From Duncan to Campbell River, seeing a counsellor usually means a drive down Highway 19 and a wait measured in months. Online sessions skip both — video or phone with a BC-registered clinical counsellor, no waitlist.
Online counselling · Mid & North Vancouver Island
Counselling on Vancouver Island, online
Openings this week — no waitlist
No drive down Highway 19
VAC and CISM coverage accepted
Video or phone, anywhere in BC
Free 20-minute match call
Master’s-level Registered Clinical Counsellors
Master’s-level RCCs
Registered Clinical Counsellors, online across BC
VAC & CISM
Coverage accepted if approved by provider
No waitlist
Free match call, usually within a day or two
40+ insurers
Direct billing where your plan allows it
The local reality
The Island problem isn’t distance — it’s that everything runs through the highway
Mid and north Island communities mostly reach counselling the same way they reach everything else: by driving Highway 19 to Nanaimo or Courtenay and hoping the appointment is worth the afternoon it costs. Island Health’s public waits are long, private practices in the bigger centres fill up, and in Port Alberni or on the west coast the choice narrows to one or two names — if they’re taking anyone.
Online sessions put the whole practice within reach of every Island community at once. No drive, no ferry logic, no choosing a counsellor because they’re the only one within an hour.
Highway 19 is part of every appointment you’ve ever booked
The Nanaimo clinics quote you months
Port Alberni gives you two names, and both are full
You’ve weighed a whole afternoon against fifty minutes of help
19 Wing schedules don’t fit civilian clinic hours
You keep saying you’ll book when things slow down
We're here for the Island north of the Malahat.
Nanaimo, Courtenay, Comox, Campbell River, Duncan, Port Alberni — the communities whose counselling access runs through Highway 19 and Island Health’s waits.
Online sessions put the whole practice within reach of every Island community at once — no drive, no ferry logic, no choosing a counsellor because they’re the only one within an hour. From anywhere network or satellite internet can reach!
What online sessions are like
A secure link, a private space, and fifty minutes — that’s the whole setup
At the scheduled time, your counsellor emails you a secure link. You open it on a laptop, or through a free app on your phone or tablet, and you’re in the session — no account to create, no software to buy.
A private space for the length of the session — that’s the only real requirement
Any phone, tablet or computer with a camera works
An ordinary connection is enough — or just a phone line, for full phone sessions
Standard sessions are 50 minutes
Video or phone is your choice, and it can change day to day
If the connection drops, your counsellor phones you and the session carries on
A SMALL SLICE OF OUR HANDPICKED TEAM
Counsellors taking new online clients
Master’s-level Registered Clinical Counsellors, online across BC.
Isabelle Hochban
MACP, RCC · Online across BC
Registered Clinical Counsellor working with adults by video and phone across BC.
Sarah Jetha
MACP, RCC · Online across BC
Registered Clinical Counsellor working with anxiety, by video and phone across BC.
Dixie Wong
MACP, RCC, CCC · Online across BC
Registered Clinical Counsellor working with individuals and couples, by video and phone across BC.
How to start
Start with a conversation, not a process.
Free 20-minute counsellor-match consultation
If you’d rather talk it through first — or you’re not sure who would be right — our counsellor-match team will help you decide. It’s free, by phone, and there’s no obligation to book anything after.
Step 01
Tell us what’s going on
A confidential 20-minute phone call with our counsellor-match team. Guided questions about what brought you here, what you’ve tried, what matters to you, and what a good fit would look like.
Step 02
We find your counsellor — and tell you why
Our coordinators interview every counsellor about their style, training, strengths and limits — the things that never make it onto a website. They stay neutral; no counsellor takes part in their own matching.
Step 03
Arrive without having to introduce yourself
You start your first session without repeating your story, already knowing your counsellor’s background and how they work. Afterwards we check in by email to confirm the choice was right — and if it wasn’t, we rematch you.
To be clear
What the match consultation is not.
Finding a counsellor is stressful enough without a process that makes it worse. So, to be clear:
Not a form. We’re real people, on the phone, here to support.
Not a paid service, or a step you have to pay for before you can continue.
Not an endless questionnaire you fill out alone, hoping something comes of it.
Not matching by photograph. Picking a face from a grid is not a clinical decision.
Not counsellors choosing their own clients. Our coordinators are a neutral third party.
Not a waitlist — and you will never be seen by anyone without a Master’s degree and professional registration.
Not a sales call. Nobody will pressure you to book a session.
We believe we have an ethical obligation to help you find the right counsellor, because we’re the ones with the clinical experience. The therapeutic relationship is the single biggest factor in whether therapy works. It’s too important to leave to a search page.
Cost and coverage
Paying for it on the Island
Between military coverage, employer plans and direct billing, most Island clients pay less out of pocket than they expect.
19 Wing Comox families and veterans: VAC coverage applies to eligible clients
First responders: CISM program coverage is accepted
Employer extended health plans cover Registered Clinical Counsellors on most policies
Direct billing to 40+ insurers — you pay only your portion
$175
50 minutes · Online session
Standard session, video or phone.
Free
20 minutes · Match consultation
By phone, no obligation to book anything after.
Most extended health plans in BC cover counselling with a Registered Clinical Counsellor, and we bill more than 40 insurers directly where the plan allows it. Counselling with an RCC is generally tax-deductible as a medical expense. If you don’t have benefits, say so when you call and we’ll tell you exactly what you’d pay — no surprises.
Where we serve
Island communities we serve
This page covers the mid and north Island. Greater Victoria has its own page, its own realities and its own counsellor availability.
Nanaimo
Courtenay
Comox
Campbell River
Duncan
Port Alberni
Frequently asked questions.
I’m in Port Alberni — my options are one clinic or a drive to Nanaimo. What does online change?
It changes the pool. Instead of the counsellors within driving distance, you choose from counsellors across the whole practice, matched to what you actually need — and the drive disappears.
I’m connected to 19 Wing Comox. Does VAC cover sessions, and do you handle the billing?
Veterans Affairs Canada coverage is accepted for eligible clients, and we handle direct billing where the plan allows it. Mention it on the match call and we’ll confirm the details before you book.
Do you serve Victoria too?
Greater Victoria has its own dedicated page and its own availability picture — this page is for the mid and north Island. The match call is the same either way.
How long is the wait compared to Island clinics?
There is no waitlist. The free match call is usually available within a day or two, and first sessions are normally available the same week.
Can I do sessions by phone from somewhere without good internet?
Yes — phone sessions are a full alternative, same counsellor, same 50 minutes, same confidentiality.
Do winter storms and outages cancel sessions?
No — if video won’t hold, the session runs by phone, and if the power’s out entirely, you rebook without a fee. Weather is a fact of Island life, not a strike against you.
For partners and family
If you’re here looking for help for someone else.
Seeking counselling for someone you love isn’t interfering. It’s one of the most caring things you can do.
You’re not failing them by worrying — you’re paying attention. You can call us yourself and ask questions before anyone commits to anything; plenty of people do, especially where getting help has never been easy to arrange.
We are not a crisis line. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 9-8-8 — the Suicide Crisis Helpline, 24 hours a day — or 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) anywhere in BC. If someone is in immediate physical danger, call 9-1-1.
Keep the afternoon. Skip the highway.
Book the free 20-minute match call and see a counsellor from home — anywhere on the Island.
The match consultation is free. No cost, and no obligation to book anything after.
