Frequently Asked Questions

Counselling is for any individual who feels overwhelmed by their emotions and would like to speak with a trained professional to sort out their feelings, and get clarity. These emotions may include a pervasive sense of sadness, hopelessness, spinning out of control, or panic, causing distress and dysfunction. Today there are more people seeking help from counsellors than at any time in the past, and counselling no longer has the stigma it had in the past.

Counselling is a collaborative effort, requiring both the client and the therapist to be fully involved in the therapeutic relationship for the benefit of the client. Whatever your reason for seeking counselling, counsellors and therapists are trained to respond to clients in a respectful, authentic and helpful manner without criticizing, blaming, or judging. The therapeutic relationship is based on trust and acceptance, and our objective is to help you achieve your therapeutic goals, so that you can experience living a fuller and more authentic life.

Innova believes that we all have the resources that we need to be all that we want to be. You may not believe that you have these resources, due to years of believing yourself unworthy or incapable. Such deeply ingrained beliefs have held you back from achieving more than what you have already achieved. Hence our job is not so much to fix you, but to help you identify and access resources within you, and to break down barriers that are standing between you and the life you desire and deserve.

Taking responsibility is key to achieving improved mental health. We would also recommend that you consider the following to benefit the most from counselling:

• Arrive on time for scheduled appointments
• Establish achievable goals jointly with your therapist
• Be prepared to work during and between sessions
• Be open and be willing to explore uncomfortable aspects of your life
• Be honest with your therapist, but more importantly, be honest with yourself
• Be committed to therapy, to achieve a healthy and positive mental well-being

Our professional fees are in accordance with recommendations made by the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors. Fees are as follows:

For individuals: $135 – $150+GST for a 50-minute session

For couples: $150 – $180 +GST for a 50-minute session

See our Fee Page for additional information

As we are registered with our respective Colleges and Associations, we are pleased to inform you that we are covered by most insurance companies. We highly encourage our clients  to check in with their insurance provider before starting counselling. It would save you time and money to take this step.

We cannot direct bill any insurance provider, except for ICBC.

We are registered with several third party payers, including Autism Funding, the Crime Victims Assistance Program, the First Nations Health Authority, and other private payers.

Please give us a call to check if we are registered with your provider. If we are not, we can register with them.

When discussing your therapeutic goals with your therapist, a timeframe may be established in which to achieve your goals. However, such a timeframe may not work in situations where psychological issues have accumulated over a long period of time, and are pervasive and more difficult to treat. In such cases, it is difficult to put a timeframe on therapy. On the other hand, individuals who are willing to work hard on their issues, will enjoy the benefits of therapy much sooner than those who retreat to known and comfortable, but dysfunctional, ways of being.

Sometimes it takes a bit of shopping around to find the right pair of shoes that fits us comfortably. For most people, it takes a few fittings of different sizes and styles before we find a pair that is just perfect for us. Looking for the right therapist is not a dissimilar process. There are many different theories of psychotherapy, and most therapists are equipped with a range of skills and tools to choose from. This, and the therapist’s personality, breadth of life experiences, cultural insights, etc, are just a few factors that determine if a therapist is right for you.

If you do not find the right therapist at Innova, we would encourage you to reflect on what’s not working, and share your thoughts with us. We are connected to a network of therapists and counsellors, and we will be happy to help you in this regard.

We have Registered Clinical Counsellors, Registered Social Workers and Registered Dietitians working out of our offices in Vancouver, Coquitlam and Maple Ridge. We also have counsellors working virtually.