You DO NOT require a referral to access psychological assessment or mental health counselling. However, we do encourage you to talk with your doctor about your symptoms and about your intention to access therapy. It is beneficial if your health professionals can work collaboratively (with your consent). There may be circumstances in which mental health symptoms are caused by hormonal or physiological ailments, so collaboration can be key. Add an answer here.

We do! We are happy to provide online therapy. Online Counselling is provided through a secure connection that can be accessed from the comfort of your home or work. All you need is a private and confidential space and a good internet connection. We have found many benefits and conveniences for clients accessing counselling online. It can provide increased confidentiality and privacy, it saves travel time and it allows for people to access services from rural and remote areas that might not otherwise be able to access support.

Finding the right Psychologist is a very important part of the process to accessing therapy. You want to ensure that the Psychologist has the skills required to meet your needs and is a good fit for you. We are happy to provide a Free 20 minute Telephone Consultation to ensure a good match. You can book that consultation by clicking “BOOK NOW” button at the top of each page. If you have further questions and prefer email, feel free to send us a text 403 783 1854 or an email.  

During the first session, you and your psychologist will meet one-on-one to discuss what to expect from counselling. In that conversation we will discuss confidentiality and privacy, the pros and cons of accessing counselling, and we will ensure we offer what you are looking for. We will begin the therapeutic relationship, initiate the assessment process and and start to identify goals for therapy. This is your time to ensure that your psychologist/ counsellor is a good fit for you as well. So feel free to ask lots of questions.  

There is quite a range in service fees from $100.00 – $235.00 per hour. It depends upon the qualifications of your provider and the type of interventions you are seeking. Many people can access coverage for therapy fees through their benefit plans and all counselling costs with a registered professional are tax deductible as a medical expense. 

Yes! There are several team members who are approved providers for NIHB, FNIHB. We are proud to offer Culturally Sensitive Counselling at no cost to you. We have Indigenous Counselllors and Staff who are well versed in Indigenous Psychological Services, the impact of Indian Residential Schools, Indian Day schools, Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and the Impacts of Intergenerational Trauma. Incase you are wondering, we are happy to do all the required paper work for you and with you.  We are honoured to walk with you and support you in all stages of accessing support. 

Yes! We direct bill to a wide variety of Health Insurance Companies. We direct bill to Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB), First Nation, Inuit Health Benefit Plan (FNIHB), Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP), Alberta Blue Cross, Medavie Blue Cross, Canada Life, Manulife , Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan (ASEBP), Maximum Benefit, Green Sheild, Victim Services and several others. There are some companies that do not allow us to direct bill (Sunlife) but our services are still covered by those companies when you submit independently. Feel free to give us a call or book a free consultation if you want to discuss your specific health benefit coverage. 

Sort of. Because we do not wish to inquire about your income for the purposes of accessing counselling, we do not offer a true sliding scale arrangement. We DO, however, offer low cost counselling services provided by practicum students. We are also open to having a conversation with you if you are struggling financially and accessing counselling would cause further financial hardship. This can be explored in the consultation session. We may connect you to funding sources or alternate free services if that seems most appropriate for your personal situation. 

Currently we require 24 hours notice to cancel your appointment, otherwise you are responsible for the full cost of the missed appointment.  For example, for an appointment on Friday at 3pm, you would need to let us know of your intention to cancel by Thursday at 3 pm.  

There are multiple ways to cancel your appointment: 
– you can call or text the mainline 403 783 1854
– you can sign into your client portal and cancel your appointment. 
– you can leave a voice mail on the mainline 403 783 1854

Your therapist has reserved a time just for you!  We want to ensure that we can help as many people as possible, so notice is required for us to call clients who are on our waitlist.  

We do know that life happens, emeergencies and illnesses arise suddenly.  If this is the case, please telephone us as soon as possible.  The therapist will determine if the cancellation policy will be utilized.  

It depends on your coverage and insurance provider.  Please check with your provider directly to determine coverage for you and your family.  Also consider that psychological fees qualify as a medical expense credit on your personal income tax return.  

Assessments generally address a specific referral question or concern raised about an individual’s functioning (e.g., does my child have a learning disability? What are my child’s strengths and weaknesses so I can help them? Do I have PTSD? Do I qualify for support under PDD or AISH or Disability Tax Benefits? Is this anxiety or is something else there?). Assessments take between 6-12 hours of time, some of which is spent directly with the psychologist.

Therapy (or counselling), is the process of gaining more insight and understanding yourself and others to improve relationships, live freely, and find solutions to specific problems. During the first session, your therapist will review consent with you, answer any questions you may have about counselling, and complete an intake of your personal history to help you develop goals and areas of focus in your sessions. Unlike assessment, counselling is not time-limited with a final meeting date. It is ongoing until it is decided that counselling has been completed or support is no longer needed.

Yes!  All of our mental health professionals are Licensed (In Canada we use the term Registered) and Insured.  We are very proud to be a Multi-disciplinary Team.  So there are several different Professional Registration Bodies represented.  College of Alberta Psychologists, Alberta College of Social Workers, College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses, Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.

We are happy to answer any questions! You can book a free telephone consultation to ask more questions or feel free to call, or text us at 403 783 1854.  You can email us at admin@mckinneypsych.com with any outstanding questions. We know it takes a whole bunch of courage to take this first step and we want to make it as easy as possible for you.