Frequently Asked Questions

Everyone gets blue or feels worried from time to time. So at which point does low mood or worrying necessitate counselling? It’s quite simple: when it starts getting in the way of the things you want to do in life, the way you want to live or the way you want to feel.

We will being by addressing any fears you have about the counselling process. We start the process by telling the story of the where, how and with whom you grew up with. We want to hear about the major life events that have shaped who you are. There is no pressure to share. For relationship counselling, we’ll identify the problem and start by talking about how you began the relationship and what you remember from the early stages of forming a union and how conflicts and misattunements began arising.

Yes, with the exception of our duty to protect the public from harm and to serve the court, it is our ethical duty as clinicians to maintain the highest level of confidentiality and privacy for our clients. We follow the professional ethical standards enforced by the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC). All information that is disclosed to us, including your identity, status as a client, as well as information discussed in sessions will remain confidential.

If there’s trauma work involved, it’s normal for things to feel worse before it starts getting better. But you’ll know that you’re healing when you start feeling more empowered to speak your truth and tackle problems that you have been avoiding for a long time. You might start sleeping better or having more energy. You might start feeling less hopeless about the situation you’re in. You might feel less confused about what to think, what is right, what to do or other ontological issues. You might find that you’re able to let go of something or find acceptance. You might experience more harmony and flow in your relationships. You’ll feel the confidence to explore your unique sexual expression.

Counselling works best when appointments are regular and consistent. Most people start with seeing their counsellor weekly and gradually reduce the frequency as they start to heal. However, everyone has different needs. We will figure out a frequency schedule that works for you.

Individuals working through attachment trauma or that have too many moving variables in life prefer to stay with one therapist for the rest of their lives. We welcome that. Sometimes you’ll notice that your life journey is taking you in a different direction and you want a different kind of therapeutic relationship. That’s welcomed too.

According to research, couples should expect to be in therapy for about 10-20 sessions. However, individual differences apply.

Please have your intake form completed to the best of your ability prior to your first session. This will help gather your thoughts and set your intentions for starting therapy. The intake form is needed prior to starting therapy because it is where you will sign off on the consent to starting therapy.

Our rates vary from $74 to $295 for an individual session and from $118 to $445 for couples or extended sessions. Please check our most recent prices on our booking site https://anelegantmindcounselling.janeapp.com/#/list

Any credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express). We are a cashless business. Please note as our administrative team is fully virtual, sessions are charged to a card on file on the same business next or the the business day (M-F) following your appointment.

Kindly let us know 48 hours in advanced if you need to cancel or change your appointment to avoid the full session fee charge. Cancelling your appointment last minute may affect others who are waiting for psychological treatment. However, we understand that sometimes life happens and if there is an unexpected illness or emergency, just give us a call and we’ll sort things out. Please be mindful of others when canceling your appointment. Holding onto an appointment slot until the last minute might mean that someone else in need of services is not getting the help they need.

It depends on your extended health provider. You will need to check with your extended health insurance provider (e.g.: Pacific Blue Cross, etc.) to see if Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCC), or if Registered Psychologists are covered. Remember to keep your receipts! You will need to provide it for reimbursement. Unfortunately, we cannot contact your extended health provider on your behalf as non-account holders are not authorized to access your file. If your plan covers “Psychotherapist”, please educate and advocate with your provider to help them understand that this is an Ontario protected term to which the BC equivalent is RCC. If your plan covers “Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist”, please educate and advocate with your provider to help them understand that this is the same level of training as a Master’s level therapist, which is called an RCC locally.

Letters, Forms & Clinical Service (per hour unless noted)

• Filling out Ordinary Printed Form (e.g.: for insurance) - $160.00*/hr
• Short one page letter or less for any lay person (e.g. a government institution) - $160.00*/hr
• Short Summary of Facts report generally including symptoms, history, diagnosis and present condition - $160.00*/hr
• A Full report including record review, expert opinion and recommendations. Includes all of the facts for a summary report together with detail regarding opinion, prognosis, potential long term consequences and potential complications - $160.00*/hr
• Review of Records by clinician for the purposes of file transfer for treatment or similar $120.00*/hr

*= may range up to $335, depending on hourly rate of clinician, please check each clinician's rate.

Our practice bills at a minimum of 30 minutes to complete any Letters or Forms.

• Photocopying of Records - per page (8 1/2 x 11) $0.25
• Photocopying of Records - per page (11 x 17) $0.30

If you're looking to make a simple booking, calling (604-800-9285) or emailing (admin@anelegantmind.com) works just as fine. A credit card on file is required for all appointment bookings. If you have questions about our services, it's best to email us your question and someone will get back to you within 3 hours during business hours. Buuut the easiest way is if you see a therapist you're curious about, just book a free 15-min consultation in their first available timeslot on the easy online booking system, Jane.

We try our best to return all email inquiries within 3-4 hours!

Users of ketamine report the experience to be dissociative, and an experience in which you lose a sense of time. It can help with slowing down your thoughts and processing key moments in your origins of your psychological wounds. Ketamine typically does not produce any hallucinations or a state of unreality. Visions seen during Ketamine are through one’s own visualization capacities.

It’s a non-specific amplifier, which means that if you are in a negative mental state, it will intensify that. It can be helpful to have a therapist to ground you should you become triggered. And because Ketamine can help you recall key moments which became the seed for maladaptive emotional and behavioural outcomes, it can be tremendously helpful to receive psychological guidance as the realization is unfolding.

The first step is establishing a strong working therapeutic relationship with a psychedelic therapist. Book an initial consultation with one of our therapists to prepare for your journey. On the day of the medicine, bring a journal, special items to remind you of your intentions, and unrestrictive comfortable clothes that you will be able to move freely in.

The cost of each Ketamine injection session can vary between $580 and $900 for one session, depending on the number of treatments provided. There is an additional fee of (+$262.50/h) for the guiding therapist from An Elegant Mind, which is billed separately. This means you will be billed by two separate offices as the psychotherapy component is provided by An Elegant Mind (which you can submit to insurance) and the medical component is provided by the dosing site. These costs are before GST. Prices are subject to change. Please check with the administration for the most recent prices.

Yes! We are thrilled to offer direct billing for our Licensed RCCs, Angela Leong and Ashley Morris, to make your experience as seamless as possible and allow you to focus on what truly matters—your healing. We can now bill directly to a wide range of insurers, simplifying your path to wellness.

Insurers we direct bill to include:

• Alberta Blue Cross
• AGA Financial Group Inc
• Belairdirect (formerly Johnson Inc.)
• Beneva Inc.
• BPA - Benefit Plan Administrators
• Canada Life
• Canada Life - PSHCP
• Canadian Construction Workers Union
• Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance
• CINUO
• ClaimSecure
• Coughlin & Associates Ltd.
• Cowan
• Desjardins Insurance
• Equitable
• First Canadian
• GMS Carrier 49
• GMS Carrier 50
• GroupHEALTH
• GroupSource
• Industrial Alliance
• Johnston Group Inc.
• LiUNA Local 183
• LiUNA Local 506
• Manion
• Manulife Financial
• Maximum Benefit
• MDM Insurance Services Inc.
• People Corporation
• RWAM Insurance Administrators
• Simply Benefits
• TELUS Adjudicare
• Union Benefits
• UV Insurance

Please note that the amount covered per session depends entirely on your individual insurance plan and how much of your annual benefits have already been used. Most plans cover a set dollar amount per session, and any remaining balance will be charged directly to you.

While we can submit claims on your behalf, we don’t have access to your total coverage, remaining balance, or benefit end dates, as insurance providers don’t share this information with clinics. For this reason, we recommend checking directly with your insurer to understand your specific coverage.

It’s also important to confirm that your plan covers services provided by Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCCs). Even if your insurance information is accepted in our booking system, this does not guarantee reimbursement—some plans only cover psychologists or psychiatrists, so please double-check in advance to avoid unexpected charges.

For clients seeing our Master-Level Interns, direct billing will be available once they obtain their RCC registration. In the meantime, receipts can still be submitted to your insurance provider for reimbursement, as per your plan.

If you have questions about how direct billing works on our end, we’re always happy to help—and your insurance provider will be the best resource for confirming your exact benefits.