Psychological services are not covered by British Columbia’s Medical Services Plan (MSP), unfortunately. However, your treatment may be partially or fully funded through one of the following funding services:

Extended Health Benefits - If you or a family member have extended health benefits, check with your insurance company (e.g., Pacific Blue Cross) to find out whether it includes coverage for psychological services with a registered psychologist, and if so, how much you are allotted per year. In the event that you have coverage, you will be billed directly for services and then you can request reimbursement from your insurance company.​

Crime Victims Assistance Program (CVAP) - You may be eligible for partially funded services through CVAP if you or an immediate family member have been victim or witness to violence, including physical and sexual abuse. Call 1-800-563-0808 and speak with a Victim’s Service Worker who can answer questions and offer assistance in applying for CVAP.

​

Military/Veterans & RCMP - I offer direct billing through Medavie/Blue Cross for RCMP and members and veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces. 

Step 1:     The first step to starting treatment is to reach out to me by completing the contact form or to call and leave a voicemail briefly describing the concerns for which you are seeking treatment.  I aim to reply within 2 weeks regarding availability for services.

Step 2:     If I have availability at the time, we will set up a free 15-minute call so that I can learn a little more about you and the issues for which you are seeking treatment, answer any questions about my services, and determine if there is a good “fit” between us. Sometimes there will not be a good fit depending on many factors including (but not limited to) difficulties aligning our schedule for treatment sessions, the issues for which you are seeking treatment are not within my scope of practice, and/or you may be better suited for a different treatment or treatment with a different provider. Therapeutic fit between therapist and client is an important factor in therapy being effective.

Step 3:      If there seems to be a good fit, I will send you some forms to review and complete and we will schedule a 90-minute intake assessment session wherein I will collect information about your history, current issues/symptoms, and strengths and provide you with my diagnostic impressions and initial treatment recommendations.

Step 4:     At the end of the intake assessment session, if you’d like to proceed with treatment and there continues to be a good fit between us, we will set up a first therapy appointment.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a scientifically supported form of psychotherapy that works by helping individuals develop skills to become aware of the relationship between thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, and to change emotions by learning thinking and behavioural skills. Thinking skills in CBT includes learning to look for evidence that may be contrary to one’s initial thoughts and long-held or core beliefs and expanding awareness to include additional information that may not be easy to see when one is “stuck.” Behavioural skills in CBT work by trying new behaviours, which provide opportunities to experientially learn new information that may have been keeping one stuck in painful emotions and ineffective thinking and behavioural patterns. Certain mental disorders are most effectively treated with more structured CBT (e.g., session by session plan, worksheets, and skill practice) including obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and certain anxiety and depressive disorders.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based approach originally developed to support individuals struggling with overwhelming emotions, self-harm or suicidal behaviours, and other coping strategies that interfere with living well—such as substance use, avoidance, or frequent conflict in relationships. Since its development, DBT has been successfully adapted for a wide range of emotional difficulties, including treatment-resistant depression, eating disorders, and substance use concerns.

​

Standard or "comprehensive" DBT is typically delivered as a structured, year-long program that includes weekly individual therapy, a weekly group skills class, between-session coaching, and a consultation team for therapists. At its core, DBT helps individuals develop and apply practical skills in four key areas:

​

• Mindfulness (developing awareness and presence),

• Distress tolerance (managing pain in the moment without making things worse),

• Emotion regulation (understanding and changing unwanted emotions), and

• Interpersonal effectiveness (improving communication and boundary-setting).

One of DBT’s central ideas is that change becomes possible when we learn to accept ourselves and our reality as it is.

​

At Open Mind Psychology, I offer a more flexible, individualized approach—drawing from DBT’s core skills and underlying philosophy in one-on-one therapy. While I do not offer full-program DBT, the tools and perspectives from this model can be incredibly helpful not just for clinical concerns like anxiety and depression, but also for everyday struggles—such as relationship conflict, difficulty setting boundaries, emotional sensitivity, feeling stuck in unhelpful patterns, low self-esteem, or navigating stress and life transitions. DBT-informed therapy can support you in building emotional resilience, increasing self-awareness, and moving toward a more meaningful, values-aligned life.

Radically Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (RO DBT) is a new evidence-based treatment for individuals who have problems associated with an emotionally overcontrolled coping style. Features of an overcontrolled coping style can include inhibited emotional expression, overly cautious, hypervigilant behaviour (i.e., being hyper-alert to potential threats), an aloof and distant style of relating, self-criticism, high personal standards, and perfectionism.

An underlying assumption in RO DBT is that we live in a society that often reinforces working harder, being more efficient, and being in control of our emotions, which can unconsciously reinforce features of overcontrolled coping in the short-term, but lead to emotional loneliness in the long-term. Overcontrolled coping can get in the way of showing emotions, displaying vulnerability, and flexibly responding in relationships, all of which are essential to joining in with others and establishing intimate bonds.

Emotional loneliness is targeted in RO DBT by teaching essential skills to reflect on our experiences and patterns of social signalling, interact with others in ways that foster connection and close relationships, and increase openness and flexibility in order to learn, adapt to change, and create more opportunities for joy and fun.

An overcontrolled coping style is thought to underlie many difficult to treat mental health problems, including treatment resistant depression and anxiety disorders, anorexia nervosa*, as well as avoidant, paranoid, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders.

Comprehensive RO DBT involves 30+ weekly individual therapy sessions and 30 weekly 2.5 hour skills classes.

At Open Mind Psychology, I offer an RO DBT-informed approach through individual therapy, drawing from the model’s principles and skills to support clients who identify with aspects of an overcontrolled coping style. While I do not offer the full RO DBT program (which includes weekly group classes and a structured treatment timeline), I integrate key RO DBT concepts and tools into therapy—such as enhancing openness, increasing social connection, and building greater emotional flexibility. This approach can be helpful not only for clinical concerns like chronic anxiety, depression, or disordered eating, but also for clients who describe feeling emotionally distant, overly perfectionistic, “too in control,” or disconnected in relationships despite doing everything “right.” RO DBT offers a path to greater authenticity, playfulness, and connection in daily life.

* Persons struggling with anorexia nervosa should have a medical team in place to assist them with managing associated nutritional and physical complications.

I will work collaboratively with you to develop a treatment plan based on your specific issues and treatment goals, while considering the scientific evidence for duration and frequency of treatment for specific mental disorders. Research suggests that weekly or biweekly (every two weeks) sessions are most effective, while less frequent sessions are not supported in the research for the types of treatment I offer.   

Once treatment begins, we will work together to develop and monitor treatment goals, monitor progress on symptoms, and modify/change aspects of your treatment that may increase the effectiveness of therapy based on your needs and feedback. Deciding when it is effective to end or graduate from treatment will be a decision made in collaboration with you.