FAQs

Counselling sessions can involve many different things depending on your goals. Sessions are always collaborative and can include education, skill development, processing of emotions, developing personal insight, etc.

Yes we do! With people being so busy these days, we recognize evenings and weekends work better for some. That being said, these spots are limited and you might be able schedule an appointment sooner if you’re open to day time appointments.

How many sessions you need will depend on a number of factors such as your goals for counselling, previous counselling experience, and the particular issues you are experiencing. It might be as few as a couple sessions, to longer term counselling, depending on the pervasiveness and severity of the issue you are dealing with.

Occasionally people prefer to start with weekly sessions, eventually reducing down to every other week once they gain some momentum. However, more commonly people choose to meet for counselling every other week.

The therapeutic approach will be a collaborative decision based on the issue you’re experiencing, your strengths and interests, previous counselling experience, and clinical considerations such as which type of therapy is identified as effective for a particular issue.

At this time, to ensure the safety of everyone involved, Sentience Counselling is only offering online counselling services via Jane’s secure practice management platform. Should this change in future, you will be notified.

You don’t require a referral for counselling services with Sentience Counselling – just fill out the contact form below to see if we’re a fit for you.

Sentience Counselling accepts payment for services via credit card or email money transfer.

At this time Sentience Counselling does not direct bill. Following receipt of payment, you will be provided a receipt to submit for reimbursement to your insurance provider.

Although a friend can be a wonderful source of support, and are often someone you feel safe with and can trust, sometimes leaning too heavily on our friends to provide support can leave them feeling overwhelmed.

Similar to a friend, a counsellor also provides a safe and confidential environment for you to share what is going on for you and feel heard. The difference is that a counsellor is trained in therapeutic interventions to support you in working through the source of the problem you are dealing with so that you might move through, overcome, or learn to cope with the situation.

Jane uses industry standard security controls that align with the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) and/or the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Although industry standard measures to protect your information are employed, no electronic communication can ever be completely secure. You can do your part to protect your personal information by setting a strong password and by keeping your username and password confidential.

You can find more information on Jane’s privacy and security policies here.

Although there are many potential benefits to counselling, such as improvement in mood, job functioning and ability to cope with stress, there are also potential risks.

• Counselling can leave you feeling emotionally fatigued at the end of a session – especially if the session involves processing of emotional trauma or grief. Your counsellor will talk with you about self-care you can do to support wellness on these days.
• There is a risk that our relationships will be impacted when we identify the need to change our own behaviour, such as learning to set boundaries for ourselves and for the people in our lives.
• Specific to online counselling, although Sentience Counselling utilizes a platform that aligns with privacy legislation, no online communication is ever 100 % secure.
• Sometimes there are subtle elements of communication that are missing with online counselling, such as eye contact and some body language.
• There is a risk for technology failure, however your counsellor will plan with you regarding how to reconnect should this occur during session.