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Fees & insurance
Clear, fair, accessible.
Session prices and counselling rates in full, no hidden fees, no packages, and no surprises on the invoice.
Counselling fees at Westpeak Wellness are published in full and synced from the booking system: individual sessions, couples sessions and EMDR intensives are each priced per session, paid by card at booking, with 24 hours’ free cancellation. The first 30-minute consultation is free. Most BC extended health plans reimburse a Registered Clinical Counsellor; MSP does not cover private counselling.
Session fees
In line with BC Association of Clinical Counsellors guidelines.
| Session | Length | Fee (CAD) |
|---|---|---|
| Free initial consult | 30 min | Free |
| Individual | 50 min | $140 |
| Couples | 50 min | $175 |
| Couples extended | 110 min | $340 |
| EMDR intensive | 90 min | $190 |
GST does not apply to RCC counselling in BC.
What you are actually paying for
A 50-minute session is not 50 minutes of work. It includes preparation before, notes and planning after, ongoing continuing education, professional liability insurance, and the supervision and registration requirements that come with holding the Registered Clinical Counsellor designation. These fees sit within the range the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors publishes as guidance, and they are in line with what most RCCs across the province charge.
For comparison, a registered psychologist in BC typically charges considerably more, often close to double, because of a longer training path and a broader scope that includes formal assessment. That difference matters most if your benefit cap is limited: the same annual maximum buys roughly twice as many sessions here.
If the fee is a barrier
Private therapy is not the only route, and it is not always the right first one. BC has a substantial amount of free and low-cost support that people frequently do not know about: health authority mental-health services, Foundry for anyone under 25, Here2Talk for post-secondary students, employee assistance programs through work, and university training clinics offering supervised sessions at reduced rates.
All of that is set out on the free and low-cost counselling page, and for a lot of people one of those options is genuinely the better place to start. Saying so on a free 30-minute consultation is a perfectly good outcome of that call.
Where to read next
If you are weighing whether this is affordable at all, low-cost counselling in BC and EFAP vs private counselling are the two worth reading first, because a great many people already hold a free entitlement they have never used. If you are on a public waitlist, what to do while you wait covers the interval.
On what the money buys: about the practice sets out the training behind a session, standards and accountability states the scope limits and the complaints route, and how to verify a registration takes about four minutes and is worth doing before paying anyone, here included.
On frequency and length. The two things that actually determine total cost, weekly vs biweekly sessions and how long therapy takes are more useful than the per-session number on its own. And if what you need is a formal assessment rather than counselling, psychiatry and assessment in BC explains why that is priced completely differently.
Some of this is covered without you paying the fee at all. ICBC pre-approves twelve counselling sessions after a crash with no doctor’s note, and several employer and extended health plans pay a counsellor directly. How referrals to this practice work covers the funded routes and who can start one.
How coverage works
BC’s Medical Services Plan does not cover private counselling, whatever the practitioner’s designation. The reasons are explained in the comparison of MSP and extended health. What most people use instead is an extended health plan through work, and the cost estimator works out what that leaves you paying.
The critical detail: plans list professions, not services. Some cover “Registered Clinical Counsellor” and some list only psychologists and social workers, in which case sessions here are not reimbursable no matter how clearly they are counselling. Check that wording before your first session. It is the single most common source of unpleasant surprises, and the extended health coverage page sets out exactly what to look for and what a claimable receipt must contain.
Free consultation
Every working relationship starts with a free 30-minute call. No charge, and no obligation to book a session afterward.
Extended health
Most BC plans that cover RCCs reimburse, including:
- Pacific Blue Cross
- Manulife
- Sun Life
- Canada Life
- Green Shield
Pay at session time and submit your receipt for reimbursement.
Payment
- E-transfer (preferred)
- Credit card (Visa, MC, Amex)
Cancellation
24 hours’ notice. Cancel earlier and the fee is refunded in full; inside that window, or for a no-show, 50% is retained. Exceptions for genuine emergencies.
How payment works
Paying, and then claiming it back
This practice does not direct-bill. You pay the practice directly and receive a receipt showing the RCC registration number, which is what an insurer needs to reimburse you. Whether your plan covers a Registered Clinical Counsellor is worth confirming before you book — see extended health coverage in BC.
Sessions are paid by credit card when you book rather than at the end of the hour, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours beforehand. The client portal covers how that works, what happens inside the 24-hour window, and where your receipts appear.
Want the arithmetic on your own plan? The cost and coverage estimator works out what you would actually pay after reimbursement, and names the two questions to ask your insurer before booking.
Questions about fees?
Ask during your free 30-minute consultation.
Book Free ConsultationNot ready to book? Send a line about what is going on. A reply comes within one business day, or read the guides first and come back when you want to.
Looking on behalf of someone else? What to send them, and what not to, including the funded routes most people do not know they qualify for.