Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to questions you may have about starting therapy with us
Emergency Disclaimer
As a private clinic, we cannot address any emergency or crisis. If you are in a crisis or emergency situation, please call 9-1-1 or proceed to your nearest emergency department.
If you have thoughts of suicide or harming yourself – please get help immediately and call or text 9-8-8
What is psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is a collaborative process and you are the expert on your own life and experiences. As your therapist, we will use our education and experience to guide you through the process; however, you will have the ultimate responsibility to work toward your therapy goals.
What are some of the common symptoms that people who seek treatment have?
Individuals experiencing mental health challenges may grapple with a range of symptoms, e.g. intense emotions such as anger, fear, sadness, fatigue, excessive crying, and digestive issues. Anxiety and panic may be a response to stress, overthinking, and trauma.
Sometimes there is a loss of ‘self’ that coincides with a number of mental health challenges, and this could lead to struggles with low self-worth, self-confidence, and self-esteem, often manifesting as self-doubt and self-sabotage. Grief and loss are troubling events we cannot avoid in life, and often this can become complicated for a number of reasons. Relationships are often a source of stress and can include intimacy issues, lack of communication, infidelity, financial concerns, jealousy, or boredom, to name a few.
Feelings of guilt, shame, and inadequacy are often concerns that people seek treatment for. Loss of motivation, changes in interests and hobbies, sleep disturbances like insomnia and fragmented sleep are also concerns in which people seek support.
Workplace dynamics, potentially marred by bullying or a toxic environment, may create dissatisfaction with one’s career, burnout, or result in trauma.
Sometimes people notice changes in appetite, increased substance use, irritability and this is often connected with something that is happening in one’s life. Other times, people seek support for a sense of feeling disconnected, or they may have cognitive distortions, such as pervasive negative thought patterns that can become hard to manage. If you’re questioning your need for therapy, then it’s likely something is off and maybe when you ask this question, it’s time to reach out for support.
How do I book an appointment?
Look for the dark blue links on each page e.g. Let’s Talk, Book Now where these links will take you to our Jane App booking page to select your therapist of choice and book directly the type of session you are seeking. Or, go to our Contact page and complete a brief contact form and we’ll get back to you. Please note that the discovery call is a brief discussion to focus on the type of support you’re seeking and if it would be within our scope of practice. While the discovery call is a free session and will remain confidential, it does not constitute a client-therapist agreement.
Please note that anyone can self-refer, and a referral from another health discipline is not required to book an appointment. A discovery call is not required prior to booking a full session.
Is my information and what I share confidential?
Please be reassured that communication with Alivera is treated as private and confidential. We are bound by and uphold the code of ethics of our regulatory bodies and privacy legislation. However, there may be times when Alivera is compelled to make exceptions such as potential risk of harm or injury to self or others, or it is required by law.
As therapists, we often work in collaboration or consultation with interns or other therapists in the spirit of learning to continuously refine our skills, work through ethical dilemmas, and to help enhance service quality to our clients.
During consultation, we avoid using information that would identify our clients and use pseudonyms and other fictitious information to form a case summary that protects your privacy as much as possible. If you have questions about privacy, please let us know.
What services are offered?
Individual counselling sessions for adults, youth 12 and up, and couples are offered in-person or virtually via phone or through a secured video meeting platform.
How much does therapy cost?
There is one optional free 15 minute consultation. The ratefor individual counseling is $175 and couples therapy is $230. All of our MSW and RSW therapists are not required to charge tax. Due to the nature of some health disciplines, taxes are required to be collected. Please check with us if you have any questions.
What is the cancellation policy?
To book an appointment, you must provide your credit card information. Our cancellation policy is 48 hour notice and your credit card will be charged in full for no show appointments and for missed appointments made on the same day.
If arriving late by 15 minutes or more, your appointment will be cancelled and you will be charged the full rate. However, we may have some flexibility because we understand that some things are not within our control and we encourage you to contact us to make alternate arrangements in the event of unusual and unforeseen circumstances (e.g. medical emergency requiring hospitalisation, natural disaster).
How does payment work?
Option 1: The preferred method of payment is through e-transfer to: admin@alivera.ca
If self-paying, payment is expected 24 hours in advance of your scheduled appointment.
We use Jane App as our booking page, and when you book a session there is a field to plug in your credit card information which is stored through Stripe. Your credit card information is not accessible by Alivera.
Option 2: Pay by credit card. Stripe bills your credit card and sends you a receipt that you may use to submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement or retain for income tax purposes.
Please note that counselling therapy services are not covered by provincial health plans (e.g. OHIP, MSI, MCP). If you have extended health care insurance, please check with your provider to understand how your insurance coverage works. Please note that Alivera does not direct bill to private insurance companies at this time. With confirmed approval, we offer direct billing to provincial or federal agencies.
Coming Soon! Option 3: We are working on direct billing with insurance companies and hope to have this updated soon. When it becomes available, we’ll let you know.
How do I know if I have depression?
Depression is characterized by persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest that can impact how a person thinks, feels, and acts. Losing interest in normal activities could be a sign of depression. Other symptoms might include (but not limited to) fatigue, loss of interest or pleasure, difficulty making decisions, lack of focus or concentration, feeling hopeless or worthless, weight and appetite changes, avoidance of places or people. Psychotherapy can help you learn how to reduce stress, improve coping skills, and change negative thinking and behaviours.
What does anxiety look like?
Anxiety can be described as excessive worry that is rooted in our emotion of fear. Anxiety can be felt in several areas of life, for example finances, career, family, taking an exam, anticipating a difficult task. These worries can be minor or major concerns and depending on the severity of symptoms, your response to anxiety could be a physical reaction or emotional reaction.
Symptoms of anxiety can include agitation, loss of energy, difficulty in staying focused, irritability, muscular tension, difficulty sleeping. Therapy helps to unlock unhealthy thinking patterns and negative self-talk by reframing or challenging our thoughts and providing strategies for learning how to reduce stress and improve coping. Therapy can help to alleviate anxiety so that it doesn’t become debilitating, and help you control your emotions so they don’t control you.
What qualifies as trauma?
Dr. Gabor Maté, a world-renowned expert on trauma said that “Trauma is not what happens to you. Trauma is what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you”.
In other words, trauma includes a psychological wound where a person acts out of a pain perspective that hinders a person to grow and develop in a healthy manner. Trauma can make someone feel as if something bad will happen again. Trauma can occur in one event or in a series of events over time. A common result of trauma is PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder and symptoms may include flashbacks or recurring memories, irritability, nightmares, constant high alert or easily startled, unexplainable anger, isolation, withdrawal from activities normally enjoyed, mood swings, sleeplessness.
Psychotherapy can help with understanding your unique situation and help you with using learning strategies to express and cope with stress, as well as provide support for managing negative thoughts and behaviours, and difficult feelings.