Many people benefit from accessing the perspective of a trained professional who can help you get information and explore an area of your life you would like to change. Counselling can help you improve your wellbeing and learn new coping strategies for day to day stressors.  Our counselling focuses on your strengths, what is important to you and you gaining a deeper understanding about the changes you want to make for yourself.  You will leave with an action plan based on the next steps you that you want to take.

It is simple -Walk into our office or call our phone line at 780-464-4044. Counsellors are available to speak with you over the phone, over online video (Microsoft Teams) or in person.

All participants start their FCS visit by being welcomed and answering a few questions, whether over the phone or in-person. This information is shared with the counselling team, and a counsellor is assigned to provide a session.

Counselling services are available Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. or Tuesday and Thursday 1p.m. to 8 p.m. Consent for service, basic demographic and information about your situation will be collected. Our counselling will  focus on the strengths, hopes and ideas of each participant and to provide resources and suggestions for next steps.

Microsoft Teams is an online video conferencing software that will be used for FCS video counselling. Follow the instructions to access MS Teams here

The counsellor will send you a link to join them on Microsoft Teams to your email. You will need to have Microsoft Teams downloaded to your device (see question 3). Take your device to a confidential, quiet, comfortable space for your session. The counsellor will go through some forms with you before you begin.

Plan 60 for your session from start to finish.

Our fees are “pay what you can afford.” This means your session fee can be anything between free ($0) and $150. On average, people pay $32 per session.

The counselling team consists of regulated health professionals who are qualified to provide counselling services. Their experience and training in mental health, family dynamics, parenting stress and other issues allows them to provide services with compassion and skill.

Yes. Your information is kept confidential and is only accessed on a need-to-know basis. The County is subject to the Access to Information Act and the Protection of Privacy Act.

It is required by law to report identified abuse/harm to a child under the age of 18 or if there is a reason to believe that a person’s life may be in danger.

Our counsellors are legally obligated to comply if court-ordered by a judge to appear in court through a subpoena.

If you have questions or concerns about these limits to confidentiality, please bring them forward to your counsellor or ask to speak with the program manager.

Our counselling model is designed so that it is not necessary to see the same counsellor and yet you continue to receive the benefit from each counselling session.  There is no need to worry about "starting from the beginning" or retelling your story because we have access to notes from your last visit.  Besides the reason you may be coming this time may be different from the last time.

Consistently, our participants tell us they are surprised that seeing different counsellors each time didn’t end up mattering – they got the support they needed regardless of if they saw the same counsellor as last time or not.  Some even tell us it is great getting different perspectives.

Our counselling model allows people to access counselling when they need it without experiencing the long delays that are often associated with appointments. If today’s the day you want to make a change, give us a call or walk-in. 

Research has shown the benefits of including the children’s parents / caregivers in the action plan increases the likelihood of making positive difference for the child. As such, it is our practice to include parents in finding a solution and co-creating an action plan to address the challenges experienced their children. We see children and youth in person only.

If your child is under the age of 16 and you have a joint custody agreement, the other parent must consent for the child/youth to attend counselling unless explicitly stated otherwise in the parenting agreement.  This will need to happen prior to the session. The parent or guardian must remain in FCS while their child is here. 

Please email us at familyandcommunity@strathcona.ca or call our office (780-464-4044) with any questions.

Yes. You are welcome back to continue your progress or with new challenges.