Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions page! If your question isn’t answered here, please let me know and I’ll do my best to help you!
Nope. You simply have to e-mail info@dochaspsych.com or phone 780-446-0300 to set up an appointment. It is helpful to let your doctor know what’s going on though. Just sayin’.
Our hours are from Monday to Thursday and every second Friday for some of our practitioners. There is usually a practitioner in the office starting from 11:00 to 5:00 on Mondays a Tuesdays and 1:00 to 8:00 on Wednesdays and Thursdays. We have an amazing Office Manager who can answer your calls during the hours of 10:00-3:00 from Monday to Thursday. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays we don’t see clients. If you are calling your practitioner during their scheduled hours and they don’t respond, they might be in session. They will try to return your call as soon as they are available. On Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays we do not check messages (either e-mail or phone). So if you are trying to contact your practitioner during those times, they will return your message as soon as possible after the weekend. If it is an emergency, please call 9-1-1, the Crisis Centre (780-482-4357), or go to your nearest emergency centre. During holidays, your practitioner will leave a colleague’s contact information for you so that, if anything comes up, you can still connect with someone.
Make an appointment on the Contact page.
You may cancel or manage appointments through the Jane app account.
At your first session, you will be asked to fill out some paperwork. Then, when we are sitting down together, we’ll go over an ethical spiel to make sure we both know what we’re agreeing to. After that, we usually ask you the story of you or do a more formal intake. We won’t get through all of that in the first session, but that’s ok. Basically, the first session is us talking together to figure out if we have the skills to be of service and if you want to work with us. That’s it!
YES!!! This is something we take seriously. As part of the consent process, we do clarify when this promise might be broken (if you indicate serious risk of harm to self or others). As well, we do consult with other practitioners to improve care, BUT any identifying information is NOT shared. In cases where insurance is involved, we discuss what information is disclosed and when. In addition, note-taking during sessions meets all PIPA/HIPAA requirements.
Our fees reflects our education, experience, and guidelines set out by the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta. Even with that said, we know it can be hard. The way we’ve thought about our own therapy is that it is an investment in health and therefore, absolutely worth it! Nonetheless, our fees are:
190.00 – Registered Psychologist
150.00-180.00 – Provisional Psychologist
150.00-190.00 – Couples Counselling (Provisional Psychologist or Registered Psychologist)
Sliding Scale – Counsellors/Practicum Students if available
Portion of the rate for letters or correspondence needed
At the current time, Registered Psychologists are able to direct bill for Medavie Blue Cross (Veteran’s Affairs, RCMP, active military members, and National Blue Cross), Alberta Blue Cross, ASEBP (the teachers’ plan), Green Shield, multiple plans covers under Telus Health, WCB, and more. Provisional Psychologists are able to direct bill with Green Shield and Alberta Blue Cross/ASEBP. Both types of practitioners can bill with car insurers in case you are coming for an insurance claim.
For anyone with benefits, whatever the plan doesn’t cover is paid by the client at the end of the session.
Some providers (Sun Life and Manulife, for example) prefer that the client submits claims to them and have worked hard on their portals to make it easier for you to submit and be reimbursed quickly.
For anyone else without benefits or not covered by someone we can direct bill with, it means you will receive a receipt for your payment that you then submit to your insurance provider or save for taxes at the end of the year. Let us know who you are covered by and we’ll do our best!
Because we believe the therapeutic relationship is the most important thing, I’ve asked myself these questions: • Can I trust him/her? • Do I feel safe with him/her? • Does he/she seem genuine? • Will he/she be honest with me and can I be honest back? • Does he/she have the knowledge or experience with my issue? • Does he/she have the knowledge to be flexible (like with variety in approaches, strategies, open to your experience)? • Can he/she treat me like an individual and tailor therapy to me, or will I have to fit how he/she practices? Note: if you have to fit them, it’s not the right fit for you. • Can my friends who know me best recommend someone who might be a good fit for me?
Don’t be afraid to shop around. Call therapists you are thinking about seeing to get a feel for them before booking an appointment. The questions above are questions we’ve asked when searching for our therapists, but they may not be most important to you. At the end of the day, trust yourself and what you think or feel about it.
Please e-mail us at info@dochaspsych.com to let us know of anything you’re still wondering about that wasn’t answered above!