If someone you know is looking.

Scroll the diagram sideways to see all of it.

What you will never be asked for

A review, a testimonial, or a rating. Not now and not later, and not if you stop being a client. The BC Association of Clinical Counsellors prohibits it, and the reason is a good one: somebody in a counselling relationship is not in a position to freely say no to their counsellor asking for a favour, so consent to be used as marketing cannot really be given. That is why there are no reviews anywhere on this site and why there never will be.

Passing a name to a friend is a completely different thing. Nothing is published, nothing is used as advertising, and the practice does not find out who told whom.

There is no reward, deliberately

No discount, no free session, no credit. If a recommendation came with something in it for the person making it, the person receiving it would have no way of knowing that — and for a health service that is a conflict of interest rather than a growth tactic. A recommendation is worth something precisely because there is nothing behind it.

What is actually useful to send

Most people looking for a counsellor stall on the same three questions. These are the pages that answer them, and any one of them is a better thing to send than a home page:

• “What does it cost, and will my benefits cover it?” Fees and coverage — with the questions to ask an insurer before booking anything.
• “What actually happens?” What to expect in a first session — for someone who has never done this before.
• “Is it even worth booking?” The free 15-minute consultation — no card, no intake form, and deciding not to continue is a normal outcome.
• Someone who would rather work in Punjabi — ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿੱਚ, or the English page on Punjabi-speaking counselling.

If it turns out not to be a fit

That is a perfectly good outcome and worth saying to whoever you pass this to. This practice is virtual only, works with adults, and does not do assessments, diagnoses, court-related work or crisis response — the full list is on standards and scope. Where it is not the right place, saying so and pointing somewhere better is the normal result of a consultation, not a failure of one.

If cost is the barrier for them, free and low-cost counselling in BC is a real list rather than a gesture, and worth sending on its own.

If the person wants their doctor in the loop

No referral is needed to see a counsellor in BC — a point worth making early, because plenty of people wait months for a permission nobody was ever going to be asked for. Where somebody does want their GP involved, about medication, a leave or an assessment, the one-page summary to take to a doctor is written to be printed and handed over: designation, scope limits, fees, and how information sharing works.

Routes where somebody else pays

Cost is the most common reason a recommendation goes nowhere, and a surprising amount of counselling in British Columbia is funded by somebody other than the person attending. Most people do not know these exist, which makes them worth mentioning when you pass something on.

• After a motor vehicle crash — ICBC. Anyone injured in a crash in BC is pre-approved for twelve counselling sessions with a Registered Clinical Counsellor in the first twelve weeks, and no doctor's note is required to start. This is the single most underused entitlement in the province. It does not need a lawyer, and using it does not commit anybody to a claim decision.
• Through an employer — EAP. Most mid-size and large Canadian employers carry an employee assistance programme covering a set number of sessions at no cost to the employee, usually without the employer being told who used it. Worth checking before assuming there is no coverage.
• Extended health. Many BC plans reimburse a Registered Clinical Counsellor specifically, and a good number now direct-bill. what BC extended health plans actually cover sets out how to check a plan in about five minutes, and the cost estimator does the arithmetic once the numbers are known.
• After a crime — the Crime Victim Assistance Program. CVAP funds counselling for victims of violent crime, and for immediate family members in some circumstances. It funds a course of treatment rather than a handful of sessions.
• First Nations and Inuit clients. The First Nations Health Authority and the federal Non-Insured Health Benefits programme both cover mental-health counselling and both maintain approved-provider lists.

Not every route above is one this practice is currently on a panel for, and it is worth asking rather than assuming in either direction. But the point of listing them is broader than this practice: if the person you are thinking of is not going to see anybody at all because of what it costs, one of these five is usually the reason that assumption is wrong.

If you are in crisis right now

This is not the page for that, and nor is this practice — sessions are scheduled and there is no on-call line. If you are in immediate danger call 9-1-1. For urgent mental-health support in BC at any hour, call or text 9-8-8, or call 310-6789, no area code needed.