Frequently Asked Questions About Therapy

The first session or two are used for evaluation and assessment purposes. This means your psychologist or therapist will get to know you, the difficulties you are encountering, and the history of these difficulties in a lot of detail. You will be given the option to fill out certain questionnaires before your initial appointment to help speed things up. All this information is then used by your psychologist or therapist to help you set goals for therapy and to adopt an approach that is tailor-made for you.

At PsyVitalitï, all of our therapy appointments are 50 minutes in length.

In general, our approach is relatively short-term, so you should expect an average of 8 to 15 sessions, sometimes less, sometimes more. Of course, we work within your time frame and within your means. If you can only come for a limited number of sessions, it is important to mention this to your therapist at the onset of therapy so they can accommodate you and help you stay focused on one goal.

The length of therapy depends on:

The goals you have for therapy
The complexity of your situation
Your degree of motivation to incorporate the suggestions your therapist may give you.
Someone suffering from anxiety and panic attacks for many years may take longer in therapy than someone who has been anxious for a short period of time. However, if the person who has been anxious for years is really motivated and is able to incorporate many of the suggestions outlined in therapy, they can recover more quickly than the person who has been anxious for a few short weeks, but unwilling or unable to change much of their thinking or behaviours.

Goals for therapy can be simple, such as “learn tools to help alleviate my depression” or varied such as “learn tools to alleviate depression, learn better communication skills with my partner, decrease stress in my life, help with deciding to have children or not, etc…”. All these factors can impact the duration of therapy.

When it comes to the frequency of your appointments, we highly recommend weekly appointments. We find that weekly appointments provide the greatest benefit for our clients. However, bi-weekly appointments are also acceptable depending on your goals.

Booking your first appointment with PsyVitalitï is easy. Simply visit our online booking platform, select your province and your reason for consultation. We will then provide you with a list of qualified therapists to choose from and book your appointment with. You can also call our team of coordinators at 1-844-337-2473 ext 0 and they can help you book your appointment.

The full fee of the session will be charged if an appointment is not cancelled 24 hours in advance or if an appointment is missed or forgotten. To move or cancel an appointment, all clients must communicate with their therapist directly by email or by phone. Existing clients can also make modifications to their appointments directly from the confirmation email received for each session.

Our online booking platform helps you narrow down the therapists that are best for your concerns. However, we know that finding a therapist that is right for you can sometimes take more than one shot. At PsyVitalitï, we are proud to offer a Therapist Match Guarantee that protects you if you want to switch therapists and find someone more suitable for your needs.

Depending on your province, the hours our therapists are available may vary. You can find our location-specific hours on our contact-us page. However, our team of coordinators is available 24/7 for all of your booking and general inquiries. You can reach them over the phone at any time. 1-844-337-2473, ext 0.

When booking a session you will be asked to provide credit card information, which will be saved in our booking system for the date of your session. At the end of the session, your therapist will charge the credit card you provided for the amount due for the session and you will be provided with both proof of payment and a receipt that you can submit to your insurance (if you have it). Should your card ever expire or change, please let your therapist know and they will update your payment information in the system!

While the majority of our therapy sessions are conducted online, PsyVitalitï is proud to offer in-person therapy sessions in select provinces and locations. All of our in-person therapy sessions must be booked in advance by speaking with one of our dedicated coordinators.

You will connect to your psychologist or therapist using Doxy, a free, secure, web-based videoconference program. No download or installation is required.

Once your appointment is booked, you will receive an email with the personalized Doxy link of your therapist, allowing you to access your sessions from the comfort of wherever you are. All you need is a device with a webcam, microphone, and access to a quality internet connection.

Online consultations via webcam are conducted using a web-based platform called Doxy, meeting worldwide security requirements. Doxy is HIPAA, GDPR, PHIPA/PIPEDA, & HITECH compliant, meeting worldwide security requirements. This ensures a secure and confidential psychotherapy experience, due to enhanced encryption.

Our team of therapists is aware of the ethical and legal regulations associated with offering this type of service and adheres to them closely.

Our team is here to offer guidance for technical aspects. Our goal is to ensure that your online therapy sessions via webcam run smoothly. Discuss with your therapist directly or contact our team of coordinators, available 24/ to answer your calls, if you experience technical issues.

Technical glitches have sometimes been brought up as potential disturbances associated with this telehealth. Often, technological glitches are a result of the speed and quality of Internet connectivity and are unrelated to our software.

Nevertheless, during therapy sessions, such interruptions can be distracting. Despite its numerous advantages, technology has its limitations. During the initial assessments, each therapist will assess whether this type of therapeutic approach is beneficial for their client, taking various aspects into consideration.

It is also important to note that technological glitches may result in a misconception that eye contact is not being maintained or avoided when this is not the case. Visual contact is a core component in communication and an important indicator in conversational mannerisms such as turn-taking. Eye contact and developing a sense of comfort with one’s psychologist or therapist are of the utmost importance during therapy. Please discuss any issues relating to online sessions with your therapist – they are there to help in any way they can.

In the event of a technological issue that cannot be resolved quickly, your psychologist or therapist will contact you by phone. The next steps will be discussed and the decision to continue the session by telephone or via online therapy at a later time will be agreed upon.

Each PsyVitalitï therapist offering teletherapy services will provide online psychotherapy services that conform to the ethical and legal aspects enforced by their respective local professional legislative bodies.

Online therapy has been proven to be equally as effective as in-person therapy. Plus, there are added bonuses including flexibility, convenience, accessibility and privacy. If you want to learn more about online therapy and its benefits, visit our online therapy page today.

If you fear for your own safety or the safety of people around you, or if you are thinking about suicide, contact emergency services (9-1-1), the health information line (8-1-1), a suicide prevention line (1-866-277-3553) or go to an emergency facility urgently.