Counselling

We help people through struggles such as anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, relationships, and more.

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Areas of Focus

Stress management, panic attacks, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), phobias, social anxiety, health anxiety, mood, depressive episodes, dysthymia, bipolar disorder

Life transitions, integration issues, immigration & relocations, cultural differences, family conflicts

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), trauma (early childhood), abuse, loss of a loved one. 

Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), health problems, work-life imbalance, emotional overstimulation

Low self-esteem, body image issues, self-acceptance issues, and others such as self-defeating behaviour or self-injurious behaviour

Rebuilding trust, communication issues, fractured relationships, infidelity, resentment, reconnection

Is your specific issue not listed? Please contact us for more information.

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What We Offer

Any parent of a teenager knows that they have emotional ups and downs. It is perfectly normal for young adults to feel overwhelmed from time to time during this developmental phase in life. However, when you notice that your teen is having a difficult time at home or in school, we do recommend working with our Registered Clinical Counsellors. Common stressors include:

  • Divorce, separation or family issues can be a huge trigger for negative emotions. Some children have difficulties to cope with this major life transition and this can cause negative emotions such as sadness or anger, but might also lead to unhealthy behaviour patterns such as acting out or substance (ab)use. 
  • School pressure can also cause negative feelings, thoughts, and behaviours. Sometimes teenagers find it difficult to adjust to new schools, make new friends, or feel not ready to make future decisions. 
  • Bullying: It is very important to notify someone (the school or counsellor) when you notice that your child is being bullied. Counselling is an effective way to re-build their low self-esteem or address negative self-talk, and find a way to create healthy coping strategies when dealing with bullying. 
  • Sexuality: Development of sexual identity after puberty, and the transition into intimate relationships can be a time of confusion, anxiety, and self-doubt. Members of the LGBTQ community may feel further isolation that also requires resources & guidance.

Going to college or university means a major life transition – everything is new and sometimes it feels like you “need to start over.” Students find it hard to know what to expect and it is common that the transition from secondary school to college/university is perceived as highly stressful. Studying and preparing for exams are part of the stress, but other stressors can also include: the feeling of isolation, work-life imbalance, acute or chronic mental health issues, financial difficulties, cultural differences, fear of failure, etc.  At times, students tend to forget how important self-care is. During our sessions, we will look for healthy coping strategies which will help you feel balanced again.

We work with adults looking to improve their coping skills when dealing with major stressors, mental health issues or life changes/transitions. Counselling can provide you with new techniques or skills that can be helpful during daily activities, relationships, and career ambitions. Additionally, through counselling we will help clients to achieve personal goals, and gain a greater insight in your life.

Counselling focuses on helping couples resolve their problems or issues that may be plaguing them or causing distress. Counselling teaches new ways to communicate effectively, develops strategies to manage conflict resolution, explores techniques to cope with stress, and helps rebuild trust after the build-up of resentment or even infidelity. ​Couples therapists will often assign some homework where you can apply the new skills to your day-to-day interactions. The process requires a commitment to the (personal) work and is most successful when both partners are motivated to make changes. 

If you are an ICBC client, please contact the clinic first before booking online.

We bill ICBC directly for you!

Initial Appointment:

We require the following information:

  • Personal Credit Card Information
  • Claim Number
  • Date of Accident
  • Date of Birth
  • Personal Health Number
  • Adjuster and Lawyer names and contact

Once we have this information we will book you an initial appointment. Please note: initial ICBC appointments are billed at a different rate than subsequent appointments to cover documentation required from practitioners.

Aster Wellness is not responsible for coordinating claims with adjusters.

Coverage (GST included):

Counselling: ICBC covers $133.35 per appointment (up to 12 appointments total). A report fee is included in the cost of the initial appointment and is covered entirely by ICBC.

Clients are responsible for paying the following: any additional amount for the appointment not covered by ICBC, and for no show/late cancellation fees. No shows/cancellations are charged at the full cost of the appointment. These charges (including GST) are as follows:

 Treatment CostICBC PaysClient Pays
Counselling Initial (Report plus treatment)$247.80$234.15$13.65
Counselling Subsequent, 50-min$147$133.35$13.65
Counselling Reassessment (Report plus Treatment)$199.50$185.85$13.65

We will do our best to ensure clients get treatment extensions approved by ICBC before the end of their coverage. However, we do require cooperation from clients to make sure this process goes as smoothly as possible.

Timeline:

ICBC preapproves clients for 12 treatments of each massage and counselling. These treatments are to be completed within three months of the date of accident. Treatments that take place outside of this range may not be covered by ICBC

Client Responsibilities:

Clients should do their best to keep us updated on their current adjuster. This makes it easier to coordinate their claim coverage.

All clients are required to have their credit card on file prior to their first appointment.

We provide counselling sessions for families with a maximum of 3 members per session. Please contact us for more details. 

Virtual and in-person sessions

Our Registered Clinical Counsellors and our Student Therapists are offering virtual and in-person sessions. Appointments can be booked online, over the phone, or through email. When using our online booking you will notice that our treatments are shown as “online” or “in-person”. 

Once you have booked your appointment for a virtual session, you will receive a link closer to the appointment time which will allow you to log in to your Jane account and start the session. What do you need for virtual sessions?

  1. A private location
  2. A laptop, computer, or any device with video conferencing capabilities
  3. Good internet connection

Rates

Couples & Marriage Counselling

  • $170 +GST/50 minutes
  • $255 +GST/75 minutes
  • $350 +GST/100 minutes

Individual Counselling

  • $140 +GST/50 minutes
  • $210 +GST/75 minutes
  • $280 +GST/100 minutes

Affordable Counselling

  • $55 +GST/50 minutes

    Individual Counselling sessions with our Student Therapists
  • $82.50 +GST/75 minutes
  • $110 +GST/100 minutes
  • $95 +GST/50 minutes (RCC pending/interns)

Our Registered Clinical Counsellors

Our counsellors are all part of the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) and have a Master’s degree in counselling. 

Our Student Therapists
Affordable Counselling

Aster Wellness Centre is a teaching clinic for counsellors which include student therapists who are completing their practicum before graduating with a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology (or have graduated and are pending registration). Students provide counselling for those seeking affordable and reduced cost services and complete weekly supervision with the Clinic Owners, who are both Registered Clinical Counsellors. 

FAQ

Registered Clinical Counsellors have a Master’s degree in the counselling field while Registered Psychologists have additional training including expertise in assessments. If you are solely looking to do an assessment/obtain a diagnosis, we would recommend you to see a Registered Psychologist. 

Treatment is different for everyone as we are all unique. During your counselling sessions, there will be room to discuss your treatment plan.

Most insurance companies will cover therapy sessions with Registered Clinical Counsellors. However, we recommend you to contact your insurance to check if RCC’s are covered under your insurance plan. 

There are multiple ways to book an appointment. We have an online booking system which will show the counsellor’s treatments and availability. If you prefer to speak to someone over the phone, our office staff will be able to assist you. When reaching the voicemail, please leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Clients can also email us at info@asterwellness.ca