FAQ
Your Services page mentions that you have more than one location. Where does each therapist work?
Living Well offers sessions at five separate locations within Calgary, AB.
The following counsellors work out of our Kensington office located at 415 14th St NW.
Heather Nolin
Katherine Jarrell
Nicola Kassier
Emily Zhang
Khobi Attai
Jacqueline Van Starkenburg
The following counsellors work out of our South Location located at 11410 27 St SE.
Carrie-Lee Gibson
Celeste Rodrigues-Forbes
Daria Nechaieva
Jacqueline Van Starkenburg
Ian Seitz
Nicola Kassier
Rochelle Hughes
The following counsellors work out of our Inglewood office located at 39 – 35 Inglewood Park SE.
Katherine Jarrell
Cathy McCurdy works out of her private home office located in Silver Springs in NW Calgary, AB.
Anya Stang works out of her private office located in Varsity Estates in NW Calgary, AB.
Aziza Giga-Hirji is only available for virtual appointments at this time.
Shannon Baustad is only available for virtual appointments at this time.
I called but no one answered, is there a receptionist or therapist to take my call?
At Living Well, we understand that one of the biggest concerns individuals have about therapy is cost. As a result, we have worked hard to keep business costs down so that clients can get the help they need without paying standard therapy rates. Currently based on the PAA suggested rates, one hour with a Registered Psychologist is billed at $264. In keeping costs down (for example, by having part time reception), we are able to keep our hourly rates between $180 and $245 for a 60 minute session.
If you reach our voicemail, please leave a message, or fill out our Appointment Request Form for the quickest response. We seek to contact clients the same day as their request, at most within 24 hours. We appreciate your patience as we strive to offer high quality, and more affordable, services.
Therapy is going to cost more than I thought, now what?
Therapy is an investment in yourself. In the same way a physician or specialist is highly trained in their line of work for the physical body, our therapists are highly trained in helping clients with their psyche and lives. Countless people apply for positions at Living Well Counselling Services, but our founder, Jennifer Dawn Watts, handpicks some of the most inviting, non-judgemental, and skilled therapists with modern approaches to treatment to help you reach your goals. While some practices may offer lower rates, you can often end up working with an intern or resident with little experience.
We all invest in our homes, our vehicles, our vacations and our electronics, but it’s wonderful to also consider investing in ourselves. You are worth it.
Additionally, you may be able to receive assistance from your benefits plan or from a faith community should you belong to one. While these may only cover a portion of your sessions, we understand every little bit helps.
I am hoping to use benefits coverage for counselling. What do I need to know?
It makes sense you will want to use what you can from your or your partner’s benefits plan if you have coverage. At the same time, here are some important facts to consider as you move forward.
1) The credentials required for therapy vary by insurance company and plan.
Since there are so many plans available, we have no way to guarantee what will be covered under each individual plan. Please call your benefits provider to find out EXACTLY what credentials they require before submitting your Appointment Request Form. Most plans cover a Registered Psychologist but not always if you’re out of province, and a majority of plans cover Registered Social Workers as well. Some plans will also cover Certified Counsellors.
2) Note how much coverage you have. Some plans only cover $300 or $500 per calendar year.
Alternatively, some plans only cover 3 or 4 therapy sessions, which often isn’t enough to successfully reach your goals. If you have serious financial concerns and cannot afford a therapist’s full fees once your benefits run out, please discuss this with your therapist, and they can help to review options with you directly.
Do you direct-bill insurance companies?
Unfortunately, we do not offer direct billing at this time. Therefore, we do require payment up front, and then we offer you a receipt to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. This is similar to massage, acupuncture, and other health services.
I’ve called my insurance company and the counsellor I was hoping to work with is not covered, now what?
It is unfortunate that insurance companies still make such distinctions when all Living Well therapists have both Bachelor and Master’s degrees and similar levels of training. That said, here are some things to consider.
1) The coverage may be minimal anyway. If only 3 sessions are covered, you may want to instead choose to invest in yourself and your development with the therapist you feel would be the best fit. Studies show that 30% of why people improve in therapy is due to the fit between the therapist and the client. Therefore, it is very important you get to work with someone you desire to work with.
2) The therapist you want to work with may be more affordable in the long run. Therapists at Living Well keep their rates lower than average in order to help therapy be more affordable (click here for PAA recommended fee schedule). If you are paying a higher fee when benefits run out this may be tough to sustain in your budget. If you start with a lower fee, this may be more sustainable long term.
3) You may be able to use your health spending account. Many therapists are covered within a health spending account even if their particular credentials are not covered under Psychological Services.
4) You may choose to work with someone else who is covered. If the options above don’t sound like they would work for you, you may want to go through the profiles and choose a therapist that does have the credentials your plan requires. All of our therapists are chosen out of a large range of applicants and our founder is very specific in what she looks for in counselling professionals. You can have confidence in another choice, and you can also book a free 20-minute consultation to make sure your therapist is a good fit for you.
I want to see someone right away for therapy. What’s the quickest way I can get in to see someone?
The quickest way to reach us is by completing our Appointment Request Form as thoroughly as possible. Once submitted, it will be sent to our Intake Coordinator, who strives to contact you within 24 hours.
Do I need to start with a 20-minute consultation?
Do you offer 20-minute consultations by telephone or in-office?
Both. This varies by counsellors and available times. Please ask the therapist when they contact you, and they can let you know what they currently have available.
I have never been to counselling & am not sure if I need it. How do I know?
The cultural background I come from is not a Western mindset. Can I work on myself without losing my values?
Yes. If your values are important to you, they are important to your therapist. We have seen many clients from varying cultural backgrounds, and often they retain some of the best and unique gifts from their cultural heritage while letting go of other negative aspects of their life holding them back such as depression, relationship concerns, anxiety or addictions.
Counselling will always change us, but the goal is to become more of our true selves, not to lose ourselves all together. If your culture is important to you and you have concerns, please make sure to let your therapist know.
Living Well recognizes that in order to maintain their cultural background, some individuals may feel more confident conversing in their native language. For this reason, we do have counsellors offering services in multiple languages, including Ukrainian, Urdu/Hindi, Arabic and Gujarati.
The therapist I want to work with is far away from me and/or I have trouble finding a time to make it into the office. Are there other options?
Yes, several of our therapists offer telephone or virtual counselling. This can be great because you get to work with your preferred therapist and/or you may find it more convenient. You can start with a free 20-minute consultation to see if this form of therapy might be helpful for you. Many of our clients have truly enjoyed this new way of meeting together.
I can’t decide between therapists, could I try a free 20-minute consultation with more than one?
Due to the high demand for therapists’ time, we cannot offer more than one free consultation at this time. We suggest you choose the therapist that you feel would be the best fit, meet with them and if you like them you can go ahead and book sessions for treatment. If, for some reason, you don’t find them a fit, you can then email intake@livingwellcounselling.ca and ask for a transfer.
Why should I choose to work with Living Well?
Well, no one should tell you that you should do anything! But if you’re hoping to start to work on yourself, there are a few things that differentiate Living Well from other agencies.
1) We see clients for a full hour, rather than the industry standard session length of 50 minutes. This allows clients more time with their therapist instead of feeling rushed.
2) We book a minimum of 15-30 minutes between our sessions. Many therapists book their sessions ‘on the hour’ which means if a session goes slightly past the 50 minutes, you may be bumping into the therapist’s next client scheduled to go into their office. No one really feels great about that. Your concerns are meaningful, and deserve to be handled with care. A therapist’s work is also better when they have an adequate break in between sessions.
3) We don’t see a large number of clients in one day. We have limited the number of clients we see in order to make sure the work you receive is attentive and skilled, whether you are our first client or the last client in our schedule for the day.
4) We respect client’s spirituality. If you have spiritual beliefs these will be honoured and respected. And for those of you who don’t have spiritual beliefs don’t worry, this will be honoured and respected as well. Essentially we don’t push our own values on to our clients. What they believe, and the resources they have, are what’s most important to their treatment.
5) We aim to keep our rates affordable for you. The average Registered Psychologist rate suggested by the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta is $264 for a 60 minute session, and some therapists in the city charge more. We strive to keep our fees below this standard, even with our therapists that have over 20 years’ experience.
I have a question that wasn’t answered here. What should I do now?
The best way to reach us is to via email at intake@livingwellcounselling.ca. We strive to respond to inquiries within one business day and value your patience. If you have not heard back from us within a day or two at the most, then we suggest you follow up with a call to our office.