Frequently Asked Questions
What are your days and what are your office hours?
We do not counsel or coach on weekends or in the evening. Paddy’s time is restricted to Mondays and Thursdays due to his grand-parenting and various other activities as a coffee-drinking provocateur and psychologist. Both Paddy and Carole work out of their home office in Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver. David works out of his home and in various public facilities in North Vancouver (e.g. libraries, coffee shops) for his intentional tutoring. See the Contact page for directions.
How long do I have to wait to see you?
Carole usually has a 1-2 week waiting list. Paddy’s can be longer. We are not normally able to do crisis or “right now” kind of counselling though Paddy has opened up time on some not-supposed-to-be-working times on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings in our home office — please see the booking app for details. If we cannot see you within a couple of weeks, we are happy to recommend another counsellor or agency that you might wish to contact. You can also check out our Counsellor Referral List under “Tools.”
Who do you not counsel?
This is a really good question. Paddy (me) is more of a generalist and I see most anybody who wishes to visit with me. Carole does not see men unless she has previously counselled them as a part of a couple. She sees lots of couples. We don’t see kids very often and especially when they have developmental diagnoses. Carole sees women from the Harvest Project in North Vancouver on a subsidised scale. Both Paddy and Carole visit with LGBTQ folk. I mention this as an invitation for these friends to come. They will be respected and understood. I have a blog about this. You can read it.
What are your fees?
These can vary a bit. Both Paddy and Carole charge a bit less than the recommended fees of our professional organisations (about $225 per hour since 2018). David’s fees float between $50-75 per hour. Paddy charges $180 ($225 on non-regular times) and Carole charges $160 per hour. Please contact us through email for an estimate of costs and the approximate number of counselling sessions that we recommend. This will both help you to budget for counselling and understand the importance and time commitment that is required.
Paddy’s costs may be covered under your extended health insurance as a “Psychologist” and Carole’s may be covered as a “Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC).” Make sure that you consult with your extended health for the coverage ad the amount allowable under your program.
Something else: we lessen our fees when we discern it is a good for both us and our client friends. See the “Thirds” subsidy in the Tools section.
What if I don’t live in the Vancouver area?
You would be surprised! I (Paddy) have clients from New Hampshire, Alaska, Alberta, Vancouver Island, Washington state and California. Most of these people I meet face-to-face and then on Doxy or Zoom where necessary. Sure, we both do tele-psych calls. Let us know if this can help you in counselling with us. I also see a young mother with 3 kids under 5 that lives in Chilliwack. It would be mother-abuse to require her to come to Horseshoe Bay. So we tele-psych.
What if I cancel an appointment with you?
You are required to cancel 48 hours prior to your appointment to avoid paying the fee for the counselling hour. Unavoidable medical emergencies are an exception to this agreement. We are very flexible with this around covid. If you are feeling unwell, don’t come. See you on Zoom or Doxy instead. Also, if you are delayed by traffic or weather conditions, let us know by phoning 604-209-4210. We are pretty reasonable. And, if we are able to fill your cancelled appointment time with another client, no cancellation fee is assessed.
Do Carole and Paddy sometimes counsel together?
No, the cost for this to most clients is prohibitive. Anyway, we would probably argue about what is to be done and who is right, and then we would have to go out for dinner because no one is willing to cook. You don’t want this to happen, do you?
How do we connect with you?
Check the Contact page on our web site. Carole, Paddy and David’s way of connection are all different. Carole likes the phone, David and Paddy do email best.