapy goals. The connection we build will help foster a positive and healthy outcome from the hard work you put into your happiness. Each client/therapist relationship will be unique, but some core values and themes apply to all sessions. You can expect the following:

  • You will be treated with compassion, empathy, respect, and understanding.
  • You will have someone available to listen to you and your interpretation of what you are currently experiencing.
  • You will receive knowledgeable and scientifically backed techniques and information to assist you in overcoming your mental health struggles.
  • You will arrive in a safe, supportive, and confidential space.
  • You will receive real strategies and techniques you can use to enact positive changes in your life.

From there, we will be able to better determine what type of therapy is right for you, what it will entail, and how it will fit into your day-to-day life.

Book now to schedule a free 20 minute consultation.

 

I look forward to getting to know you and helping you reach your therapy goals.


Is therapy confidential?

As a general rule, all therapy sessions are confidential and anything you discuss with your therapist will remain between the two of you, unless you request otherwise. This is as per protection rules by law, which all therapists legally need to follow, and no information from the session can be disclosed without prior written consent from the client.

There are exceptions to this law however, and the therapist can disclose information from the session to legal authorities or appointed persons if any of the following are true:

  • The therapist suspects abuse to a child, dependent adult, or an elder, or are made aware of domestic abuse. These situations all require the therapist to notify law authorities immediately.
  • If the therapist suspects an individual has caused, or is threatening to cause severe bodily harm to another person, therapists are required to report it to the police.
  • If an individual intends to harm himself or herself, expressing to the therapist for example, plans for suicide. While the therapist will attempt to work through this in the therapy session, if it appears to be unresolved or the client does not cooperate, additional action may need to be taken to ensure the safety of the client.

     

Websites for Therapists by TherapyTribe