What our Counselling Match Service Isn’t

Our counselling match service is not a form. It is not a paid service. It is not a self-directed program that you work through, with endless questions that feel like an assessment or overwhelming task. It is not a service that requires you to base your therapist choice on just a picture that hopefully results in you finding someone you connect and identify with in a variety of ways. It is not a biased service that involves the counsellor themselves, where you may feel uncomfortable asking specific questions about them. It is not a service that includes waitlists or non-licensed therapists, or anyone with less than a Master’s Degree. It is not structured to amplify your stress, or use technical therapy language that elevates our professional authority. It’s not a service that pressures you into a counselling session, or a space that doesn’t provide an opportunity for whatever questions you may have.

What our Counselling Match Service Is

The Logistics: Our team calls you for a free 15-30 minute phone consultation, where the time is spent on being guided through a series of questions that counsellors themselves ask when they are searching for a therapist. This is not limited to your primary concerns, but also explores challenges you’ve found in past with therapists, your values, approaches you may be seeking or therapies that may be a good fit for you, psychoeducation on what to look for in a great counsellor, and how to know if it’s a good fit, or a chance to ask any other questions you may have about the counselling process or about the potential therapists themselves. Our phone consultations are available 7 days a week, 9am-9pm.

The Result: Being able to attend a first counselling session, where you don’t have to re-tell your story over for no reason, where you already know the background of the counsellor, what to expect in a first session, what types of therapies the counsellor will be using, an understanding of their personality, life experience and strengths as a counsellor. Where you are able to efficiently navigate the counselling process without having to re-start with a whole host of different therapists. Where you feel confident that your therapist checks the boxes and offers the support you need, in the way you need it.

The Match Team: Are a specialized team of mental health professionals who’s primary goal is to find you a counsellor that is the best fit for you. They are a warm and approachable, neutral third party (as opposed to being one of the counsellors themselves), that see and interact with our counsellors on a daily basis. They attend group case consultations with them, and conduct counsellor interviews where they ask specific questions about their personal backgrounds, ideal clients, educational experience, counselling styles, and therapeutic modalities that they utilize and why, and have updated information about the counsellor’s most recent training, their passions, and their limitations and strengths.

We are here to guide you through the complete counselling process. We understand that counselling can be stressful, it’s hard to know what to look for, where to start, and what type of counselling you need. After your first session, we reconnect with you via email to make sure the counsellor is what you are looking for. We are also a resource, so if you ever find you’ve lost traction in counselling at any time, or find that the therapeutic relationship has shifted to a place where you think maybe it’s time to try a new counsellor, we are here to support with the transitional process as well. We are also the team that supports with scheduling, direct billing and benefits, as well as connecting other family and friends to therapists if you believe support is needed.

We are the experts, and our job is to take the pressure off. Therapists are the experts in defining what types of therapies work best with what types of challenges, they have specific skills linked to their own personal backgrounds, and unique perspectives on relationship dynamics and interpersonal challenges. You shouldn’t have to know the ins and outs of therapy to be able to get the therapist that you need, and our practice believes in the best quality of care for mental health, as it is the foundation to who we are as people, family, friends, and coworkers.

But Why? Because it’s What We Stand For: We believe that we are ethically obliged to find help you find the counsellor that fits your specific needs, as we are the ones with the clinical expertise and understanding in what makes a great therapist. Empirical research has consistently demonstrated that the therapeutic relationship is the number one reason behind therapy success. The counselling industry is saturated with counsellors of all types: Psychologists, Registered Clinical Counsellors, Psychotherapists, Life Coaches, Professional Clinical Counsellors, and is often a wild west with ensuring that your mental health professional has the qualifications you need. We understand that even though a picture says a thousand words, it doesn’t necessary link you to the therapist that understands you the best. We believe that the onus should not be on the client to find the therapist that’s the best fit, it should be on the professionals that specialize in the industry.