Frequently Asked Questions

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Many times counselling and psychotherapy are used interchangeably to describe the same process - helping people to overcome personal difficulties and to work toward positive change.  The Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) states that "counselling is the skilled and principled use of relationship to facilitate self-knowledge, emotional acceptance and growth, and the optimal development of personal resources." In Ontario, psychotherapy has recently been added as a controlled act under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991.  The Psychotherapy Act, 2007 says that "The practice of psychotherapy is the assessment and treatment of cognitive, emotional or behavioural disturbances by psychotherapeutic means, delivered through a therapeutic relationship based primarily on verbal or non-verbal communication ."  You can read more about the practice of psychotherapy in Ontario by clicking here to visit the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario CRPO website.

Facilitator, educator, guide, helper, explorer, coach ... These are some words used to describe what a therapist does with their clients.  People who come to therapy usually have a problem or concern - we call that the presenting issue.  From there, the therapist works with you as you define your goals for therapy and the therapist will decide what the best approach will be.  Therapists are trained and experienced in different approaches which can be used by themselves or in combination to provide the best outcome for the client.  Regardless of the approach used, working with a therapist allows the client to express difficult feelings such as anger, resentment or fear.  They also help the client to examine parts of themselves or their life that are difficult, or help them to explore how and why they react the way that they do and how to change behaviours that create difficulty in their life.  It's important to note that therapy is NOT about telling the client what to do or giving advice.

The first step is to contact Evans Family Counselling and Psychotherapy by sending an email* (marta@evanscounselling.ca) .  We will schedule a quick consultation by phone to see if we're a good fit for the problem you are experiencing and what you are looking for. You will be  provided with general information about appointments, fees, and availability. This process usually takes about 20 minutes.

* Please note that email is not secure and as such you should send general inquiries only.  A phone number must be provided in order to complete the consultation process. 

Once you have scheduled your first appointment, you will be asked to complete an information/intake form and consent forms, all of which will be sent to you via email.  At the scheduled appointment you will meet with the therapist who will review the information you provided on your intake form, assess what your needs are, and get some more background information from you.  This first meeting is usually scheduled for 80 minutes. 

In subsequent meetings, you will typically meet with your therapist for 50 minutes.  Your therapist will likely take a holistic approach in understanding your situation and how it impacts you, and in understanding different aspects of your life (such as social functioning, physical health, relationships, work, family, support systems, etc.).  Sometimes it takes a couple appointments for the therapist to develop a clear appreciation of the difficulties and whether Evans Family Counselling and Psychotherapy would be a good fit for you.  During this time, you can also see if your therapist is somebody that you want to work with.

At some point near the beginning of therapy (i.e. the first or second appointment), you and the therapist will collaborate in setting goals for therapy.  At each subsequent appointment the therapist will work with you to help you to achieve these goals.  Sometimes homework may be assigned for you to complete before your next appointment.

Questions from you are welcomed at any time!

Evans Family Counselling and Psychotherapy also offers individual counselling appointments via telephone or video.  More information about this is found under the Services section.

Unfortunately OHIP does not cover psychotherapy.  Some insurance companies cover services provided by a Registered Psychotherapist (RP) or a Canadian Certified Counsellor (C.C.C.) - please check with your insurance provider for your coverage information and speak to your therapist for information about how to make a claim. 

The work that psychotherapists and clients do together is kept private and confidential.  There are a few limitations to confidentiality which may occur under special situations – these will be outlined to you by the therapist on the consent form at the beginning of therapy.  Your therapist is bound by the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice through the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association CCPA, and the Professional Practice and Jurisprudence for Registered Psychotherapists/Code of Ethics through the transitional College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario CRPO.

There may be times where it makes sense to share some information with other individuals, for example, sharing information with a healthcare provider (e.g. your physician).  When this happens, your therapist will discuss it with you and you will sign a special consent form to allow the sharing.  

Your personal information is stored securely and your information kept private in accordance with current privacy legislation PHIPA.

Internal Family Systems believes that the mind is naturally multiple, and this is a good thing! IFS helps to identify parts of your inner system, understand why they do the things that they do, while helping more vulnerable parts to heal so that we can be more integrated and whole. It has been called a "powerfully transformative, evidence-based model of psychotherapy". IFS is useful for working with clients with a variety of symptoms including anxiety, depression, OCD, trauma, etc. This is my main area of practice.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps individuals to develop psychological flexibility through acceptance that life comes with a full spectrum of emotions that we must tolerate and by connecting to the values that matter most to us.  Many times we spend a lot of energy trying to suppress, manage, and control emotional experiences and this creates unnecessary challenges and suffering.  Mindfulness skills are taught as part of ACT to help individuals develop distress tolerance and the therapist also helps the client to live in ways that reflect their personal values.  ACT can be useful for a wide variety of presenting issues and difficulties such as anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship difficulties, etc.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of PTSD (see www.EMDRIA.com for more information). EMDR has also been used successfully to treat other mental health problems and somatic symptoms. In simple terms, EMDR helps the brain to integrate traumatic or disturbing adverse life experiences in an adaptive manner which reduces symptoms and distress.

Family Systems Therapy believes that individuals are best understood by assessing how the family interacts with each other, and the family is viewed as a whole system.  In this type of therapy, family relationships, patterns, and rules are explored.  The client's problematic behaviour is understood in terms of how the system (the family) functions.  The premise with Family Systems Therapy is that if you change one part of the system this will result in change to other parts.  Family Systems Therapy is particularly useful when working with at-risk youth and their families, and with addictions.

There are many other techniques or methods, but the majority of psychotherapists do not claim allegiance to only one therapeutic school or method.  Instead most psychotherapists practice from an integrative approach that utilizes the right method with each client at a given moment in time.