I have 5-6 openings three evenings a month (rotating). Please contact me separately to let me know that you are only available for evening sessions. Evening sessions are my most popular and are booked extensively ahead of time. There is a longer wait for these appointments. I’m sorry, I no longer offer weekend appointments.

Possibly. Approximately 50% of employee benefit plans cover social workers (my designation). Check with your HR department or extended health carrier to be sure; it’s also good to know what your yearly maximum is, so that you can plan accordingly. The process around extended health claims is that clients pay me directly and I issue an official receipt that they submit to their insurance, either by mail or online.

Unfortunately, no. Counselling is not covered under MSP.

Download my resource list of lower-cost professional counselling options in Vancouver: Reduced-Cost-Counselling.pdf.

I have a 24-hour cancellation policy. Appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours notice are charged a percentage of the cost of the session. Missed appointments are charged the full session fee. Read my full cancellation policy.

Yes. This covers your identity, what you share with me and your attendance and status as a client. There are some exceptions to confidentiality that I must act on legally if they arise:

• Known or suspected harm to a child or older adult
• When a client has expressed a plan to harm themselves or someone else
• If counselling records are subpoenaed by the court

I am a Registered Clinical Social Worker (RCSW) #04462 with the BC College of Social Workers and I have a Master of Social Work Degree (MSW). Previous to going to social work school, I obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Certificate in Family Studies.

That depends, and is usually a balance between your current level of distress and what you can afford. I use an Outcome Rating Scale to help determine where you think you’re at and we plan accordingly. Generally, for higher levels of distress, clients come in every one to two weeks. I trust what you have to say about your needs and we continue to discuss this as we go along. Average amount of sessions are usually 6-8, although some folks need less, some more.

For centuries, the willow tree has been recognized for its healing properties, particularly pain relief. The willow is also characterized by its supple branches, an analogy for flexibility amidst the ever-changing conditions of life.

My vision for Willow Tree Counselling is that it remain an independent, individually-run counselling practice for clients who are interested with me, Megan Sutherland. I am honoured that many people who contact me say they do so because they feel drawn to working with me personally.

As you can imagine, because I do not have staff or associates, I am the only person seeing clients and I have a maximum number of sessions I can provide in a week.

As of June 2018, the length of my waiting list is approximately 6 months for daytime, in-person appointments for individual clients. The estimated current wait time for couples appointments is approximately 7 months. I will continue to update this estimate monthly, or contact me to request a current status report. Currently, there is no waiting list for daytime phone sessions, which are offered 3 days a month on rotating days. Wait times for evening sessions are approximately 8 months, due to limited availability.

Being able to take a last-minute cancellation can significantly increase the chances of an earlier appointment, particularly if you have good daytime availability and regular access to your email, where cancellation notifications are sent, if you have signed up for the cancellation list.

Not at all! I believe in the least amount of bureaucracy as possible.

This can take up to 15 minutes to come through. If it hasn’t, the typical reasons are that either your email address was entered incorrectly or the confirmation has gone to your spam folder. Please check. If you’re not sure, please email me.

As much as I would love to be able to do that, I am generally booked solid 4-6 weeks in advance with my regular clientele. I am not able to cancel existing appointments to make room for new people. Alternatively, if you think daytime phone counselling might work for you, please contact me! There is no waiting list for phone counselling.

I recognize that crises occur and this is often a common time to contact a counsellor. I am happy to refer you to another therapist or to do my best to assist you to find alternative services in your community. Unfortunately, because I am so tightly scheduled, I can rarely offer crisis counselling appointments.

Many people who are already waiting to meet with me are experiencing significant distress but have chose to wait to work with me, despite this. If we have had a 15-minute consultation and I perceive you need immediate counselling, I will refer you elsewhere or help you to develop a plan for interim counselling with another counselling service until such time that we can meet.

Some, but not all situations may be appropriate for phone counselling. Contact me and we can discuss.

If you are a Vancouver resident experiencing an urgent, non-life threatening mental health or addictions issue and need immediate support, contact the Vancouver Access and Assessment Centre (AAC), available 24/7.

Not at all, although it’s useful but not mandatory if you let me know if you would like to be removed from the list. There is never any pressure or expectation that you commit to counselling with me when you sign up for the waiting list.

Sometimes. Particularly if you are able to take a cancellation that my regular clients aren’t available for. These cancellations are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Although I cannot guarantee it, sometimes the timing just works out.

A number of factors:

• The fact that I am a solo counsellor
• The number of clients I am current working with dictates the number of new clients I can accept
• The number of current clients who are completing their therapy
• The number of clients on the waiting list
• The people on the waiting list who have found other options since they signed up
• Whether you are available for daytime sessions
• Whether you are seeking in-person or phone appointments

Very unlikely. I maintain my waiting list personally. If you think that you have been waiting longer than the time projected on this website, please contact me to enquire. Possible, but rare reasons include a clerical error, not having your correct or current email address, or messages from me going to your spam folder. The most likely explanation is that it is a busy time; I never want clients to wait unnecessarily.

Often, yes. Contact me to briefly describe your situation so that I can best direct you to counsellors who work in that area, if applicable. With any referrals I make, I highly recommend that you contact each counsellor individually and interview them by phone or in-person. Each counselling consumer has unique needs and the right counsellor for one person may not be right for the next person. If you email me your referral request, I can email you back relevant links.

It is fine to contact me with questions – particularly if your child feels too shy to ask me directly. If he or she decides that they would like to pursue counselling with me, I ask that they sign up for my wait list themselves. This can often be an important psychological step in the counselling process. I do not provide counselling for clients under the age of 19.

Please have the person you’re concerned about waitlist themselves, or contact me, directly. Most people are very startled when they are contacted by a counsellor when they have not requested counselling. The counsellor is typically startled too! Typically counselling does not proceed in such situations as people understandably feel that their privacy has been violated.

Most certainly and for some people it’s a process: they’re more ready when they put themselves on the waiting list for a second (or third) time. There are no hard feelings and I understand that situations change frequently.

It is possible that your name has not come up yet. Please contact me to check. The other possibility is that when you signed up, your email address was either entered incorrectly which means I have no way of contacting you. Again, please check in with me if you are concerned. If you have changed email accounts since you registered for my wait list, please contact me to ensure I have your current email address.

Of course! I recommend emailing me for a faster reply. I am always happy to give you a status update.

Easy. Just contact me and I will remove your name, no questions asked.

The number of cancellations I receive in a week typically ranges from zero to four. Some weeks you may not hear from me and other weeks you may be apprised of multiple cancellations. If you feel like you are receiving too many notifications, I am happy to stop sending them to you and change your status to wait list only. Just let me know!

If you have secured a cancellation, you then become a current client with the option of booking future appointments, starting with my first available opening. You are not returned to the general waiting list after your initial appointment.

It takes courage to come to counselling and to open up. Ethically, I believe that once a client starts to talk about what has brought them to counselling, they must leave with the option of a specific follow-up appointment should she or he choose to continue with the counselling process.

Typically between 1-4 weeks. You receive priority access to cancellations as you are now a current client.

Yes, that could be frustrating. I recommend a 15-minute in-person consultation so that you can get a sense of me personally and see how you feel in my office.

Emailed cancellation notices contain an unsubscribe link. Just click and you’re done; you will be removed from both my cancellation and waiting lists unless you notify me that you wish to remain on my waiting list.

Please email me directly to clarify this, otherwise I will assume you want to be off of both lists. I am in compliance with Canadian anti-spam legislation and will only contact you again if I have your express permission.