Frequently Asked Questions

The foundation for my psychotherapy practice is family systems theory, which is home to a number of therapeutic approaches that see individual people within the mutual impact of their relationship constellations.  This is an extremely powerful lens, because people are not islands, we both shape and are shaped by our intimate/family relationships.  Family systems approaches support people to find and live out their best selves in their key relationships, whether delivered as couple or individual psychotherapy.  

I have extensive experience working with people who have addiction to various things.  Harm reduction and matching therapeutic work to one's stage of readiness to change is at the heart of my approach.  Addiction is the tip of the iceberg, the signal that other things are not well and are too much to handle.  We explore those "other things" at your pace, and build other coping options into solid self-care skills.

Trauma treatment, using EMDR primarily, may be the primary focus of therapy, or woven into work on other issues like anxiety, depression, anger management, addiction or relationship issues.

I adhere to the expectations of the Canadian federal Personal Information Protection & Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Ontario's Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), and the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) professional practice standards for safeguarding your private information.  

In order to protect your privacy, I do not communicate through social media apps such as Instagram and Facebook, and will not use email or text, or leave voice messages unless I have your permission.  I will only release information about our psychotherapy work to others when I have your written permission, or as required by law.  Any other disclosures about you are permitted for the purposes of accounting, practice audits, or clinical consultation in order to serve you better. 

If you have questions about confidentiality or privacy of your information, please email me glynis@gburkhalter.ca

When you book an appointment you will see a list of services available and the fee. 

Payment:  cash, credit, and E-Transfer are accepted payments. Keep in mind that E-Transfers are not a secure email transactions. I cannot be responsible for E-transfers that get lost in cyber space or fraudulently intercepted.

Unless otherwise arranged, cheques are not accepted. 

If you have extended health benefits through an insurance plan, it may cover counselling services under "Psychotherapist" or "Registered Social Worker".  It is the client's responsibility to determine if your benefits package covers these services.

If you need to cancel an appointment you can do so through your "My Account" tab once you login to your account, or contact me via email or at 226-899-3356. Please provide as much notice as possible. If an appointment  is cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice, or missed, the full session fee will be charged. This would then be due at the next session or within 14 days of the cancelled/missed appointment.

"In counselling, the focus is on providing information, giving advice, encouragement or instruction. For  example, a counsellor may work with you to foster life skills, teach you techniques for coping with  immediate causes of stress or anxiety, or offer crisis intervention."  College of Registered Psychotherapist of Ontario (CRPO) 

"Psychotherapy is primarily a talk-based therapy and is intended to help people improve and maintain their mental health and well-being. Registered Psychotherapists work with individuals, couples and families in individual and group settings. Psychotherapy occurs when the Registered Psychotherapist (RP) and client enter into a psychotherapeutic relationship where both work together to bring about positive change in the client’s thinking, feeling, behaviour and social functioning. Individuals usually seek psychotherapy when they have thoughts, feelings, moods and behaviours that are adversely affecting their day-to-day lives, relationships and the ability to enjoy life." College of Registered Psychotherapist of Ontario (CRPO)

The client-psychotherapist relationship is the foundation of psychotherapy. This psychotherapeutic  relationship is central to the provision of safe, effective and ethical care. Psychotherapeutic relationships  are based upon trust and the development and maintenance of appropriate and professional boundaries  established in a confidential environment.  

In an effective psychotherapeutic relationship: 

• your well-being is at the forefront; 
• you will work with your RP gathering relevant information that will support the formulation of a plan for psychotherapy; 
• there will be continuous evaluation of outcomes of each session and the impact on overall treatment goals; 
• your RP will practice safe and effective use of self; 
• your RP will adhere to the standards of practice for the profession 

 College of Registered Psychotherapist of Ontario (CRPO)