Low Cost Psychology / Therapy / Counselling Edmonton - Sherwood Park
Firefly Counselling offers low cost therapy via our Provisional Psychologists. The Provisional Psychologists provide services at $110/hr, which is a 50% reduction from the suggested rate posted by the Psychologists Association of Albert. These therapy services may be online or in-person, based on client need. Availability of each type of therapist changes from time to time. Our clinicians offer a range of daytime, weekend, and evening in appointment spots to best meet client needs. All the therapists at Firefly Counselling are highly focused on providing supportive and productive therapy sessions. If you are unsure of whom to pick, please contact our main number and admin support will help you decide which of our low cost therapists is most likely to be a good match for you.
Finding affordable and low cost therapy, whether with a psychologist, counsellor, or general practice therapist can create a series of challenges.
Where to find low cost therapy?
Every Albertan has ‘free’ mental health therapy supports through Alberta Health Services (AHS). These services are paid for with your tax dollars. The therapist may be a psychologist, social worker, nurse, and/or occupational therapist. You can access this service by calling Health Links (811), and asking for a mental health referral. Health Links will arrange for a telephone intake appointment with you. At that telephone intake appointment you will be asked a series of questions about the reason you are requesting a mental health referral, where you live, and if you have any transportation issues. Based on the information provided they will either book you with a mental health therapist at one of the AHS clinics in the greater Edmonton area or put you on a waitlist. Generally Intake will book you with the nearest closest clinic to where you live. Waitlisted clients will be called once an opening with a therapist becomes available. This may be within a week, or could be several months away. Generally clients are not given a choice of who they want to see, or the treatment approach that will be used. If you attend your first appointment and are not a match for that clinician, you can call Health Links again, explain why you are not a match, and ask for another referral. Generally clients seen through AHS can get appointments every 2-3 weeks, although this may vary based on the severity of the mental health issue, and clinician caseload. The total number of sessions may be limited per year.
Some company provided benefits plans offer mental health services as part of the benefit package. This is often referred to as Employee Assistant Plans (EAP) or Health Employee & Family Assistance Programs (EFAP). EAP/EFAP services vary from a kind of “self help” approach of information websites and brochures, to telehealth or video therapy. Typically EAP/EFAP services are provided by large national and multinational companies such as Morneau Shepell, Homewood Health, HumanaCare, Aspir, etc…. Urgent or crisis calls are usually responded to immediately while other callers are matched with clinicians based on topic, clinician availability, and client schedule. You may get the same therapist you spoke with the time before, or an entirely new therapist. The therapist may be working out of a call centre, an office setting, or their home. Typically EAP/EFAP services are limited by number of sessions per year, although this can sometimes be extended depending on the contract between the client employer and the EAP/EFAP provider. Your therapist may be a psychologist, social worker, nurse, occupational therapist, Canadian Certified Counsellor, or master’s level student. Generally clients are not given a choice of who they want to speak to, although if you insist on a particular training level or certification and are willing to wait for an appointment, the EAP/EFAP may be able to provide you with a therapist who meets those qualifications.
Calling a crisis line will connect you with a therapist. These services are provided through government funding, not-for profit agencies and by public donations. While there is generally a fully certified therapist in charge (i.e. Registered Psychologist), many of the therapists staffing the crisis line centres are bachelor and master level students, crisis line trained volunteer counsellors, or more experienced mental health therapists who volunteer a certain amount of time to ‘give back’ to the community. Crisis lines are designated for those needing urgent supports. Callers who are not urgent, or wanting more regular supports are often referred to other services such as not-for-profit agencies offering mental health therapy, AHS Health Links, or private practices that have a sliding fee scale option.
Googling “low cost therapy” will generate a list of service providers who have those words somewhere in their webpage. That might be how you found yourself to this webpage.
What about walk in clinics and not-for-profit agencies?
Walk in clinics often focus on single session services. That is, there is no expectation that the client or therapist will meet again. Some walk in clinics will allow for a series of sessions but when ongoing services are warranted will typically refer the client to an alternate service provider such as AHS or not for profit agencies that provide mental health services. There is generally a fully certified therapist in charge (i.e. Registered Psychologist) of the clinicians at a walk in clinic, but most of the therapists will be bachelor and master’s level students who are providing services as part of their training practicums. Occasionally provisional psychologists also provide services as walk in clinics as part of their certification hours, along with more experienced mental health therapists who volunteer a certain amount of time to ‘give back’ to the community. Clients are generally not given a choice of who they will see.
Funding models for not-for-profit agencies that provide mental health services varies quite a bit. Most not-for-profit agencies will offer services at standard rates, and then a sliding fee scale option. The sliding scale is typically based on the client’s income and may offer some account taken for the number of dependents the client is caring for. For example, a client earning $50 000 per annum with no dependents may be asked to pay more than a client with the same annual income but several dependants. If you ask for the sliding fee scale guidelines for setting rates, the agency should be able to provide them to you. Not-for-profit agencies are able to offer sliding fee scale rates as many of their services are provided by Master’s level practicum students or Ph.D. Interns. For example, in Edmonton, Catholic Social Services or The Family Centre provide practicum, and internship placements for a range of mental health therapists. Clients are seen as spots become available in the clinician’s schedules. Availability may be daytime, evening, or weekend depending on the agency hours. Generally clients are not given a choice of who they will see. If a specific request is made to receive services from a Supervising Psychologist and the client is willing to wait for a spot to open up in the supervisor’s schedule, there is a chance to receive treatment from an Registered Psychologist at sliding fee scale rates.