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Calgary Psychologist Clinic - Best Choice Counselling & Assessments
Breaking Free Foundation Direct Billing Therapists and Counselling

Breaking Free Foundation Direct Billing - Therapy, Counselling, and Assessment Psychologists

In a world where trauma can shatter lives, organizations like the Breaking Free Foundation (BFF) stand out as beacons of hope and healing. Founded with a mission to provide survivors of traumatic life events with the treatment and support needed to reclaim their lives, BFF has become a vital resource for individuals seeking to break free from the grips of trauma.

Central to BFF’s initiatives is the Therapy Grant Program, designed to make trauma healing more accessible for individuals in Alberta, Canada. This program reflects BFF’s commitment to removing barriers to treatment, ensuring that financial constraints do not hinder access to essential therapeutic services.

The Therapy Grant Program provides approved candidates with financial support to undergo trauma-informed therapy. Each recipient is eligible to receive up to $750 towards therapy sessions, with a lifetime maximum of $1,500 per client. This funding is directly paid to provincially certified therapists, covering various trauma-informed therapies such as psychology, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), equine therapy, art therapy, and more.

The application process is straightforward yet thorough, requiring candidates to submit a completed application form along with a fee quote from their chosen therapist. Once approved, payments are disbursed directly to the therapist, ensuring seamless financial support for clients embarking on their healing journey.

*disclaimer* while these pages serve as a general guideline on what you can expect from an insurance policy, it is important to verify coverage, ability to direct bill, daily maximums, policy maximums and any exclusions with your insurance provider directly. We cannot make guarantees but do our best to keep these pages up to date and correct to the best of our knowledge and experiences. If you see any information that is inaccurate, please take the time to let us know here

Our Calgary Therapists That Are Options for Clients With Breaking Free Foundation Therapy Grants

Calgary-Psychologist-Kari-Adams

Kari Adams

Accepting New Clients

Clinical Psychologist

English

Kari is a warm and compassionate Registered Psychologist who works with children, youth, adults, and families to heal from trauma, build stronger relationships, and manage life’s challenges with more ease. With 15 years of experience, Kari helps clients make sense of their past while tapping into their strengths to create the future they want. She brings a trauma-informed, person-centered approach and uses a blend of therapies like EMDR, family systems work, narrative therapy, and DBT, always tailoring her approach to each individual or family. Whether you’re a young adult facing big life changes, a parent concerned about your child, or a family looking to reconnect, Kari provides a safe and supportive space to work through it together. She also works closely with parents when supporting younger children, believing that therapy is a team effort....
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Calgary Psychologist and Therapist Blogs About Mental Health

Couples Counselling: What Therapists Wish You’d Stop Saying

How to Build a Healthy Parent Child Relationship: Therapist’s Guide for Modern Families

trong connections with children need more than just spending time together. Parents who set aside 10 minutes of focused, distraction-free interaction each day can substantially improve their communication with children. Many parents find it challenging to connect with their children emotionally in the ever-changing world. Yet understanding proven parenting techniques…

Nurturing Self-Compassion in Counselling A Path to Personal Growth and Enhanced Mental Wellness

In the journey of life, we often encounter challenges that test our resilience and emotional well-being. During these moments, the practice of self-compassion can serve as a powerful ally, offering a gentle approach to navigating difficulties and fostering personal growth. When integrated into counselling, self-compassion becomes a transformative tool, paving…

The Gentle Art of Mindfulness in Child Therapy: What Really Works

New research from 18 complete studies with 2,387 children shows how mindfulness transforms child therapy. Studies between 2010 and 2021 highlight children’s improved emotional, behavioral, and cognitive self-regulation in a variety of socio-economic backgrounds. Therapeutic mindfulness works well with children. It cuts depressive episodes by almost 50% and helps manage…

How to Build a Support Network When You Feel Completely Alone

Parenting Burnout Therapy: What Every Exhausted Parent Should Know

Sixty percent of parents face burnout during their parenting trip. Western countries report that 8% of parents deal with severe parenting burnout symptoms. These numbers paint a picture of parents who struggle with complete exhaustion and feel emotionally detached from their children….

Calgary Therapist Theories and Frameworks

Our psychologists and therapists draw from a variety of evidence based counselling frameworks and theories when working with clients. Learn more about the many different frameworks and theories our psychologists, therapists, and counsellors use.

Gottman Method Couples Therapy Calgary

Gottman Method

The Gottman Method, developed by Dr. John Gottman, is a scientifically-backed approach to improving relationships. After studying over 3,000 couples...
internal family systems therapy calgary

Internal Family Systems

IFS therapy builds on a basic idea - our minds have multiple subpersonalities or "parts" that each play key roles...
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Calgary

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

ACT therapy brings a fresh perspective to mental health treatment. Traditional cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on changing thoughts, while ACT...
Mindfulness Based Therapy Calgary

Mindfulness Based Therapy

Mindfulness based therapy provides a scientifically-proven way to manage stress, anxiety, and various mental health challenges. Traditional therapeutic techniques combined...
EMDR Therapy Calgary

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy

EMDR is an approach to therapy that can help your brain become “unstuck” and be able to successfully process disturbing...
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Isomnia Calgary

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is a psychological treatment approach that has gained recognition for effectively addressing the challenges...
Feminist Therapy Calgary

Feminist Therapy

Feminist therapy is a therapeutic approach that focuses on addressing the unique experiences and challenges individuals, particularly women, face in...
Person Centered Therapy and Counselling Calgary

Person Centered Therapy

Person-centered therapy, also known as client-centered therapy, is a humanistic approach to psychotherapy that places the client at the center...
Culturally Sensitive Therapy in Calgary

Culturally Sensitive Therapy

Culturally sensitive therapy is a therapeutic approach that recognizes and values the importance of culture and identity in the therapy...
Strength Based Therapy Calgary

Strength Based Therapy

Strength-based therapy is an approach used by psychologists that focuses on identifying and utilizing an individual’s strengths and resources to...
Emotionally Focused Therapy Calgary

Emotionally Focused Therapy

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a therapeutic approach that focuses on improving emotional connections and attachment patterns in relationships. It...
Prolonged Exposure Therapy Calgary

Prolonged Exposure Therapy

Prolonged Exposure Therapy is an evidence-based treatment approach used by psychologists to address trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This...
Cognitive Processing Therapy Calgary

Cognitive Processing Therapy

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a widely recognized and evidence-based therapeutic approach used by psychologists to treat individuals suffering from...
Motivational Interviewing Calgary

Motivational Interviewing

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a counseling framework that aims to elicit and strengthen an individual’s intrinsic motivation to change. It...
Interpersonal Psychotherapy Calgary

Interpersonal Psychotherapy

Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) is a therapeutic approach focused on improving interpersonal relationships and resolving interpersonal issues that contribute to psychological...
Attachment Based Therapy Calgary

Attachment Based Therapy

Attachment-based therapy is an approach rooted in the field of psychology that focuses on the significance of human connections and...
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy DBT Calgary

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a type of therapy that combines elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy with concepts of acceptance and...
Family Systems Therapy Calgary

Family Systems Therapy

Family systems therapy is a therapeutic approach that focuses on understanding and addressing the dynamics and interactions within a family...
Narrative Therapy Calgary

Narrative Therapy

Narrative therapy is a form of therapy that focuses on the stories and narratives that individuals construct about their lives....
Psychodynamic Therapy Calgary

Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychodynamic therapy is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on understanding and exploring the unconscious processes and past experiences that...
Solution Focused Therapy Calgary

Solution Focused Therapy

Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT) and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) are therapeutic approaches that focus on finding solutions rather than dwelling on...
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Calgary

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a widely recognized and evidence-based form of psychotherapy that focuses on the connection between thoughts,...

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! We have several psychologists and therapists that offer Calgary Couples Counselling, Marriage counselling and relationship counselling. Check our Couples Counselling service page to see what therapists specialize in providing Couples Counselling in Calgary and Alberta.

Yes! We provide direct billing where we can, it depends on your insurance company and the credentials of the therapist. Sunlife is one of the insurers that do not allow us to do direct billing. For Provisional psychologists we usually can only direct bill for AB Blue Cross and Greenshield. For Assessment work like psychoeducational assessments, we do not provide direct billing. We charge the assessment at the start of the process and when finished, we provide a letter outlining the services rendered that you can submit to your insurer for reimbursement.

Yes! We have several therapists that speak multiple languages. Meet our team of psychologists and therapists to see what languages are available.

Our psychologists, counsellors and therapists will, at minimum, have a Master degree in a related field. Many are registered psychologists or provisional registered psychologists who are with licensed with the College of Alberta Psychologists and some are Canadian Certified Counsellors who are registered with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association See our therapists’ bios for detailed information about their credentials.

Our therapists are skilled in a variety of therapeutic frameworks. The most common framework is CBT, but all of our therapists are experienced in at least several frameworks and most are eclectic in the interventions they use, opting to use what works for the client instead of a adhering strictly to a single framework. Each therapist has the types of therapy they use listed on their profile page, and we also have a frameworks section that will list the therapists that use those frameworks on them.

Beyond frameworks, we offer Child, Youth, Couples/Marriage, and Individual counselling for men, women, seniors, and lgbtq identified individuals.

Yes! We have an office located across from Mount Royal University in Southwest Calgary, close to where Crowchild Trail Meets Glenmore Trail, and one office located in Brentwood NW Calgary close to University of Calgary.

Unfortunately, we do not offer sliding scale fees. Our fees can be accessed on our pricing page.

Yes! We offer online video or phone counselling in Calgary and throughout Alberta and beyond. While some clients are not interested in video counselling, we do have excellent therapists who work exclusively online and all of our therapists who offer in-person sessions also offer online video counselling.

We recommend taking advantage of the free consultation option first – you’ll get a chance to meet your therapist and ensure that the relationship is going to be a good fit and that you both believe you’ll be able to benefit from the relationship ahead of spending any money.

If you’re certain you just want to go ahead and book a session, simply send us a text message with your first name, last name, and email address, or provide it through the contact form. We will get you setup in the booking system, send you the intake forms to complete, and when done, get you booked!

Same day turn-around is generally very rare – we are not a crisis treatment center so if you can’t wait a little bit, it’s best to try contacting the Distress Centre.

That said, it does happen that we can get clients in with a therapist right away if there is an opening or a cancellation – the biggest hold up is getting the intake forms completed.

Yes! We offer assessments for both Adults and Children, and we offer Psycho Educational Assessments, ADHD Assessments, and Cognitive Assessments / IQ Tests. See the pricing page for further details. All our assessments are conducted by a College of Alberta Registered Psychologist who specializes in assessment work.

We frequently get asked questions about how long it will take to see improvements. This is a really difficult question to answer and depends more on the client, the issues they are dealing with, and where they are at in their life than the therapist. Our main goal is to help educate our clients and provide them with the tools so that they can improve their lives and move beyond therapy.

Online video counselling *can* be every bit as effective as in-person counselling, but it really depends on the situation. For young children, online counselling is likely not going to be effective because it’s much more difficult to engage them. For people dealing with very difficult mental health issues, or who already believe that online counselling is not effective, it likely won’t be as effective as in-person. However, for many clients who are dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, online counselling can be extremely effective and can be much more convenient for our busy schedules.

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