COUNSELLING AND THERAPY BLOG
How to Find a Therapist or Counsellor in Vancouver: The Search for the Right Fit
Our counsellors do this for a living, and we still find the search for a new counsellor daunting. Here's what we'd want you to know before you start scrolling through profiles: what to ask, where to look, and how to tell when it's actually a fit.
Our counsellors do this for a living, and we still find the search for a new counsellor very daunting!
Looking for the short version?
Get clear on what you want help with, check your insurance coverage, then browse a few counsellor bios or a directory like BCACC (or from our counsellors’ page!) Book a free consultation call before you commit to anyone. Training and approach matters, but how someone actually feels to talk to matters just as much. That's the quick version.
Read on for the fuller version, complete with questions to ask during your intro calls.
From our team to you, wishing you luck!
We are aware that especially in Vancouver, there are SO many counsellors and therapists to choose from, and that the process of reaching out to find a counsellor can feel like a lot rather than a relief, which obviously is far from the goal. With that in mind, here are some questions, resources, and things to sit with as you look for someone to work with, whether this is your first time reaching out or your fifth.
You're definitely not alone in finding this part hard, but hopefully we can help!
Before You Begin
Before you start scrolling through profiles, here are a few things to think through to help you know what you want, and to help narrow things down.
Finances
How much can you realistically invest in counselling right now? If you know you can only afford five sessions this year, your process is going to look different than if you can commit to twice a month for the next year or two. Neither is necessarily better than the other, it's just good to know going in and might inform your decision to even see someone low cost or avoid someone with a higher price point per session, as - yes, you guessed it - prices vary widely as well within this field.
Insurance
Make sure to check your extended health coverage before you get too far into your search; it’s not quite as simple as insurance simply covering counsellors or not.
Different plans cover different types of counsellors and therapists (and not others), so it's important to confirm what's included, and we know they can all look kind of the same:
Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCC): masters level counsellors registered with the BCACC in British Columbia (our counsellors at New Tides!)
Canadian Certified Counsellors (CCC): masters level counsellors registered in Canada
Registered Social Workers (RSW)
Psychologists: typically have a phD (or master’s in Alberta)
Registered Psychotherapists (RP), depending on your plan: masters level counsellors in Ontario
It's also a great idea to consider checking your per-session reimbursement and whether there's a yearly cap so that you can know now, rather than partway through your fourth session.
You’ve gotten this far… need support start narrowing things down?
Spend a few minutes filling out a few questions about you, and we'll match you with a counsellor in Vancouver, or online anywhere in BC.
A Few More Questions For You to Ponder
How deep do you want to go?
Are you hoping to pick up a few skills, or dig into what's underneath things? If childhood trauma, attachment patterns, or complex trauma are part of what's bringing you in, look for someone trauma-informed and comfortable with attachment work or somatic (body-based) counselling. This kind of work can be slow and vulnerable, and finding someone you trust enough for it takes time. Some counsellors lean toward shorter-term, skills-based work, others toward deeper, longer-term process. These are good questions to ask (or what to look for as you’re browsing websites!)
Even if you don’t want to unpack everything, knowing that you want someone for years to come that you can pop in and out from, rather than just for one season alone, is also good to know, look for and name as you work your way through the process.
Personality Fit
This might be the most important piece here, and the hardest to search for. Notice who you feel pulled towards while reading through bios, or on a first call. Think about who you've naturally opened up to before. Someone quiet and patient? Someone with a big presence who gives you room to be your messy self? A warm, mothering kind of energy? That instinct can counts here too!
It can be a good idea to set up 2-3 consultation calls and see who most just genuinely just felt good talking to.
Values, beliefs and lived experience:
Are there any important anchors in your life such as spirituality, animals, religion? Or do you absolutely love Brené Brown? Just as in any other relationship in life, sharing values or beliefs can be a wonderful anchor in the therapeutic relationship. Having the same values, beliefs or lived experience as part of a community can be super important, particularly if you have strong political or relational beliefs, or ways of approaching life. This can be relevant if you have firm systemic or anti-oppressive values, are neurodivergent, or really want your counsellor to know what it’s like to be in your shoes (a certain cultural background, a parent of young kids, recently immigrated or going through a divorce, for example)
Your Schedule
This may seem obvious, but sometimes it’s easy to forget that availability rules people out fast. Check potential counsellors’ website booking links, mention your schedule in your first email or call can save everyone some back and forth.
Does "Therapist" and "Counsellor" Mean the Same Thing?
People use counsellor, therapist, psychotherapist, and psychologist a little differently depending on where they live and what they trained in.
In BC, Registered Clinical Counsellors are trained to provide counselling and “psychotherapy”, which essentially translates into counselling and therapy being interchangable. You'll see both words on our own site, since people search for both, and the work itself doesn't change depending which one you use. If you searched "therapist Vancouver" and landed on a counsellor's page, or vice versa, you haven't gone off track. We know it’s confusing and we wish it were simpler too.
Where and How to Actually Start Looking
A wonderful way to connect with a counsellor can be to ask around your network, particularly with friends who you know have been through similar life experiences, face similar challenges, and who you have personality traits or values in common with.
A Google or Google Maps is another good place to start if you already know what you want. The more specific you are, the better Google (or AI), will likely be able to help. For example, "Registered Clinical Counsellor for trauma and somatic therapy" beats "therapist Vancouver"). If there are a lot of counsellors in your area and being close matters, adding your neighbourhood helps too: Kitsilano, Fairview, Mount Pleasant, wherever's easiest for you to get to.
A Few Directories To Start With:
The BCACC
The BC Association of Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCC) is the licensing body for Master's-level counsellors in BC, and a good place to confirm someone's credentials.
Psychology Today
One of the most widely used directories out there. While it is useful for filtering by modality (DBT, EMDR, Attachment Focused) or population, it doesn't list every counsellor or every specialty; you’ll also need to keep in mind that there are a lot of different credentials accepted, so you’ll need to double check your insurance. Some profiles aren’t always monitored or updated, so information may not always be updated and you may not always hear back. Going to someones website to learn more is usually a helpful part of the process!
Counselling BC
A pretty straightforward directory that also includes psychologists, art therapists, and music therapists. Less options than Psychology Today which of course can have pros and cons.
Of course you’re welcome to browse our team of counsellors.
We have a filters that allow you to search through our counsellors based on approach, language spoken, concerns you’re coming in with and more!
Decoding All Those Acronyms and Therapy Modality Names
Regardless of the directories you use, you'll come across a lot of letters and terms while you're searching, and none of them are self-explanatory unless you already work in this field. You don't need to really know what they all mean in detail, but knowing the rough categories can help you figure out what you're actually looking for. Many counsellors integrate several modalities but seeing a lot of skills based or “bottom up” (process oriented) modalities usually gives you a sense of how someone works overall, or understand why a modality that worked for a friend might land completely differently for you.
Short-term & skills-based: structured, goal-oriented, focused on tools you can start using quickly
CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)
DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy)
Solution-focused therapy
Long-term & relational: slower, deeper, tends to look at patterns that started long before now
Psychodynamic therapy
Relational therapy
Top-down Therapy: works through the mind first: thoughts, insight, understanding the "why"
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Traditional talk therapy
Psychodynamic therapy
Bottom-up Therapy: works through the body first: nervous system, sensation, what's happening underneath the thoughts
Somatic Therapy
Parts work (IFS or TIST)
A few others you'll see often:
Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT): works directly with emotion as the path to change, rather than thought or behaviour
Mindfulness-based: present-moment awareness woven into the work
Systemic & anti-oppressive: looks at how the world around you (not just your history) shapes what you're struggling with
Questions to Ask Your Potential Counsellor
These are great questions to ask a counsellor in the 15-20 minute consultation most of them offer, or even in a first session as you get to know each other.
How do you view how change or growth happens in therapy? This will help you get a sense of what they actually believe helps people, why they believe it works and what sessions might actually look like (i.e. cognitive work, mindfulness, compassion-focused, understanding your childhood etc.)
On a related note, you can ask what part(s) of the clients experience do they tend to focus most on? Emotions? The Body? Attachment history? Negative Beliefs?
How did you learn to work with challenge you’re bringing in? This might be surprising to know, but not all counsellors are trained equally, AND not every counsellor learned everything they know from formal training. Experience working with issues such as trauma, disordered eating, identity exploration and others often includes advanced training, experience with clients, lived experience as well as supervision.
What do sessions look like? Processing emotion, building compassion, learning skills, exploring body awareness, telling your story? This will quickly give you a sense of how they work, the speed they move and the general therapeutic process. While this may seem abstract at first, if you speak with a few counsellors or therapists, chances are you will begin to hear certain things that “click” for you personally more than others.
Is there homework between sessions? Are you expected to do “homework” or readings? How do sessions flow from one week (or month) to the next?
How do you handle rupture and repair? An important question, and a little awkward to ask! In longer-term work, you'll probably feel stuck, hurt, or frustrated with your counsellor at some point. These “ruptures” in the therapeutic relationship are not only a normal part of the therapeutic process, but a great opportunity for exploration, change and growth, as often this shows up in other parts of our lives as well, and having a counsellor who is comfortable and skilled with the “repair” and growth process when difficult moments come up in counselling is essential.
What if It’s Not a Fit After All?
We try to remind every client that it's okay to bring up whats not working, even if that means another therapist might be a better match, especially if you’re feeling like ghosting rather than letting us know. Why?
1. Therapists are humans too! We may be paid for our time, but we do care, and when a client drops off of our radar suddenly, it does matter to us.
2. Navigating what is working and not working can be an important part of the process in therapy. It supports working as a team, as well as navigating potential challenges that come up for you personally around asking and expressing what you need, which isn’t always as simple as it sounds.
If it does end, it’s helpful to know that similar to other relationships, finding a counsellor who is not a great fit, or having an unfortunate experience in counselling does not mean that finding a good counsellor for you is hopeless or that counselling isn’t for you. Of course it can be incredibly hurtful and exhausting to open up and be disappointed, but hopefully this does not mean missing out on the magic that occurs when you do find a counsellor you click with. Often this takes a few trial and error; several of our counsellors have actually seen several different counsellors for different pieces of “work” over the years; keep in mind that your needs and preferences as a client can expand and grow over time!
As much as possible, try to be patient with yourself and give yourself permission to go slowly, especially early on, or with someone you're not quite sure of yet. Even in a space that's supposed to feel safe, trust takes time to build, and usually needs to be earned.
Best of luck in your search. If you're not sure where to begin, you're welcome to browse our counsellors or tell us a bit about yourself to be matched with a counsellor in Vancouver for in person sessions, or online therapy anywhere in BC.
Warmly,
Morgan, and the team of counsellors at New Tides, who wish you luck in finding a counsellor who you feel at ease with.
FAQ About Finding a Counsellor Who is Right For You
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Mostly, yes. In BC, Registered Clinical Counsellors are trained to provide both counselling and psychotherapy, so the credential matters more than which word someone prefers.
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Pay attention to how you feel talking to them, not just their credentials, trainings or what they claim to be the benefits of working with them. A free consultation call is the easiest way to test that before booking a first session.
Also you can feel free to use the first couple sessions as a test drive, and go slow. It’s ok to not be totally bought in at ease or sure right away. Give it some time before really deciding they are the one! -
That's more common than you'd think. You don't need the right description or a tidy goal to start. "I don't know what's wrong, but I don't want to keep feeling like this" is enough. Helping you figure it out is actually a large part of our job!
How do we tell the difference between guilt and shame? How can this help us?