What are your qualifications and counselling experience?
What is the age range of people you help to support?
Do you offer online counselling services outside of British Columbia (BC)?
What made you choose online counselling?
How effective is online counselling?
How will it be helpful for me to take part in my child’s counselling session?
What type of technology do I need to connect with you for sessions?
What is your cancellation policy?
How long can I expect to be in counselling?
How will I be able to fund 8-12 sessions?
What is confidentiality in counselling and what are the limits to confidentiality?
If my child attends a one-to-one counselling session, will you tell me what my child says?
What are your qualifications and counselling experience?
I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor through the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors and I am passionate about making the world a better place and believe that if people are able to find healthy ways to express their thoughts and feelings, it can change the course of their lives. If you are interested in learning more about my work and experience to see if I may be a good fit to help support your family, please visit the About Me page.
Who do you help support?
I have focused much of my training and experience on children’s counselling, play therapy, and grief and loss. Over years of working in non-profit agencies, I have worked with families experiencing a variety of challenges and triumphs in their lives.
If you are currently dealing with a high-conflict divorce or addictions, I do not have the specific training and expertise to be the most helpful for you or your family. Please connect with others who have specializations in the issues that are at the forefront of the challenges you and your family are facing.
Two helpful resources to find children’s counsellors and other support professionals in British Columbia are:
There are also wonderful and often free community family services societies in many cities that provide amazing resources of groups and other services to help support families. Call 8-1-1 to locate services in your area or visit:
What is the age range of people you help to support?
Often the children I help to support are anywhere from 6 to 16 years old. However, every child is different. It will depend on if you believe your child is able to focus on something they want to do for 5-10 minutes at a time and would respond well to connecting over video. Children and youth who are interested in using story creation, arts, and crafts to express their thoughts and feelings may benefit from this support.
I also provide grief counselling support for adults. To find out more about adult grief counselling support click this link.
Do you offer online counselling services outside of British Columbia (BC)?
I am registered with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) which means I provide counselling for residents of British Columbia, Canada.
This includes the cities of Abbotsford, Armstrong, Burnaby, Campbell River, Castlegar, Chilliwack, Colwood, Coquitlam, Courtenay, Cranbrook, Dawson Creek, Delta, Duncan, Enderby, Fernie, Fort St. John, Grand Forks, Greenwood, Kamloops, Kelowna, Kimberley, Langford, Langley, Maple Ridge, Merritt, Mission, Nanaimo, Nelson, New Westminster, Parksville, Penticton, Pitt Meadows, Port Alberni, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Powell River, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Quesnel, Revelstoke, Richmond, Rossland, Salmon Arm, Surrey, Terrace, Trail, Vancouver, Vernon, Victoria, White Rock, and Williams Lake.
One of the greatest parts of getting to work online is the ability to connect with families from communities that sometimes do not have many, or sometimes any, counselling support services. Places such as Aldergrove, Ashcroft, Bowen Island, Cache Creek, Chase, Clearwater, Cloverdale, Comox, Cultus Lake, Enderby, Fruitvale, Golden, Hope, Invermere, Kaslo, Ladysmith, Logan Lake, Oliver, Osoyoos, Peachland, Pemberton, Saanich, Sechelt, Sicamous, Smithers, Sooke, Squamish, Summerland, Tofino, Ucluelet, Valemount, Vanderhoof, Whistler, and more.
As long as you have a good internet connection and live in BC, we can connect for counselling support.
What made you choose online counselling?
I started providing online counselling support as a function of necessity. Due to the global pandemic at the time, families could not come in for in-person sessions. It was then, I experienced how helpful it is not only to meet families in the comfort of their homes but also having the caregivers more involved in the sessions.
Some caregivers participate in the play and art activities and learn different healthy ways to express feelings together with their children. Some caregivers are able to check in at the end of each session, without being in a busy lobby of a public counselling space or in the play therapy room with their child present. Now caregivers can check in with me at the end of each session to give me updates, talk through any current challenge, and with permission from their children, I can share the activities we do in sessions so they can try these activities at home together.
Skills they take from the sessions then carry on after the session is done and become a part of their everyday coping skills. It is beautiful to see. I am inspired by the capacity for families to come together and work on a path towards growth and healing.
I have also heard from clients that the convenience of logging in to sessions at home has made it easier for them to access support especially when they live far from in-person support, if they have mobility challenges, or if they have other children in their care.
How effective is online counselling?
Online counselling can be as effective as, and sometimes more effective than, in-person counselling support. It depends most if this is the best type of support you for and your family. However, there may be some struggles that would not be appropriate for online support. Feel free to connect to figure out what type of support might be best for your child and family.
There are benefits to online counselling which can help in its effectiveness for some people. If you struggle to find child care for your other children, if you do not have transportation, if you have struggled with mobility, or if it is difficult to leave your home for whatever reason, then online counselling may be a helpful option. There is also the added bonus that you get to wear comfortable clothes and hopefully feel more relaxed as I come to “visit” you from the comfort of your home.
How will it be helpful for me to take part in my child’s counselling session?
You are the one with the ability to incorporate coping skills into your child’s everyday life. You are the person who has the biggest impact and can create the greatest changes in your child’s life.
What type of technology do I need to connect with you for sessions?
We both must use a private WiFi connection for sessions or a direct/wired Ethernet connection. Having a wired Ethernet connection can significantly help with the quality of the video.
I strongly recommend you use a computer or laptop for video sessions rather than a cell phone for security and comfort reasons. If you are using a laptop, it is preferred that you have an external mouse. Also, a Chromebook or iPad can work, but programs run much faster and smoother on a computer or laptop wired directly to your internet.
What is the cost?
The cost is 150$ +GST per session.
What is your cancellation policy?
The hope is you provide 24-hours notice unless there is an emergency. If you do not provide 24-hours notice, the full session fee will be applied as a late-cancellation fee and will be owed before the start of the next session.
How long can I expect to be in counselling?
That will depend on many factors. For some, it is 6-12 sessions. For others, it may be for a year or many more. Some see me weekly, some bi-weekly, and some monthly. Others have seen me regularly in the past and now only connect occasionally when they would like some extra support. We can talk about what feels best for you and your family.
I have noticed the best results have come when families engage on a weekly or bi-weekly basis for 8-12 sessions. The main reason for working together on a regular basis at the beginning is to use repetition to strengthen new neural pathways that are formed as you and your family discover healthy ways to express your emotions together.
8-12 sessions are often effective as the most change in counselling takes place after we feel a safe space has been created to express our thoughts and feelings. It can take 4-6 sessions just to build rapport and strengthen the counselling relationship so you and your family can feel safe to share your thoughts and feelings with me. Change or progress typically occurs after rapport has been built and the environment feels safe.
How will I be able to fund 8-12 sessions?
Please visit the Fees & Funding page for information on funding options.
What is confidentiality in counselling and what are the limits to confidentiality?
Everything you or your family members disclose to me is kept confidential which means you can trust your private information will remain with me. There are limits to confidentiality. I am legally obligated to report if:
- there is suspected child abuse or neglect of any child under the age of 19
- you or your family express an intention to harm yourselves or someone else
- subpoenaed by a court of law
If my child attends a one-to-one counselling session, will you tell me what my child says?
Just as adults are entitled to confidentiality in counselling, children are as well. There are exceptions to confidentiality such as those listed above. We will go through confidentiality together during our intake session, so you are informed about the rights and limits to confidentiality in counselling. I find that many children that I work with often want to share with their caregiver what they did or created during their session.
How can I connect with you to find out more about the online children’s counselling and family support or the adult grief counselling that you provide?
You can email me to inquire further and if you would like we can set up a time to talk on the phone for a free 15-minute consultation.
Dallas Shirley 