Frequently Asked Questions

Our therapists work out of two different locations and each location has a different door code. Your therapist will provide you with their office address and door code. Please make a note of both prior to your appointment, as googling the address might lead you to the wrong location! West End Therapy's phone number is a message line only and we do not have admin staff on-site. Please contact your therapist directly if you need assistance. 

Some of our therapists are accepting new clients and some are not. This changes fairly regularly. Please visit our "Currently Accepting New Clients" page to see who currently has space.

 Please visit Our Rates page here. Therapy is now tax-exempt and taxes will not be applied to session fees. 

We accept debit, credit and cash on-site. Cash in exact amount is required as there is no cash on site. For online sessions, we offer E-transfer and PayPal options. 

• Please check your insurance plan to determine if your therapist must have a specific designation in order to be covered. 

• If your plan covers therapy with a licensed counsellor or therapist, a Marriage and Family Therapist (MMFT), or a Registered Social Worker, please let us know and we can match you with a therapist who will be covered by your plan. 

• All of our therapists are covered by Canada Life. Most of our therapists are registered with Manitoba Blue Cross. 

• Some of our therapists are registered with other insurance providers, including SunLife, First Nations & Inuit Health Branch and Medavie Blue Cross.

We do not direct bill to insurance providers. 

All of our therapists have specialized training in the practice of psychotherapy and are licensed with a professional body in Manitoba. 

We believe that finding a therapist that is a good fit for you is one of the most important aspects of a successful therapy experience. Often this is influenced by how you feel during your appointment. All of us either consciously or unconsciously ask ourselves if we feel “seen”, heard and valued as a person, in most every interaction that we have. Feeling understood and accepted by your therapist is vital to your progress in therapy, and research indicates that the therapeutic relationship accounts for about 50% of the effectiveness of therapy. So, we encourage you to shop around in your search for a therapist, until you have found someone you feel is a good fit.

Therapy is a process! It takes time to get in the groove so you can get the most out of it. Usually the first session is an 'information gathering' session, and your therapist will ask a lot of questions and take notes, and you'll begin collaborating on your goals for therapy. Although you should find the first few sessions helpful, you and your therapist are still familiarizing yourselves with each other, setting the stage for productive therapeutic work. If you develop a good therapeutic alliance and you feel ready for change, you can expect to make progress on your therapeutic goals in the 'working phase' of therapy. Over time, once you've achieved what you've wanted to, therapy comes to an end or you may decide to continue meeting, but less frequently, to support maintenance of the progress you've made. 

The frequency and duration of therapy depends on a number of factors: what you are wanting to work through, as well as constraints on finances and time. Your therapist can discuss this with you and provide some recommendations. Most people find it useful to attend on a weekly or biweekly basis initially in order to establish some traction, and then space sessions out over time. Therapy may be short-term or long-term depending on the severity of the distress you are experiencing, how that distress is affecting your daily life, and what you want to achieve in therapy. Lastly, some people find that talking through issues helps them to process them, while others discover that therapy isn't for them, and that's ok. If the therapy process is useful to you, let that help to guide you in how long you wish to attend for.

Recovery and healing typically involves integrating more than one approach. Talking to a therapist is just one aspect of growing and creating change in your life. Other pieces of your overall wellness plan might include:

• Building social connection and sense of belonging to a community

• Self-help through books, in-person or online groups

• Taking care of the body - balanced eating, sleep, rest and movement

• Psychopharmacological and naturopathic treatment

• Alternative medicine and healing

• Spiritual beliefs & practices

• Expression through creative arts