Frequently Asked Questions

Psychotherapy with Shelby is a virtual psychotherapy practice exclusively serving children and teens (with the support and involvement of their families) through individual therapy to work through a variety of mental health struggles. My specialties are in ADHD, anxiety and handling big emotions.

I offer a range of evidence-based therapies, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based therapies, client-centred (i.e., play therapy, art therapy, etc.) and emotion-focused therapies (EFT) including emotion-focused family therapy (EFFT).

Individual therapy sessions are typically 50 minutes long.

Sessions are $150 per hour.

Following a session, an invoice will be sent to you via email with the total owed. Payment is due via e-transfer to psychotherapywithshelby@gmail.com within 24 hours of the session. A receipt will then be sent to your email with the completed payment information and all required information for insurance.

Research has shown that virtual mental health services can be just as effective as in-person services, even for kids. In my experience, online therapy works well for most children and their families. For these families, caregivers enjoy the flexibility of online sessions that they can fit into their busy family schedule. Commuting time is eliminated and caregivers can be free to care for other children, do chores, or attend their own therapy session during the hour that their child attends sessions. For those living in areas with limited mental health services, virtual therapy offers solutions to such barriers. 

Having worked with children for many years (including during the pandemic online school years), I am very aware of how distractible kids can be! In my practice, I use interactive tools and programs to make therapy as close to the in-person experience as possible. My therapy sessions with youngsters typically include therapeutic games (often personalized to the child's interests) and activities that allow my clients to be focused on learning and healing for the entirety of the session. If and when issues with distractibility occur, I am quick to discuss this with caregivers and offer solutions to limit this barrier. Apps that lock users onto Zoom or block access to other apps as well as "Do Not Disturb" settings are great solutions to limit distractibility.

That being said, virtual therapy may not be the right fit for some clients. Please reach out if you would like to discuss if virtual sessions are the right choice for your family.

I work with many clients who are diagnosed or suspected to have ADHD, autism, or AuDHD (the presence of both). In my experience, the presence of these neurodiversities do not make or break a client's ability to have success in online sessions and the above explanation applies to neurodiverse children. I take a neurodiversity-affirming lens, meaning that I do not encourage or ask children to mask or suppress symptoms by enforcing seat-sitting or other expectations. If my client needs to move around, use a fidget, take a mid-session break, or keep sessions shorter than 50-minutes in order to stay focused and be successful in therapy, these needs are happily accommodated.

First sessions are intake sessions. This means that for clients under 16 years old, parents/caregivers attend the first session to review their child's reason for attending therapy, establish goals, and review their child's mental health history. This usually takes about 30-45 minutes and typically is done without the child present, however, if a teenage or child would like to be present this is permitted. During the last 10-20 minutes, I will have a meet and greet with your child to introduce myself, get to know them a little, get consent from them directly for therapy, and ask them about their goals for therapy.

Sessions thereafter are individual psychotherapy sessions and are attended by just the child, unless a plan for family or parent sessions was established ahead of time. Parents or caregivers may be asked to attend for the first or last 15-minutes to exchange updates, explain homework, or review goals. Individual sessions are structured typically with an emotional check-in at the beginning, allowing the child to reflect on their emotional state and share anything they would like to bring forward. Next, a review of the client's progress toward their goal which can include a reflection on any homework activities assigned the previous session. Then, I use a variety of therapeutic activities, games, and discussions to progress a client toward our goal. I may review and assign homework activities for the client to work on between sessions. Finally, we typically end the session with a brief mindfulness grounding activity to transition back into their day.

Because all insurance plans are different, please check with your insurance company to see if your plan covers psychotherapy services from a registered psychotherapist. Some plans only cover services from social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc. 

Invoice receipts will include the service provided (i.e., "individual psychotherapy session"), my name, business phone number, CRPO registration number, and supervisor's name and registration number.

I am a Registered Psychotherapist (qualifying) within the College of Registered Psychotherapists (CRPO). 

The "qualifying" status is a temporary status for members whom have not yet had their service hours approved and/or have not yet received their passing grade for the Canadian Professional Standard for Counselling and Psychotherapy (CPSCP): Entry to Practice Competency Assessment. Registered Psychotherapists (qualifying) are fully registered with the CRPO and their services are covered under most insurance plans that cover psychotherapy services. As per my professional and ethical obligations to the CRPO practice standards, I receive regular supervision sessions by a Registered Psychotherapist supervisor.

No, in-person sessions are not offered at the present time.

I am located in Ontario and serve clients virtually from Ontario. If you live outside of Ontario, please book a 15-minute consultation call to discuss if I am a good fit for your needs.