Frequently Asked Questions

Everyone’s experience is unique. But the main thing to know is that speaking with a counsellor is different from talking to a friend or family member, however close or trusted they may be. A qualified, professional therapist is uniquely able to provide different perspectives and the right tools to overcome the specific issues you’re facing. We support your mental health and wellbeing and try our best to provide an unbiased perspective, providing feedback on what we’ve gleaned through actively listening to our clients

By working with the right counsellor, you can expect to feel a sense of increased comfort and confidence with the process itself. As your ability to embrace the (sometimes uncomfortable) process grows, you become better able to explore your feelings, leading to the kind of clarity required to properly identify, address, and even solve problems as they arrive. Often our role is in reframing things so that what our clients already know to be the answer can become clear to them.

Many clients identify an increase in self awareness, self esteem, and positive coping strategies after engaging in the counselling process.

When you arrive at Peak Resilience, you’ll be offered tea or water and a comfy seat. In our first session, we’ll start by reviewing your informed consent form, which outlines the counsellor’s background, what counselling is, and confidentiality. This conversation is meant to be a collaborative one so that we can begin to tailor our therapeutic approach to you. We know that one of the most reliable predictors of a successful therapy experience is a strong therapeutic relationship between client and counsellor.

Some people like to come in and talk freely without much interruption from their therapist. Others may feel intimidated by this format and prefer more structure or direction. What your session looks like is up to you.

Most people seek relationship counselling to address conflict management, communication, quality of connection, trust issues, or a specific damaging event such as infidelity or betrayal. Some people seek this kind of counselling as a way to maintain a healthy partnership, or in order to preempt unforeseen issues down the road – not because there is something they’re identified as needing to be addressed. Relationship counselling is applicable for relationships between romantic partners, family members, friends, or colleagues.

Initially, the process for relationship or family counselling differs slightly from a one-on-one session. In these cases, we spend the first few sessions identifying areas you’d like to improve in your relationship together. During this, we’ll all align on each other’s boundaries and establish “ground rules” for our sessions to ensure that discussion continues in a respectful, supportive environment.

And, while all of our counsellors are happy to work with you individually to explore issues in your relationships, only certain therapists work with more than one person in a session. Also, if ever you’d like to attend counselling with more than one other person, (eg. multiple family members, or multiple partners) please contact us before booking your appointment so we can ensure the counsellor(s) of your choice meet your needs.

Great question! There are countless models of psychotherapy. While everyone is unique, all of the counsellors at Peak Resilience use therapy models that are evidence-based and speak to the strengths of each individual client.

We all practice from an intersectional feminist lens no matter what model of therapy we are using. We focus on empowerment and insights as opposed to prescriptions and advice-giving. We’re on a constant quest to understand how different forces of oppression affect your mental health, relationships, career or school functioning and general wellbeing. We treat from a holistic perspective, which means we discuss your mental and emotional health, as well as your social life, spiritual life, and physical health. While we’re not physical health practitioners, we’re happy to make appropriate referrals when helpful.

If you’re more interested in our specific models of therapy we utilize, please see our bios to learn more, or reach out directly.

At Peak Resilience, we help people deprogram themselves – to shed the harmful beliefs that are the byproducts of our patriarchal, capitalist, colonialist society. For men, these limiting beliefs could be around what masculinity is, leading them to internalize the idea that they have to look and act tough, and not talk about their feelings. Women can feel that their primary role is to care for others, often above or even instead of themselves. These scenarios are fairly limitless, and are often compounded for members of targeted populations such as the BIPOC LGBTQ2S+ communities.

We’re constantly striving to better understand the depth and breadth of the impact that systemic oppression has on an individual level as well a societal one. The oppressive forces that could be affecting your mental health, relationships, level of functioning, and general wellbeing are myriad, and include sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, fat-phobia, classism (among so many others). Our practice supports people through an intentionally intersectional feminist lens to ensure we’re sensitive to these forces while working to dismantle their effects.

While we are actively anti-oppression, we recognize many of our team members benefit from one or more of the unjust systems at play within our society. It’s an uncomfortable truth, but one we are committed to understanding and unravelling in order to elevate diversity, fight for social justice, and strive for equality. We know this will be a lifelong process for us. And, like with all marathons, we know it will be challenging, but we’re up for it and in it for the long haul.

Many people are confused when discussing the differences between the designations. “Counselling”, “therapy”, and “psychotherapy” are all terms that refer to talking through your issues or concerns with a trained professional using various models of therapy.

In British Columbia, a Registered Clinical Counsellor must meet the requirements of the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC). Registered Clinical Counsellors help people understand and solve problems affecting their quality of life. They must have a Master’s Degree in psychology and meet many other stringent requirements for continuing competency and ethical conduct. All Registered Clinical Counsellors are unique in their mode of therapy, so it’s important you determine which one will best suit your needs and fit with your personality. Please see the Scope of Practice on the BCACC website to learn how RCC’s practice. The cost of therapy with a Registered Clinical Counsellor can range from $110-$180 per session. Many extended health care plans cover some or all of these fees.

Registered Psychologists are licensed through the College of Psychologists of British Columbia and must have a PhD. They administer psychological tests, diagnose mental health disorders, and perform psychotherapy. The cost of seeing a Psychologist ranges from $150-$220 per session. Some extended health care plans cover this cost.

Psychiatrists are medical doctors that specialize in Psychiatry after graduating with their MD. In addition to performing psychotherapy similar to Registered Psychologists and Registered Clinical Counsellors, Psychiatrists often prescribe medications to help their clients control mental health symptoms. Referral to a psychiatrist can be obtained by your family physician. If you don’t have a family physician, here is a list of physicians accepting new patients. Seeing a psychiatrist is usually covered under MSP.