How to start therapy in BC

If you have thought about therapy or counselling but don’t know where to get started, here are some helpful tips for finding a therapist and getting started with therapy.

Look into any benefits coverage you might have.

If you have a benefits plan, call and ask or look in the benefits plan to see what your options are:

• Ask what types of service providers they cover (common ones are psychologist, social worker, psychotherapist, clinical counsellor).

• Ask how much coverage they provide each year.

  • Most therapists are ‘private pay’, meaning they don’t bill your insurance for you. Instead, they will charge you after the session. You pay the therapist, and then you take the payment receipt and submit it to your benefits company for reimbursement

If you don’t have benefits, and the cost of therapy is an issue then you can ask a therapist if they have a sliding scale where they offer lower session rates.

The other option is to look at low-cost or free options available in your province.
Here is a link to free or low-cost options in BC,

Make a list of therapists you want to consider

Here are some things to consider when you make your list:

1. Know if you want in-person or virtual sessions (or both)

2. Know what kind of therapy you might want

Places to search:

1. I often refer people to look at Psychology Today (click ‘Find a Therapist’), as you can filter your search criteria. Keep in mind, not all therapists are listed on there

2. Google counsellors or therapists in your area

3. Google counsellors who work on the subject or the type of therapy you are most interested in.

4. You might also want to ask friends and family if they know of a good therapist. This is how I found my own, through a friend’s referral.

When you find a therapist who offers what you are looking for:

• check out their website or social media to get a feel for their style and the topics they often work on.

• check out their booking calendar to see if they offer hours that work for your schedule.

Contact the therapist

Here you have a few options:

1. You might want to email the therapist any questions you have for them

2. You might want to book a free consult call.

   Most therapists offer a free consult call. This is a chance for you to share a bit of what you want to work on, and ask them any questions about how they work.

   It is a good time to share anything that does or doesn’t work well for you in therapy. (Consider some of the points discussed at the end of this post)

   The goal of this consult call is to see if you both feel it would be a good fit.

3. Get started and book a first session. If you feel like the therapist checks most of your boxes, and especially if they don’t offer consult calls, book in that first session together.

A good fit with your therapist is the most important thing about therapy work. Some say it is even more important than the type of therapy or tools they use. You want to find a therapist you can connect with and be honest with.