Answers before you book
Frequently Asked Questions About Online Therapy — Six Provinces
Everything you need to know before reaching out — from how virtual therapy works to what to expect in your first session.
TEO Counselling, at a glance. TEO Counselling Services is an online-only practice whose three clinicians — Mohamad Shabib, MACP, CCC; Alison Shaji, MA Clinical Psychology, RCC, for clients in British Columbia; and Rola Shbib, BSW (Hons), RSW (Ontario) — see adults in British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland & Labrador; couples work is with Mohamad, or with Alison in British Columbia. Individual sessions are $150 and couples sessions are $175, each 60 minutes, with appointments seven days a week from 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm Pacific time (3:00 pm to midnight Eastern). No provincial health plan covers counselling in private practice; whether an extended health plan reimburses depends on the designation it covers (CCC, RCC or RSW), and direct billing is available with Mohamad and Alison for Pacific Blue Cross, CVAP and plans on the TELUS eClaims network. The first step is a free 15-minute consultation, booked online with no referral.
Getting started
The free consultation is a 15-minute call where we get to know each other. You can share a bit about what's bringing you to therapy, ask any questions you have, and get a sense of whether we'd be a good fit. There's no pressure to commit — it's simply a conversation. We won't push you to book, and you take as much time as you need to decide.
You don't need to be in crisis to benefit from therapy. If something in your life is causing you distress, affecting your relationships, making it hard to function, or simply weighing on you — that's enough reason to reach out. Therapy isn't a last resort. You can use it as a space to grow, understand yourself better, and build skills you'll carry for life.
You're welcome to read our therapists' profiles and go with your gut. Mohamad specializes in trauma, PTSD, EMDR, IFS, and first responder trauma, and offers therapy in English and Arabic. Alison brings psychoanalytic depth combined with modern approaches like DBT, EMDR, and inner child work. Rola offers crisis-informed counselling with particular depth in grief and loss. If you're unsure, mention it in your consultation and we'll help match you.
English, Arabic, Hindi, and Malayalam. Mohamad Shabib works in English and Arabic; Rola Shbib works in English. Alison Shaji works in English, Hindi, and Malayalam, and sees clients in British Columbia. If having therapy in your first language matters to you, say so when you book — the free consultation is the easiest place to sort out who fits.
Not at all. Some people come to therapy with a clear issue — trauma, anxiety, relationship struggles. Others come because something feels off but they can't quite name it. Both are completely valid starting points.
Some are visible before you book: no registration number you can check on a public register, promises about the outcome or about how many sessions it will take, fees and a cancellation policy you cannot find written down anywhere, and no explanation of the limits of confidentiality. Others only show up later — feeling talked over, being told what you think, or a therapist who takes it badly when you ask about the direction the work is taking. You are allowed to ask about any of it, and you are allowed to stop and see someone else. At TEO each clinician's registration number is on their profile page, the fee and the 24-hour cancellation policy are on the fees page, and the limits of confidentiality are explained in the first session, before anything sensitive is discussed.
Virtual therapy
Online sessions follow the same structure as office-based therapy — the same clinician from session to session, the same approaches (EMDR, IFS, CBT, Gottman Method couples work) and the same confidentiality limits — with the commute removed. Some people find it easier to open up from their own space; others take a session or two to settle in. Whether the format suits you is something to test on the free consultation.
Yes. EMDR can be delivered online, following the same eight-phase protocol used in person, with the bilateral stimulation adapted for the screen — self-tapping, an on-screen moving target, or alternating tones. At TEO, Mohamad Shabib holds advanced EMDR training through an EMDRIA-approved programme and works with clients in all six provinces we serve; Alison Shaji offers EMDR to clients in British Columbia. You can read how a session works on our EMDR therapy page.
British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland & Labrador. Sessions run seven days a week, noon to 9pm Pacific. Alison Shaji works with clients in British Columbia.
We offer sessions through the Jane platform, with Zoom or Google Meet as a backup. Jane, Zoom and Google Meet each handle the connection. You'll receive a link before each session. You can join from your browser — no download is needed.
A device with a camera and microphone (phone, tablet, or computer), a stable internet connection, and a private space where you won't be interrupted. Headphones can help with both privacy and sound quality. That's it.
Yes, within the limits every clinician here works under: a risk of serious harm to you or someone else, a child in need of protection, a court order or subpoena, and abuse by a regulated health professional. Those limits are explained before anything sensitive is discussed.
Fees & insurance
Individual sessions are $150 per 60-minute session. Couples sessions are $175 per 60-minute session. The initial consultation is free. A small number of reduced-fee spots are held — if cost is a barrier, mention it during the consultation.
Yes. One 60-minute session is $150 ($175 for couples). There is no package and no minimum number of sessions; the free 15-minute consultation comes first. Text two times that suit you and it is booked.
Direct billing is available with Mohamad and Alison for Pacific Blue Cross, CVAP and plans on the TELUS eClaims network (Canada Life and Manulife among them). Where your plan is not one we can bill, you pay for the session and receive an insurance-ready receipt after each session to submit yourself. Coverage depends on the designation your plan names — check for Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC), Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) or Registered Social Worker (RSW). We can provide a receipt for submission after each session.
A small number of reduced-fee spots are held. If cost is a barrier, mention it during the free consultation — there is no separate process to go through. If those spots are full, you will be pointed toward lower-cost options rather than left with nothing.
We accept Interac/e-Transfer and credit card. Payment is arranged through our Jane platform before or after sessions.
Fees vary from practice to practice. At TEO Counselling, individual sessions are $150 per 60-minute session and couples sessions are $175 per 60-minute session, and the first step is a free 15-minute consultation — no referral needed. No provincial health plan in Canada — MSP, OHIP, AHCIP or any other — covers counselling or psychotherapy in private practice, so you pay for sessions yourself. Extended health plans may reimburse some or all of the fee, depending on which designation your plan covers.
Provincial health plans do not cover it; extended health plans may, depending on their wording. Direct billing is available with Mohamad and Alison for Pacific Blue Cross, CVAP and plans on the TELUS eClaims network (Canada Life and Manulife among them); where your plan is not one we can bill, you pay per session and receive an insurance-ready receipt after every session to submit yourself. Whether your plan reimburses depends on the designation it covers: look for Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC), Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) or Registered Social Worker (RSW). If you would be seeing Mohamad, ask your insurer specifically whether the Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) designation is named. Get the answer before your first paid session rather than after it.
Start with the routes that cost nothing. For free crisis support, call or text 9-8-8 (Canada, 24/7), call Kids Help Phone (for young people) at 1-800-668-6868 (or text CONNECT to 686868), or call the Hope for Wellness Help Line (for Indigenous people) at 1-855-242-3310; call 911 in an emergency. For ongoing counselling, our national cost guide sets out the free and lower-cost programs province by province. Our printable workbooks and tools are free to download on our free tools page.
The therapy process
It depends on what you're working on, and no number of sessions can be promised in advance. Some people come for a short stretch; others work with a therapist for months or years. We'll discuss this together and check in regularly. There's no pressure to continue beyond what's useful, and you can pause or end therapy whenever you choose.
There is no fixed rule: how frequently you meet is agreed with your clinician, based on your goals, your budget and the approach being used. Options include weekly sessions, sessions every other week, or a less frequent rhythm. Frequency can change over time — some people have sessions closer together while things are hard, then space them out or pause. EMDR begins with history and preparation sessions before any memory is reprocessed, and preparation can take longer for some people, as the EMDR therapy page explains. There is no package to buy and no minimum number of sessions, and the rhythm is reviewed with you as you go.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a widely researched approach to trauma and PTSD that appears in the NICE and WHO guidelines. The aim is to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they carry less distress. EMDR does not require you to describe your trauma in detail — the process works with how the memory is stored rather than through retelling. How many sessions it takes varies from person to person and is reviewed with you as you go.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a compassionate approach that views the mind as made up of different 'parts' — each with its own feelings, beliefs, and roles. Some of these parts may have developed in response to difficult experiences. IFS works on getting to know these parts and the roles they play. It is used for trauma, self-criticism, and emotional regulation.
On average, yes, though not for everyone. In 2012 the American Psychological Association, a US professional body, adopted a resolution stating that psychotherapy is effective. A 2021 analysis led by Cuijpers, of 228 depression trials, found that about four in ten people in therapy saw their symptoms fall by at least half when checked around two months in, against fewer than two in ten in usual care or on a waiting list. The authors call the added benefit modest; more than half of people in therapy did not reach that mark. A 2018 meta-analysis of 295 studies led by Flückiger found a moderate, robust link between the working relationship with your therapist and how therapy turns out, though a link does not prove cause. Nothing can be promised; the free 15-minute consultation lets you see whether working together feels right.
Not necessarily. Some therapeutic approaches go deeper into early experiences, and others focus entirely on the present. We'll follow your lead. Some people find that understanding their earlier experiences is crucial to changing present patterns. Others prefer a more practical, present-focused approach. Both are valid — and we'll work with what's right for you.
Related pages
- Free resources and worksheets — printable tools you can use before booking anything
- Fees and insurance — what sessions cost and what your plan may cover
- What to expect from online therapy — the consultation, the first session and the paperwork, in order
Still have questions?
The simplest way to get answers is to talk to us. The free consultation is exactly for this.
Book Free Consultation