Considerations & Fees
~ Child & Teen Therapy ~
To make the most of your therapy experience at Begin, there are a few things you should know prior to scheduling your first appointment.
Informed Consent for Therapy Services
Consent is a dynamic process that serves as the foundation of all therapy services at Begin.
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At start of your first appointment, your clinician will gather important information regarding the nature of your visit, including your reason(s) for seeking treatment and the goals you seek to achieve. Your clinician will describe the treatment techniques that may be utilized to support you on your counselling journey (e.g., CBT, EMDR) so you can make an informed choice as to whether the proposed treatments are right for you. You will be invited to ask questions, and to share any hesitations you may have about counselling, including how you feel about receiving virtual services.
While virtual therapy offers many important benefits, including receiving services in your own comfortable environment, it is important to consider possible limitations (e.g., ensuring you have a private space to talk, a secure internet connection, and access to a reliable webcam). As with all technology, things don't always work the way we want them to, so your clinician will ensure an alternate form of communication is available to you (e.g., phone call) should your therapy service experience an unexpected disruption.
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Additional aspects of informed consent will also be discussed with your clinician, including likely benefits/risks of treatment, mutual responsibilities, confidentiality protections and limitations, how crises and emergencies will be managed, and how your service will be documented, including therapy notes and other documents you may require (e.g., reports submitted for insurance purposes).
Your clinician will also ensure you know that you may withdraw consent for treatment at any time, and that consent will be revisited whenever a new treatment approach is suggested to ensure you are comfortable moving forward.
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Informed Consent - Special Considerations for Minors
(age 17 and under)
When you reach out for therapy services for your child or teen, informed consent involves the same process as it would for adult clients, but with a few extra very important steps.
At the start of your child or teen's appointment, their clinician will ask you to share the reason(s) for seeking treatment (from both your perspective and from that of your child), and the changes you hope to achieve. Sometimes, your clinician will ask to speak with you privately to gather historical information; alternatively, it may be helpful to have both you and your child or teen present for this part of the session...whatever makes you the most comfortable is the right way to go!
Depending on your child or teen's age and needs, you and/or your child may wish to remain present for some, most, or all of the therapy session. Alternatively, your child may experience greater benefit from meeting with their clinician privately. Either way, it is important to know that as your child's parent or guardian, you have the right to withhold or withdraw your consent at any time. Ongoing conversations about your child's needs during therapy (including who is in the room with them for sessions) will also help to facilitate an effective treatment plan going forward.
For separated/divorced parents/guardians, it is also important to provide your child's clinician with any court-related documentation. If a custody and/or parenting order is in place, informed consent must be obtained from all required parties before therapy services for your child or teen is able to proceed. Should one court-appointed parent/guardian withdraw consent after counselling has started, your clinician must discontinue working with your child upon receiving such notice.
Fees for Therapy Services
At Begin, therapy services are provided at a rate of $220 per session. A credit card is required at the time of booking. Fees are due at the time of the scheduled session.
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Note: Effective January 1, 2025, the fee for service will increase to $235 per session, as recommended by the Psychologists' Association of Alberta's updated fee schedule.
*Begin's Therapy Service rates are consistent with the Psychologists' Association of Alberta suggested fee schedule per 50-minute session.
Cancellation & Rescheduling Policy
Your appointment time is reserved especially for you. While we understand that unforeseen circumstances arise from time to time, we have a Cancellation and Rescheduling Policy in place to help us meet the scheduling needs of all of our clients.
As such, Begin requires at least 24 hours' notice for cancellation or rescheduling requests. Without a minimum of 24 hours' notice, a $125 late-cancellation or rescheduling fee will be applied to your account and charged to the card on file. Under extenuating and rare circumstances, Policy fees may be waived at your clinician's discretion.