SAiF's Counselling Programs
All of our counselling is non judgemental and takes a strength based and solution focused approach. It's about empowering you in your journey towards self reflection, coping, & healing. This is short term counselling (max 10 sessions) provided free of charge, to offer those in current or past abusive relationships a chance to stabilize their mental well being & build the skills necessary for healthy relationships, healthy self esteem, healthy ways of coping & healthy regulating of emotions.
This service is available to adults (18+) & youth (ages 12-17) of all genders. Our programs are open to residents of St Albert, Sturgeon County & nearby rural communities. If you've been impacted by family violence, please reach out to us.
Intake Process: When you call or email us, we schedule a 15-20 minute phone consult with a clinician. If counselling services are requested & appropriate for your situation, we'll schedule an in-person 1 hour intake with one of our counsellors. Our intakes are based on a informed consent based process & you can revoke consent at any time.
Our individual counselling sessions are 50 minutes long (with 10 minutes to complete case notes).
Our trauma informed services are provided by professionals who have completed, or have nearly completed, a Master’s-level Counselling program & are under the supervision of a Psychologist registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP).
Please note: not everyone may be ready for our counselling programs. If you are in immediate danger, please call 911. If you are struggling with significant mental health issues such as disordered eating, addictions, or active suicidality, we will want to ensure that you have the appropriate supports in place in order to achieve a level of stability in order to benefit from the counselling we offer. Sometimes, if basic needs like housing, food insecurity, or legal needs are overwhelming, we will want to support you with meeting those needs before embarking on the counselling process.
If you are looking for immediate resources, please check out the Info & Resources tab.
We accept referrals from other organizations, medical professionals as well as individuals calling on behalf of themselves or a loved one.
"When we talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary." - Mr. Rogers
Individual Adult Counselling
We offer a max of 10 sessions per client to work on things like safety planning, coping skills, setting boundaries, building resiliency & finding healing. Individual counselling is available to those who have experienced or perpetrated family violence.
Please note: we always have a duty to report when we believe a child is in danger. We ask for informed consent prior to phone consult & again prior to a full intake.
Phone Consultations
We offer short (15-20 min) phone consults with our clinicians for those who have been impacted by abuse. It's the first step to getting an intake for any of our counselling services; provides referrals and resources for those who may have exhausted counselling options with us or need other supports; & allows us to help update or develop safety plans & provide other information & support.
Individual Youth Counselling
We offer youth (ages 12-17) a max of 10 sessions to work on things like safety planning, coping skills, reducing self harm behaviours, setting boundaries & building resiliency. Individual counselling is available to those who have experienced or perpetrated family violence.
Please note: informed consent from both parents/guardians is required for youth to receive counselling (ltd exceptions apply.)
We do not accept
walk ins
With a small team, we are simply not staffed to meet the needs of drop in clients. Please call or email to make an appointment with an intake worker. Thank you.
Appointments to access our services
The best and most direct way to access our services is to call or email us. We do require informed consent which we share with you during our intake process.
Who can we offer services to?
We serve residents of St Albert, Sturgeon County, Parkland County & the surrounding areas. At this time, we are not able to provide counselling services to Edmonton , Spruce Grove, & Stony Plain residents.