Reduced-Rate Counselling
Seasons Family Centre offers reduced-rate and low-cost counselling for children, youth, and adults in Victoria, BC.
Cost is one of the most common reasons counselling gets postponed, or never started at all. We believe reduced-rate counselling should be available to the people who need it, and we offer it to lower one of the barriers that keeps people from seeking support.
Sessions are with a student clinician in the advanced stages of graduate training which includes either a master’s student in counselling psychology, or a doctoral student in clinical psychology from one of several programs around the province. Every student clinician works under the close supervision of a registered clinician.
Rates range from reduced to low-cost depending on your circumstances, with a small number of pro-bono spots. Counselling is available in person at our Victoria office, or virtually for clients anywhere in British Columbia.
How reduced-rate counselling works
Who provides the counselling
The counselling itself is provided by a student clinician nearing the end of their graduate training. Seeing clients is a formal, carefully regulated part of that training, and supervision is built into every hour of it.
Who supervises the work
Doctoral students in clinical psychology are supervised by Dr. Chiara Perico, Registered Psychologist. These students are at a more advanced stage of training, with years of coursework, assessment, and supervised clinical practice behind them.
Master’s students in counselling psychology are supervised by Lisa Norden-Infante, Registered Clinical Counsellor. These students have devoted the whole of their training to therapeutic intervention and often enter the practicums with notable skills in this domain.
Whichever stream your clinician comes from, the work is supervised in the same way. They review your concerns with their supervisor and develop a treatment plan tailored to your needs. When working with children or teens, this process includes parents’ input and careful consideration of the therapeutic approaches being used. Supervisors are experienced therapists, and they’re available whenever a question comes up.
The advantage of a small caseload
Student clinicians carry a deliberately small caseload, which allows them to prepare for each session thoughtfully, to think about each client between appointments, and to bring the work to supervision for a second, experienced perspective.
Students in graduate programs also bring a desire to do well, and they care a great deal about doing right by the people that they see. In practice, that tends to mean highly attentive treatment, with plans built around the person in the room.
For children and youth, that attention extends to the people who care for them and parent consultations are a regular part of treatment for youth. Caregivers are closely involved and informed, as collaborators in their child’s care.
Who this is for
Reduced-rate counselling is for anyone who finds the usual cost a real barrier, whether you’re a parent looking for support for a child or teen, or an adult seeking counselling for yourself. You don’t need to prove hardship or fit a category.
People come with the same concerns that bring anyone to counselling, including anxiety, low mood, struggles at school or at home, big transitions, pregnancy and parenting, and relationships that feel stuck.
Rates vary depending on your circumstances, and there is no fixed fee schedule. We’ll talk through what’s possible when you reach out.
What to know before starting
Student clinicians bring current, evidence-based education and real skill, though not yet the accumulated experience of a seasoned therapist.
For some concerns, particularly complex or higher-risk situations, a supervisor may recommend a different path; if so, we’ll help you find it.
Because caseloads are kept small, spots are limited and there may be a wait.
Meet our current student clinician: Yaewon Kim, Doctoral Candidate
Student practicum timelines
Student clinicians join our practice for placements of eight months to a year, which means they often can offer long term support. With that said, placements do eventually end, and sometimes that happens before the work does. If it does, we’ll plan the transition together, whether that means wrapping up naturally, continuing with a new student clinician, or exploring other options at the clinic.
Standards & oversight
Supervision is a formal part of clinical work, and it is held to the same professional standards of ethical practice and privacy that protect the sessions themselves.
Please note: Supervised practice is how a student ultimately becomes a registered psychologist or a registered clinical counsellor. There is no other route into either profession, and the requirements for oversight and accountability are set out clearly by the regulators and training programs.
Reduced rates with our registered clinicians
Our registered clinicians occasionally see a client at a reduced rate, and sometimes pro bono. These spots depend entirely on where their caseloads sit at a given moment, so they open up sporadically and can’t be counted on. With that said, you’re welcome to ask!
Wondering where to start?
Reaching out doesn’t commit you to anything. When you get in touch, we’ll arrange a brief conversation to hear what’s bringing you in. From there we’ll think together about whether reduced-rate counselling is a good fit, and work out an arrangement that makes sense for your situation. There’s nothing you need to prepare in advance.