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Living Well Counselling Services offers a wide range of mental health services through a team of highly experienced therapists including Registered Psychologists, Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, and Certified Professional Counsellors. These professionals are committed to helping clients navigate relationship issues, life transitions, and mental health concerns to improve their quality of life. With over 15 years of dedicated service, Living Well has built a strong reputation for providing high-quality care. Their services include individual therapy, couples therapy, family counselling, and trauma therapy, all aimed at addressing life challenges and domestic violence, among other issues.
Jennifer Dawn Watts, the clinic’s leader, is a prominent therapist, speaker, and podcast host who has fostered a therapeutic approach centered around empathy and support. Having experienced the need for therapy herself, Jennifer has created a supportive environment that prioritizes respect and non-judgment for all clients. Her leadership has allowed Living Well to maintain a focus on delivering personalized therapeutic relationships and exceptional care rather than expanding into a larger, less intimate practice.
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Living Well provides a comprehensive range of psychological services tailored to meet the specific needs of individuals, couples, and families. Their offerings include individual counselling, family counselling, couples therapy, and trauma therapy. These services are available both in-person and through online counselling, ensuring flexibility for clients with busy schedules or those who prefer the convenience of remote therapy.
Specialized areas of therapy include support for relationship issues, life transitions, depression therapy, anxiety therapy, and cognitive therapy. The therapists at Living Well draw from a variety of evidence-based therapy types, such as Emotion Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy, ensuring that each client receives the best possible treatment for their individual needs. For children and adolescents, Living Well also offers services to children that include art therapies and play therapy, tailored to their developmental stage and emotional needs.
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Many clients of Living Well have shared their positive experiences. For example, one client noted that their individual counselling sessions with Heather Nolin significantly improved their self-confidence and personal growth. Another client, D.Y., credited therapist Beverly with helping them work through life challenges related to work stress and low self-esteem. Clients have also praised the clinic’s ability to create a therapeutic relationship built on trust, which has led to their overall quality of life improving.
Booking and Consultation
Living Well simplifies the process for new clients by offering a free 20-minute initial consultation. This allows potential clients to meet their therapist and determine if the therapeutic approach is the right fit for their needs. Whether opting for person therapy in the clinic or online therapy, clients are assured that their comfort is a priority from the beginning. Living Well also offers direct billing to several insurance providers, making it easier for clients to focus on their mental health without being burdened by complex insurance coverage or health plans.
Locations and Privacy
Living Well prioritizes client privacy and comfort by operating smaller clinic locations in North, South, and Central Calgary. This structure allows for greater confidentiality and a more intimate, supportive atmosphere, unlike the often overwhelming environment of larger clinics. Clients can also choose online counselling, allowing them to access therapy from the privacy and comfort of their homes.
Professional approach to therapy
All therapists at Living Well are fully registered with their respective governing bodies, including the College of Alberta Psychologists. Their team is composed of highly qualified Registered Psychologists, Certified Professional Counsellors, and Registered Social Workers. Living Well is dedicated to maintaining the highest professional standards in the profession of psychology, ensuring that each client receives top-tier care. They also use an eclectic approach to therapy, meaning therapists may combine different therapy types based on the client’s unique needs, further enhancing the effectiveness of their treatment.
Next Steps
To schedule a counselling appointment with a Registered Psychologist, Counsellor, visit Living Well’s website to fill out the appointment request form. The clinic’s team of psychologists, family therapists, and counsellors are ready to provide support for a variety of issues, including relationship challenges, life transitions, trauma therapy, and domestic violence. Living Well’s experienced therapists are here to help clients overcome mental health concerns and improve their overall well-being, whether through individual counselling, family counselling, or couples therapy.
Choosing the Right Type psychologists and therapists
At Living Well, the focus is on finding the right type of therapy for each client. Whether clients need individual counselling for personal growth, family counselling to address family dynamics, or couples therapy to resolve relationship issues, Living Well’s experienced therapists draw from a variety of therapy types to ensure the most effective treatment. These include well-established methods such as Emotion Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy, among others. For more complex cases involving life challenges like domestic violence or trauma, therapists may use a more eclectic approach—blending different therapeutic techniques to suit the client’s needs.
The Importance of Strong individual therapy
Research has shown that the success of therapy largely depends on the therapeutic relationship between the client and therapist. At Living Well, therapists place a high emphasis on building trust, ensuring that clients feel understood, respected, and comfortable sharing their personal experiences. This therapeutic relationship is particularly important when working through sensitive topics like trauma therapy, relationship issues, or life transitions. Living Well’s compassionate and highly trained professionals are skilled at creating a safe, non-judgmental space that promotes healing and growth.
Online Counselling Options with a structured approach
In addition to in-person therapy, Living Well also offers online counselling as a convenient option for those who cannot attend in person. This option allows clients to access services for individuals, couples, and families from the comfort of their homes, making therapy more accessible for people with busy schedules, mobility issues, or those who live in more remote areas. With online therapy, clients still benefit from the same high-quality care and wide range of therapy types, including Solution-Focused Therapy, cognitive therapy, and more.
Tailored Support for Specific Needs In Alberta
Living Well offers specialized assessment services to evaluate the mental health and well-being of individuals dealing with various challenges. These assessments help guide the selection of appropriate therapeutic interventions, whether it’s individual counselling, couples therapy, or family counselling. The clinic also works with various insurance providers to ensure that clients can take full advantage of their insurance coverage or health plans. This means clients can focus on their healing journey rather than worrying about the financial aspects of therapy.
Your Journey to Wellness
If you’re ready to start improving your quality of life, Living Well Counselling Services is here to help. Whether you’re dealing with relationship issues, navigating life transitions, or working through mental health concerns, the clinic’s team of dedicated therapists is ready to support you every step of the way. They offer compassionate care through both in-person therapy and online counselling, giving you the flexibility to choose the best setting for your needs. With their profession of psychology expertise and commitment to helping people overcome life challenges, Living Well is a trusted partner in mental health and wellness.
To take the next step, visit the Living Well website or call their office to schedule a free 20-minute initial consultation. Their experienced therapists are ready to work with you, providing the support and tools you need to navigate life’s challenges and live a more meaningful, fulfilling life.
Where are Living Well Psychologists, Therapists and Certified Counsellors located?
Living Well Counselling Services in Calgary understands the significance of mental health. That’s why we provide Individual Therapy and Couples Therapy facilitated by our team of Registered Psychologists and Experienced Clinical Counsellors. Our services are designed to be accessible, with extended hours and a range of options including in-person sessions, online therapy, phone counselling, & talk therapy.
The majority of our therapists are all based in Calgary, Alberta with the exception of a few who offer online services only. Each offers a wide range of therapy types to serve you best.
We know that proximity to your experienced therapist can be helpful in greater convenience so Living Well offers several smaller locations in Calgary as opposed to one large agency. The other benefit to this is privacy. We keep our offices smaller in locations with greater confidentiality so that you don’t need to experience the uncomfortable feeling of sitting in a waiting room with a large group of people.
Our Living Well North location is in the beautiful community of Kensington. Our North location is in an incredible character home originally built in 1919. Previously used by a team of doctors, the owner/retired doctor has renovated the house which is his pride and joy. This location is warm, inviting and ideal for North Calgary residents. It currently has Registered Psychologists, Provisional Psychologists and Certified Professional Counsellors. This location currently has daytime, evening and weekend appointments available.
Our Living Well South location is in the heart of Douglasdale. We know our South clients love the South! And so do our Southern Calgary Psychologists and Counsellors that work there. You will find us located on the upper level of the smaller building next to the Douglasdale Professional Centre with tastefully decorated offices and a warm welcoming feel. This location currently offers daytime, evening and weekend appointments.
Our Living Well Central location is our smallest office with the greatest amount of privacy and is in the SowBow building. This location currently has two Psychologists and one Certified Counsellor and is currently available for daytime only appointments Monday to Saturday 8am to 6pm.
We also have two small offices in the Northwest communities of Varsity Estates and Silver Springs with daytime appointments as well.
How Do I Choose which Therapist I Want to Work With?
We understand that it can feel overwhelming in looking for the right person to help. Therefore we have a few options to serve you best.
One option is to fill out our Intake Form by clicking on the upper right hand button on the top of each page or by calling our main office at 403.695.7911 and leaving us a voicemail. Once you’ve reached out to us your request will go straight to our Intake Coordinator and we will respond within 24 hours, often the same day.
Another meaningful way to choose a Psychologist, is based on how you feel about a person’s profile. If you click on the Our Therapists page you can see each person’s picture and if you get a strong feeling toward one therapist or another. Sometimes this intuition can be helpful. If so, you can click on their profile to see what areas they specialize in and if this suits what you’re looking for. It can help to have a few options since the therapist of your choice may be full and too long of a wait, but this can still be an additional way that clients find the person they are looking for.
A third way to choose may be based on Location (North, South or Central) or the preference for Online Counselling.
Here are our where our therapists are located:
Living Well North Calgary
Beverly Reed – Senior Registered Psychologist
Heather Nolin – Registered Psychologist
Katherine Jarrell – Registered Social Worker
Jacqueline Van Starkenburg – Registered Provisional Psychologist
Living Well South Calgary
Carrie Lee Gibson – Certified Professional Counsellor
Celeste Rodrigues-Forbes – Registered Social Worker
Daria Nechaieva – Registered Provisional Psychologist
Jacqueline Van Starkenburg – Registered Provisional Psychologist
Ian Seitz – Clinical Counsellor
Living Well Central Calgary
Katherine Jarrell – Registered Social Worker
All therapists above offer online counselling in addition to in office appointments.
Online Counselling Only
Jennifer Dawn Watts – Certified Professional Counsellor
Aziza Giga-Hirji – Senior Registered Social Worker
Shannon Baustad – Registered Psychologist
Which Type of Therapist is Right for Me?
Research has shown there is one factor that is more important than anything else in choosing which type of therapist is right for you. It is not therapy types they offer. It is the one you feel most comfortable working with and can build a strong relationship with. A major reason why people improve in therapy is based upon the Therapeutic Relationship or Therapeutic Alliance a person has with their Counsellor or Psychologist. Even if the therapist you choose to work with has great training, experience and techniques, or uses something proven to be effective such as Solution Focused Therapy, if you don’t feel comfortable with them will be nearly impossible to open up and to share, or to collaborate on your goals. That’s why we ensure we offer a free initial session to anyone seeking our services. By looking at your therapists profile, understanding their areas of strength and then taking the time to meet with them, you should get a good sense as to whether this is someone you feel comfortable working on your goals with. If for any reason your therapist is not a fit, we will find you someone else that you can connect with – whether it is inside or out of our practice. The most important thing to us is that you get the best possible help for your needs.
What Can Living Well Therapists Help With?
Living Well therapists work in a wide range of areas including life transitions, relationship issues, personal growth, mental health services, quality of life concerns, circumstantial difficulties, domestic violence, life challenges, mood disorders, attention difficulties and behavioural difficulties.
What Type of Therapy Does Living Well Use?
Many Living Well therapists use an Integrative Approach or Eclectic Approach to treatment. The type of therapy will depend on whether they are offering Individual Therapy, Couples Sessions, Family Counselling or Therapy for Children. There are a variety of therapy types for each and often an Integrative Approach, or some may describe this as an Eclectic Approach, is best.
For Individual Therapy therapists will use one type of therapy such as Solution Focused Therapy, Cognitive Therapy, Behavioural Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Art Therapies, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and EMDR amongst several others.
For Couples Therapy we may use another, such as one of the top three highly recognized and research based forms of treatment for solving relationship issues and for increased quality of life. These include The Gottman Method, Emotional Focused Therapy and Imago Therapy.
For Children one of our Experienced Psychologists may use one of the forms of Art Therapies or Play Therapy. From Children to Adults Living Well offers an eclectic approach of the best therapeutic techniques from non-judgmental experienced therapists to serve Calgary and the surrounding area.
What is the Difference Between a Psychologist, a Therapist, A Counsellor and a Social Worker?
The term therapist is a term that is not governed by a regulating body and is used to describe all of our counselling professionals at Living Well including Clinical Psychologists, Counsellors and Social Workers. Another common catch all phrase is the term clinician.
That said, there is a difference in the degrees and governing bodies that oversee Psychologists, Counsellors . Psychologists get Masters degrees in Psychology or Counselling Psychology. Their training and testing is the most rigorous in which they must complete 1600 supervised hours, multiple exams including the oral exam, the LEAP and the EPPPs. The EPPPs are the most difficult and they are often not passed on the first or even second attempt by even the best Psychologists. This test would be comparable to passing the bar in law school. Psychologists can fulfill a variety of professions including research, education and counselling in a psychology practice.
Certified Counsellors are professionals that have completed a Masters as well, often in Counselling or Counselling Psychology. Counsellors then often completed an internship and/or residency where they fulfill hours of supervised practice. While Certified Counsellors may not have the same level of testing and supervised hours before becoming registered professionals, their education was solely focused on Counselling itself. Unlike Psychologists that may go into a variety of professions, Counsellors become Counsellors only.
Registered Social Workers are those that work in the Social Work field and receive a Bachelors or Masters in Social Work. They go on to a variety of helping professions often seeking to make the community a better place. Social Workers are some of the hardest working, self sacrificing people that can work in difficult jobs such as the foster care system or supervising parental visits of those with significant challenges. Living Well chooses Social Workers that specialize in Counselling. Due the their wide variety of experience helping people that are often under resourced, our therapists are extremely skilled in helping you with tools that will help you reach your goals.
Is In Person Therapy or Online Therapy Better for Me?
The majority of our therapists offer both online therapy or in person apart from those listed above. What it comes down to is person choice.
The Benefits of In Person Therapy
In person therapy means that you will meet your Clinical Psychologist, Counsellor at one of our Calgary offices. These sessions are in our smaller clinics which are in locations that are carefully selected for client privacy and comfort. At Living Well we have chosen to avoid large clinic spaces for increased comfort and confidentiality, as well as professional office spaces that have comforting decor as opposed to a more clinical or medical feel. We invest a great deal in choosing the space for you to meet with your therapist and we get feedback from countless clients of how nice our offices are decorated. These are all done by our owner, along with Karen McNeil, a long time friend and very talented and loving soul. Our space itself is healing for many people.
Additionally by meeting in person this helps free many clients from the isolation of our community starved lives. Especially after the pandemic it can be beneficial to meet your therapist face to face and to share a room with their empathy and compassion. Even the smallest steps out of the house to move toward your goals are powerful in creating change. Many people feel better after doing so.
The Benefits of Online Therapy
For some clients, online therapy is what is needed. This can be for a variety of reasons including:
Time – Many of our clients are very pressed for time. Online therapy can be a convenient way to take a break for one hour, often using benefits that were going unused and could be invested for increased well being. Clients will meet us on their lunch break or after work as a way of bettering themselves without it feeling like too heavy of an additional commitment. It’s a great way to get started when leaving the house or adding more to your plate feels like too much.
Childcare concerns – for single parents without additional support or couples seeking house, online counselling can be a great tool of support. In these cases we often suggest waiting until the children are in bed for scheduling sessions or if they are older making sure you have a private and quiet space to meet. This allows for the best results.
Distance – Some clients live further from our offices and it can be difficult to drive in especially during the winter. Or we do have some clinicians, like our Founder, that has worked with clients all over the world. There are times when a local therapist isn’t enough to meet the needs of the client in some difficult cases and online therapy is an incredible tool to bring the skilled professional to the person in need.
Whether you choose In Person or Online Counselling you will have access to Experienced Psychologists, Counsellors that use research based therapy types including solution focused therapy, CBT, ACT and others to build healthy relationships and to lead more satisfying lives.
Is Every Therapist at Living Well Counselling Calgary Registered?
Yes. Every Clinical Psychologist, and Counsellor at Living Well is Registered with a Governing Body. It is important to us to offer quality over quantity so we have chosen not to grow into a training centre and strictly work with professionals who are already registered and come with experience in their chosen designation. If you are hoping for benefits coverage with a registered professional, please refer to your specific benefits package to take not of whether you are covered with Registered Psychologists, Social Workers or Counsellors.
What are my Next Steps to booking with a Living Well Psychologist, Social Worker or Counsellor?
To schedule a free 20 minutes Initial Session or to receive help choosing a therapist that may be right for you, please click on our Appointment Request Form on the top right hand corner of the page. Please make note of whether you are requesting Couples Therapy, Therapy for Children, or Individual Therapy. We strive to respond to all requests within one business day. It is very important to us that you have excellent care from your initial contact. If you need any additional assistance please call our main line by leaving a message at 403.695.7911. From Children to Adults, we are here to help and offer a wide range of therapy types from our Experienced Team to help you live a more meaningful life.
Psychologist Calgary
Living Well Counselling Services
4803 Centre St NW #4, Calgary, AB T2E 2Z6
(403) 695-7911
Living Well Counselling Services
415 14 St NW, Calgary, AB T2N 2A1
(403) 695-7911
Living Well Counselling Services
39-35 Inglewood Park SE, Calgary, AB T2G 1B5
(403) 695-7911
Living Well Counselling Services – Counselling Calgary
Located in: DOUGLASDALE PROFESSIONAL CENTRE, 11410 27 St SE #30B, Calgary, AB T2Z 3R6
(403) 695-7911
Psychological Services in Calgary, AB