Reviews of Calgary Counselling Centre (Psychiatrist)

Matthew Zapalski

I was suffering from schizophrenia and they couldn't schedule to see the psychiatrist My life was falling apart around me and after a couple of sessions I failed to make rent to pay. I don't recommend this place if you or your family suspect mental illness. I was refered by a doctor . I still plan on using this service but feel they could have done more if they had the resources.

Candace Beaton

I found the reception pleasant, the space is modern and my counsellor has been super helpful!

Jackofblades515

Applied June 16th and still almost 4 months later have not heard back from them. Which is probably for the best as my sister had a terrible experience here.

Tyler M

Do yourself a favour and find a councellor with a phd. You will not find one here. The people here are inexperienced and should not be giving advice. Find a councellor who is both married and has children. If a councellor has no children and is not married they should not be giving advice on the subjects.

Ethan Myers

Be very careful with this place if your core issue is a profound invasion of your privacy, you know what I am talking about if this is you. There is zero sense of privacy in this place. Every room has cameras and even though you can choose to have it off, the whole thing is very "lab rat" like. They rate you before you go in by a generic questionnaire, and you have to get your ratings up so on your next visit they want to make sure you are doing better. On the bottom of the exam tablet, you can see that if after 2-3 sessions your ratings are not going up you will go in the red so they basically will stress you out to get the numbers up. The therapists as they are interns, are trying to show their bosses that the exam results are better so they will try to in a subtle way force you to get results. Only go there if you are in a very difficult place financially and have to see someone and can't afford better or absolutely can not wait. Do not go there in any shape or form if you require heavy lifting. They will most likely hurt you and make you feel worse. They will basically try to dominate you to produce results.

Kismet Caffet

Be very careful and prepare yourself before coming here. My wife and I have been on a search for mental health therapy for a very long time for her. We were referred to the CCC directly as our local resources could not provide the care my wife needed. Unfortunately, through a series of miscommunications, inability to return phone calls and so many other factors, my wife and I were ultimately dropped from care after two sessions of going over paper work and consent. The miscommunications caused the therapist to not attend the third session. We even had couples therapy booked but it never materialized and those sessions were just cancelled. We talked to the Director to try to find solutions. She was not very helpful and used very inappropriate phrases, which I will get to later. We gave the Director verbal consent along with multiple emails to talk to our MLA’s office regarding my wife’s care, only to find out later that same day that someone from CCC had already called our MLA’s office, before consent was given. Did a breach of privacy occur here? I cannot tell for sure as the Director has stopped returning my emails. We even left multiple messages for the Directors supervisor, the CEO, and still nothing. When we asked for the recordings that were supposed to be made of every session, something we agreed to and insisted on during the first session due to how many miscommunications we’ve had to deal with in the past, my wife’s councilor said they didn’t exist and didn’t even acknowledge that the conversation regarding them took place. *sigh* Worst of all is what we found out in a communication from our MLA’s office afterwards. To summarize, CCC indicated that they would be willing to process a medical referral if my wife removed her negative Google review... I’ll just let that sit. CCC has potential. They have helped many people, just not my wife or I. Here are some things that you can do or that CCC can change to help improve the general experience. If you do have an experience with CCC, good or bad, be sure to post about it here. It’s hard to gauge change without feedback over time. 1) Record every session. This includes the first one where you go over consent. Alberta has “one party consent” laws that allow you to do this. Please look those up as there are some restrictions and I cannot give legal advice. A great search term is “Alberta one party consent recording”. Do not feel afraid or ashamed of exercising your rights. CCC - make recording every session the default option. Start recording as soon as you can, make it the first thing you go over during consent and then record the rest. Get proof that your therapist has gone over everything properly and that the patient has heard it. This is for the benefit of both parties involved. Giving the therapist the ability to selectively turn the recording on and off allows them to not record things they would rather not be seen again. It opens up the door to abuse. Please close that door. You may need this if a disagreement comes up. 2) ”I’m sorry you feel that way.” Unfortunately, this was said to me by the Director. Please Google this phrase to understand the full scope of it. From my experience, CCC also seems to have this general attitude. It is important that CCC realizes the harm that these types of statements can cause and stop using them entirely. For everyone else, learn what it means and be prepared to let them know why it is inappropriate if they chose to use it. Good Luck! May you find the five stars you seek.

Denver William

I have to say that I am both disappointed and alarmed at the service and treatment my boyfriend and I received here. We were seeking couples counselling to improve our communication and prepare for some upcoming challenges. The sessions we got where fine enough, nothing particularly original or helpful but it got us talking about things more so not a total wash. That being said, we couldn't justify the cost for the quality so we decided no to book after a few sessions and didn't think much of it after that. Our final session was sometime in July and it is currently the end of October....almost three months later, we start getting phone calls from our former counselor informing us that we somehow failed to pay $5.00 from one of our sessions. This is really confusing since all of our sessions were the same price, we always payed the exact amount that was requested. Not only were we told we owed this $5.00 but, if we didn't pay it immediately the accounting department would send it to collections. I fully admit that this somehow slipped my boyfriends mind and I didn't find out about it until it had been a few weeks since the first call. While I couldn't figure out how we possibly shorted our payment by $5.00, the threat of it being sent to collections was an issue I wasn't willing to deal with, I would rather just pay it as it was not worth the fight. Monday night, I received my first call from our former counselor (all others had been directed to my boyfriend). I missed the call and checked my messages to find one saying that somehow our debt had jumped from $5.00 to $260.00. She claimed that we had in fact failed to pay for two entire sessions. We know, for a fact, that we had paid those, the way things work there, your counselor walks you up to the counter and hands you over to the person working the front desk. We immediately checked to find our copies of the receipts, our online bank statements and we were able to find proof of one of the payments. When I finally did get to speak directly to our counselor she claimed she wasn't sure what had happened, she stated that she was 99%sure we had payed for the same reasons I was and yet she couldn't seem to communicate that to the accounting department. When I asked about why she would threaten to send us to collections over $5.00 she claimed that she didn't know what I was talking about, that she would never say something like that. I then asked how the mistake in accounting when from $5.00 to $260 it was all very strange and she agreed but darn her hands where tied. My greatest issue with this experience is that the people who go to these kinds of places, that need these services are easy to take advantage of. The fact that it was our counselor calling as opposed to the accounting department who we in reality needed to deal with is unprofessional. The intimidation aspect of this with the threat of collections when you take into consideration the vulnerability of people who use this type of service is alarming. I felt like I was being shaken down for money and I have been in mental states where I would have absolutely not been organized enough to keep my receipts in order, I might not remember what I had done, I would likely question what was true and in embarrassment and fear of having my credit affected, just paid them again and I know many people who could have been coerced into doing the same thing. It is all too apparent that this is not a place where people can find help and healing, it is simply a business and things are all about the bottom line. That is disappointing but I can forgive that. What I cant forgive is that business not being organized enough to sort out their own accounting and then making it another problem for the people who came to them for help and have enough problems. I will be sure to let anyone I know who is thinking of seeking help from this place to look elsewhere. The cost is not representative of the quality, and their willingness to harass people is disgusting.

Mary-Ann S

Seen a counsellor once here and it was not a good fit. She didn’t help me in any way. I tried filling out the intake again and didn’t hear back from anyone. I have extreme social anxiety and depression. Guess they don’t care enough to help me.

Phil Vaive

I really do not reccomend this place, I've struggled with extreme anxiety and depression and decided to reach out and better my mental health and this place made me feel absolutely terrible. The first counselor I got paired with, I started new meds the day of the appointment and felt terrible with anxiety and side effects so I cancelled and wrote a huge apology and told the her the situation and asked if I could rebook. Her email back was "let's not worry about that for now" . I could not believe a person who has a degree and is trained in mental health would guilt someone and make them feel worse. So I tried again and got set up with a new counselor and randomly without making anymore money the appointment jumped way up in price? And they ask what your boyfriend makes even though his INCOME DOES NOT PAY FOR MY SERVICES. WE ARE NOT MARRIED NOR SHARE A INCOME....but long story short the counselor just stopped answering and did not check up on me once. GO ANYWHERE BUT THIS PLACE, they have no idea what they are doing regarding mental health and how hard it is to even reach out to someone.

Preet K.D

After I took their little quiz about how at-risk I was (very), they put me alone in a (storage??) room with an intern who asked me repeatedly what exactly I was there for - when I ultimately started crying and, frustrated, told her I didn't know what kind of help I needed, she told me I was making her 'uncomfortable' and recommended we end the session. I then paid /money/ for this "service" and left in substantially worse shape than I entered. I followed up and explained the situation in a detailed email, and they told me they would use this experience to help educate the person in question. I then received a number of probing, routine follow-up calls from them which made it very clear there wasn't so much as a note on my file. If you are a (male) crisis case, do not go here, go... get a cat, or something. Until there's a baseline level of safety and respect a patient can expect here, I can't NOT recommend it enough.

Angelo Castillo

I have been seeing my psychologist Karrin at this centre since January 2016 for emotional support. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about my psychologist, she has been amazing, the sliding scale for my situation at the time allowed me to see someone in my time of need and not have to suffer alone. Karrin listened and offered wonderful feedback and had great suggestions on how to improve my well being. Karrin is very knowledgeable and current with her education and background. She was easy to contact and always responded and was completely reliable. She made a difference in this persons life. I thank Karrin from the bottom of my heart. We are fortunate to have such a service as the calgary counselling centre to help people with a vast range of varying issues.

Jonathan Wolfe (Jon)

I had a terrible experience with this place, I'd say stay far away. For an organization that claims to be invested in mental health, they don't have a clue how to actually deal with clients in crisis. Their complete lack of understanding and disregard of my disorder was egregious. Their inexcusable mishandling of my intake meant that not only did I not receive help, the experience was bad enough that it made my issues even worse. They were so desperate to get my money that they wouldn't leave me alone even after I'd made it clear that I was done with them. If they do have any qualifications or licenses, they should be decertified. There's no way an organization this incompetent should be allowed to continue to harm people like this.

Jerad Johnson

This is for the uninformed. If you have ANY emotional stress that you really do want to do something about, its time to change it up. I have found that the people here to help me have been incredibly amazing and have put me on a path that is leaving me feel better and better all the time. That doesn't mean a feel good experience all the way, there have been ideas that I have had to leave behind as they no longer serve me. Thank you Lord for this service being available. Its taking me from an emotional puddle to a more proactive and happier individual.

Rhy Martin

I have received so much help from my counselor. He is straight forward honest with his opinions and assessment of the things I need to talk about . I asked him not to sugar coat or to always tell me I'm right because I was hurt and betrayed. He doesn't, he gives me tools to use to adjust my behaviors and help me to deal with others behavior. I don't lie to him and he doesn't lie to me. He always gives me credit for work I have done and makes me acknowledge the good in that for myself. If something is not working he will help me find ways to approach it so it may. He is a decent human being who doesn't make me feel less of a person because of my shortcomings in dealing with heartbreak and depression. I have tonnes of support but his is different, he helps me understand why I have the feelings and thoughts I have and helps me figure out how to deal with it.

Melden Hall

They do NOT deal with physiologists and refferals are a shot in the dark. Even when talking to a director it feels like they are just googling places and calling it a refferal. Only go here if you need to talk to someone about your bad day or need to get stuff off your chest. Cause this place is deffs coming up with the next REAL therapist and physiologist.

Shawna Southwick

Couldn't even get in touch with me for almost a month as they used they incorrect email address (despite sending me an email to confirm they have recieved my service request & will be on contact within 2 business days). This made me feel like they weren't even willing to help me which really made me feel hopeless. The lack of attention to detail by an place that deals with distressed individuals was very upsetting. My other experience was very poor as the lady just had me spend the entire session talking about one single incident that happened to me and not offering any insight into my problem other than everything I had already discussed.

Mara

I hated the fact that I was put in a situation in which I needed to seek help but am happy I got the help I needed. I am visiting the Calgary Counselling centre to help manage chronic pain from a motor vehicle accident and all the other nasty side effects Chronic pain can bring on physically and mentally. I feel respected, understood and in a safe environment during my sessions. I have got lots of valuable information and feedback to help me better cope with and manage my ongoing symptoms. Thank you Maureen :)

mickeeey95

The different therapists that worked me were kind, empathetic and so helpful. I came into therapy so depressed and angry but after a few months I felt so much better and healthier.

Eileen Patricia Urqueta Rojas

Refer to Dani Negars' comment. It's spot on.

86thislove

Despite measuring in the "red" for their own stress test to track your progress, they told me not to come back because they "couldn't help me." I guess if your not the kind of "troubled" they want to deal with then they don't deal with you. Great idea Calgary Counselling. Kick a potentially suicidal, extremely stressed, crying individual out telling them that you can't help them. They gave up on me. Don't go here unless you have only very minor troubles and just want someone to talk to.

MrGvazdikas

The initial sliding scale is ridiculous. It looks at your pay without taking any debt or anything into account. I went to numerous sessions and didn’t feel I accomplished anything. Not only that, but making someone with anxiety filling out a ‘How did I do?’ exit survey with the counselor still in the room was a special kind of hell. Your mileage may vary, but it’s not for me. Tried it twice now, and I’m giving up on them.

Madison Elliott

Couldn't be happier with my experiences here. Everyone has been incredible and has helped me so much. Highly recommended.

Andres Cardona

Very bad experience with this place, if you really need help try other resources, they won't do anything for you for sure. Unprofessional people all the way from reception, to accounting department to social workers or psychologists. I hope this place will be cloed soon so that they do not rip off people who trust them.

Shawna Hansen

Terrible people to deal with.. Can't get ahold of them for a counselling centre it's in a sad state of affairs for people that our suppose to be able to lean on them for crisis

Natalia Tracanelli

I've done 4 stints over the past decade and each time was worse than the last. The final strike was when they broke their promise and my trust. After being assured I could switch counselors if I wasn't getting the help I needed, attempting to do so caused a huge mess, culminating to where I was forced to justify why I wanted to switch to the very person I didn't connect with. It felt very accusatory. I hated the rating system where you rate your counselor at the end of each session. When something wasn't perfect you either lied and said things were alright, or were forced to defend your rating on the spot. The good news is that the sliding scale helped a lot with affordability and the service was quicker to access than the free ones offered by Alberta Health. And my first stint was positive. I'll never go there again, but I do still mention them as a choice to friends who are seeking help (with disclaimers of my experiences).

Dani Neggers

The following is not a positive review of the Calgary Counselling Centre and yes I know, on social media you want to positive. However, I visited the centre for about a year over a period of 15 years. In my last session, I came out being appalled by the counsellor's lack of ability to even have one single clue as to what would be wrong with me, except that she did say I had low self-esteem. I knew that already about myself. I did ask her to please notice anything that would need the assessment of the on-staff psychiatrist's evaluation. She said she could do that if necessary. She never recommended me to them. My life was falling apart and had been since my twenties. I told her that from the beginning. My life was wracked with all sorts of emotions and often extreme ones. She was stumped after 3 months with no clear suggestion of what could be wrong with me or any idea of where my emotions were coming from. Its also very upsetting that I went before the board of 'experts' and they said that I was "very resilient". Are you kidding me? What a gong show. On that day, the last day that I decided to go there, my counsellor said very seriously, "you have such low self-esteem" . She made me very uncomfortable and when I apologized for being the cause of tension between us in the moment, she didn't say anything. When I visited the centre 15 years ago, I was far less capable of dealing with my 'low self-esteem' and emotional problems. The final comment from the counsellor and the board of experts was that I was detached from my emotions. No, kidding. I figured that out myself. What I am also appalled by is most of the process and the intake process. In my opinion, it should be a lot more specific to assess patients better. I wonder what these counselors study in their first year of Uni? Why don't they have a better general understanding of all of the disorders? It would seem that if they did, the counsellor that I saw could have narrowed the process and I could have been refered to the psychologist. Its appalling to me that she didn't suggest that there may be something more serious going on and worse yet, the so called very experienced board members couldn't even suspect it!!! That was two years ago and last year, I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. I am an intelligent person who has worked through a lot on her own even though I saw many practitioners who never even once got it right. One I saw for two years. I suggest that if you have had long term problems, get assessed by a psychiatrist and don't waist your life at the Calgary Counselling Centre. I have never written a negative review online before because the idea is that it isn't wise to, but maybe mine will help you. My life is getting better now after receiving the right treatment and doing other self-healing programs.

Morgan Mclaren

It could have been nice, but unfortunately mental health clinics don't support those who work late hours and have very little money to show for it, I had to go through two counsellors and I got forgotten about twice, I suppose the small amount of money I had to offer wasn't good enough for the sliding scale thanks for nothing

D Wegener

These are just my impressions of Calgary Counseling Center. I went in knowing that I am a high needs individual with complex mental illness, all very well stated in my intake, yet they stuck me with an Intern. To me, I felt that showed a bit of disorganization. There were a couple of wide-eye moments in my first session, which isn't the intern's fault. They obviously didn't put much thought into matching me up. What I realize now is that this is primarily a business, and their priority is making money, and making you feel like you've spent your money well. And that's fine, but I am a low-income Calgarian and the sliding scale still isn't reasonable enough for me. If I am going to have to decide between buying cat food or paying for counseling, I am going to choose the cat food. Their consulting psychiatrist is someone who doesn't believe that Bipolar Disorder even exists, by the way. Let that sink in. Thank you for taking the time to read my review, and I hope that it can save you time along your journey. Don't give up, and keep looking.

KW

Mentioned I have coverage but limited coverage .. that's ok, lets charge me the full rate until the coverage runs out and then we can negotiate a more affordable fee. Um WHAT! SO that means at the expensive rate with coverage I get THREE sessions. Which lets face it, does nothing for services. THEN my daughter, who is a student and thanks to covid has no job. SHE is getting the same expensive treatment until her limited coverage is done. HOW does someone with no income get charged the same amount as me, and even I can't afford that rate!

Miranda Mura

Calgary Councelling Center provided me with practical resources and personalized guidance toward overcoming the unique difficulties I face as an international humanitarian.

Emilyanne Mullet

I hope I could give them zero stars but unfortunately google doesn’t allow it i so not recommend this guys it’s total trash they r just fooling people plus they are hella expensive and they charged we with 236$ even when I have not attended a session which wasn’t even I fault as I was there but their counsellor did not join the meeting and now they r wanting me to pay for that like serious guys there r better places in Calgary that help u for free like CIWA do not waste your money for this. ????????

Bob Jackson

It's not perfect, but no therapy ever will be. It's an extremely valuable resource, and you shouldn't at all feel deterred from it if you feel you need help. My counsellors have been respectful and competent. And its a blessing that they have a sliding scale payment model. I'm sorry to hear that some people were unsatisfied with their experiences, but I also feel this is a minority of the people who go here. Many of these negative reviews seemingly come from people who looked for counselling yet didn't want to make personal changes.

Kyle Reeping (Corrado33)

Love the idea of this, had a pretty unfortunate experience where my counsellor wasn’t able to accommodate me into her schedule (she seemed over booked?) The really frustrating thing for me has been the phone service. I called on a Thursday morning asking if I had an appointment that morning or the next day because if it was on Friday I would not be able to make it. The person on the phone claimed they were unable to tell me because my counsellor hadn’t checked in for the day, so I was forwarded to her voicemail and left a voicemail saying that if the appointment was Friday I couldn’t make it. On Friday I received a phone call from the counsellor telling me that the appointment was that day and was supposed to start in like 30 minutes. I told her (as I’d said in the message) I could no longer make Friday work. She told me I still had to pay the cancellation fee because I didn’t give 24 hours notice. I was paying the lowest rate so even though that made no sense (because I’d called more than 24 hours before but no one could tell me if I had the appointment or not so how could I have cancelled it??) I just said I would pay. Because of the scheduling difficulties I decided not to return and moved cities soon after. I was told I could pay my outstanding balance over the phone and when I tried to call was told twice to call back before on the third time finally someone let me pay. All of this is a roundabout way of me saying I have called/spoken to someone on the phone from the centre 4 different times. Every single time it felt like they were doing everything in their power to get off the line with me as quickly as possible. Like these people did not want to be talking to me, and were making it as obvious as possible. I get that working front desk for a mental health clinic has to be incredibly draining emotionally but unfortunately you still do have to provide a service and it didn’t feel great to be snapped at when I wasn’t contradicting them or trying to wheedle them into getting what I wanted. (because I know from personal experience 90% of the time stuff is out of their control and they’re usually just as frustrated with the system as the customers). So maybe like either check in on the mental health of your receptionists or consider sensitivity training? Idk

Krista Martinez

I have tried to get to talk to someone on two different occasions. Still haven't talked to anyone. They never answer the phone or return your calls. The one time I got through to someone they made the process soo difficult I didn't even want to call back. Terrible people when it takes all that you got just to dial the phone. Shame on you .

Jacob

These people are trying to take me to collections for 40 dollars ???? because after my first appointment which the lady was late to and literally did nothing for me I decided I didn't want to continue this is a trash business who clearly doesn't help anyone

Jp Dudebuddy

I felt as though my needs weren’t being met and when I did feel as I was making progress with my anxiety and mental health the “graph” was showing as if I wasn’t ? I’m not sure how it works but just made me feel bad about myself the therapist was nice but I just felt I wasn’t getting the help I needed. Definitely needs improvement

e caron

The front end staff are professional and friendly. My Councilor during my time here was both knowledgeable and understanding. I’ve been scared to open up to new people in the past and was scared to open up at first but got over this quickly as it was clear that, based on her responses and empathy towards my explanations, she genuinely wanted to help me and overall she made a positive impact on my life.

Sherri Potts

Total hacks! Avoid at all cost. I feel bad for the people that cant advocate for themselves at these places. By far the most unprofessional experience Ive ever had, and that was in the first 5 minutes of the session.

Kaitlyn

I had high hopes when I joined Calgary Counseling Centre because of people talking it up constantly in support groups, however I was very disappointed when I learned it really was just talk. I was very unhappy with my assigned counselor but they were not accommodating at all with switching it for me. Not only that, they say they offer a sliding scale payment option based on your income, but when I raised concerns about the rate being slightly too high to pay weekly, they said I was out of luck and won't be able to change the cost, even though they supposedly say you would be able to. So instead I opted to just book less appointments, I told them I would book one when I needed to and they said that was fine. They were extremely pushy afterward, constantly trying to convince me to come to more and more meetings and even pay extra for different groups, I felt like I was talking about that more than what I actually went to counseling for. I finally decided it wasn't worth the financial tension and stopped booking appointments altogether. However, I received an email a couple weeks later notifying me of a missed appointment, which they charge you for. I never booked this appointment, but they were adamant on me paying for it. Honestly with my experience I felt like the whole thing was very financially centered, they cared more about what they could get you to book/pay for rather than help you through your issues. If others had a better experience then I'm happy to hear that, but I will not be going to them for help again.

Jeannette Hall

I had an appointment there a year ago and I s think about how I want a refund.

Korey

Did the online intake form and got an email saying they would contact me within 2 business days. It’s been 9 days and I have heard nothing from them. I also left a message on their answering machine and still nothing. After reading all these horrible reviews I’m starting to feel relieved that I wasn’t contacted. Very unprofessional.

Kenn B

There is a reason this place is reviewed so badly. Do NOT listen to the good reviews. Do NOT go here and waste your time. They are absolutely awful and I would never recommend them. It's not a good place as a client, and it's not a good place to apply if you're getting into the field either. These people have no idea what they're doing and don't deserve any of the funding they are receiving. ESPECIALLY AS A PERSON OF COLOUR/IMMIGRANT DO NOT GO HERE. 0 stars. P.S. Dear Mr. Matthew (below), it is easy to assume that people that are leaving bad reviews are doing so because they don't want to make personal changes. This is not correct. It might be difficult to believe but people have had genuine poor experiences with this place. They are downright rude and call themselves professionals - especially the director, she is a terrible lady.

Joseph Mann

At first I was very weary about filling out an online application and they asked me a series of questions where I had to rate myself. I thought it was tedious and I actually stopped myself because of that. However I was able to complete the questionnaire the second time around Tanya Simon, my counsellor emailed me promptly to schedule a time. She is a busy person but was able to schedule time that worked best for me. have seen many counsellors and I truly can say that Tanya has a calm demeanor, very observant and has not judged me for what I believe and do. Even though she is a resident, she is very skilled at what she does. I was able to ask her questions about her counselling career and have a professional counselling relationship. With that said, she is not a permanent fixture due to the nature of her schooling. She notified me that there are times when she would have someone watch her as she does a session. I like how Calgary counselling centre works, before each session you would fill out a short questionnaire based on the past week. This is great to find out where you are 'lacking' or need support in. It encompasses work, relationships and personal thoughts. Then it would be calculated into a score and graph. Tanya would use this to show my improvement and changes through my counselling sessions. There is one tiny downside, which is they use a tablet for the questionnaires before each session. It can be finicky at times and you need to get there 5 - 10 mins early in order to get settled in and fill out the questionnaire.

Kelly Caffet

I've been having a wonderful experience at CCC, and have recommended it in person to several people. My councellor, Tiffany, has helped me recognize the tools I already have at my disposal to help me with my anxiety, as well as showing me several new ones. The desk staff are always kind, even though it gets crazy busy. In a few weeks I will be transitioning to an 8 week group therapy program, which I am really looking forward to. I wish I could give more than 5 stars!

Lindsey Luimes

These guys are a bunch of scam artists. They don't disclose that they are social workers when you go in, therefore you end up paying as much as you would to an actual PHD phsycologist but you get a social worker. Most benefit companies don't cover social workers for therapy and therefore you end up paying astronomical amounts of money out of your own pocket. Therapy was OK but felt like never really accomplished much in the hours we spent there. Also they automatically rebook your appointments and then when you "miss" one because you didn't even know about it they charge you the full price and try to send you to collections for something you never knew you missed. Trying to talk to these people is like talking to a box of hair, really doesn't get you anywhere even when they admit it's a fault on their end. I would avoid this place like the plague if I could go back. Rather spend that kind of money on a real therapist.

Leslie McTavish

awful awful service thumbs down!

Daniel Goldstein

I felt understood and I felt like the councilors really knew what they were doing and it was affordable on a student budget

Ray Lee

They really listen and know ways to help solve stress. I've been going here since Sept 2015 great place .

P L

(Translated) They are Thieves without shame. The only thing that interests them is to receive payment and the more sessions they manage to obtain, the business remains. I feel very vulnerable in this country, Canada is not a country of equality and respect, as long as there are organizations like these and many others, where their slogan is to help ??? it leaves much to be desired. God forgive unscrupulous and moral organizations. I will do my best to let everyone know what kind of professionals they have and should never have a chance to take any case. As long as you connect with your soul, you don't need people to tell you how to solve your problems. (Original) Son unos Ladrones sin vergüenza. Lo único que les interesa es recibir el pago y mientras más sesiones logren obtener, el negocio se mantiene. Me siento muy vulnerable en este país, Canadá no es un país de igualdad y respeto, mientras existan organizaciones como estas y tantas otras más, dónde su slogan es ayudar??? deja mucho que desear. Dios perdone organizaciones sin escrúpulos y sin moral. Haré hasta lo imposible para que todos sepan la clase de profesionales que tienen y que jamás deberían tener la oportunidad de tomar algún caso. Mientras conectes con tu alma, no necesitas gente que te diga cómo solucionar tus problemas.

Becca smith

Good staff and this is set up well in my experience but my therapist didn’t want to talk about what I wanted to. I’m not a fan of doing the same work other people are doing because what I’m going through is different. I don’t recommend going here.

Nicola Wanless

Some of the counselors who I've had have been helpful. However, there's a couple things I don't like. 1) After you wait for your first appointment, the appointment is all about introduction of the counselors and who you are, but not enough on your issues is why you paid to be there. 2) I don't know if I like rating how successfully my counselors made an impact at the end of the session in front of them. because then I feel like I'm put on the spot. Thats pretty much it.

Doug Yee

My counsellor was amazing. Helped me out big time. Never felt more comfortable being able to talk to someone who was able to help me. Was a great experience even though I've moved to another province and being just a phone call away they've helped me and i think the team their is amazing.

Malena Morrissey

Very unhappy with the service I received at this facility. I had a couple appointments which went quite well until I showed up 5 minutes early to a scheduled appointment only to find out that I had been double booked and the counselor that I was scheduled to be seeing was already in with another client. I was told that I would have to leave and rebook. I never rebooked after that day but received a final notice in the mail in September, 5 months after the last appointment in which I had scheduled, stating that I was to pay the "no show fee" as soon as possible. I called and spoke to the woman in charge of billing the minute I opened the letter to explain the situation and that I had showed up to the appointment but was sent home without being seen, she then sent the counselor that I was scheduled to see on the day an email explaining that I was double booked to inform him of the misunderstanding. She included me in the email so that I could see the response from the counselor; I never received a response. Today I received a letter from a collection company on behalf of the Calgary Counselling Centre. Yes they SENT ME TO COLLECTIONS over something that was a screw up on their behalf.. Not happy.

Jeff Dee

The fee quote they provided was not affordable in my current circumstances. They wished me best of luck.

Josh Dyer

Worst service I have experienced. I had 3 counselling sessions with Wardah Elahi and each session I felt like she was judging everything I said. She was not helping me in anyway. On my last session I had to cancel that day because my child was sick and I had no one to watch her but she charged me a no show fee and sent it to collections. Me cancelling was not my intention so you would think she would be understanding and forgiving but she was not. As a client you would want to see a counsellor that is understand and non judgemental. She was the total opposite. It is clear this place is should not have funding as the reviews are not good at all. The counsellors are not experienced and should need way more training in another way before dealing with people who have serious mental health issues. I do not recommend the Calgary counselling centre and I do not recommend her.

Mike Dewilde

I had 2 appointments with my “counsellor”. After discussing why I was there and what I wanted to get out of the sessions, we both sat in an awkward silence during both appointments because he had no idea what to say or ask. We even cut the second session short which I then paid full price for. He printed me off some stuff that I could of found on google myself. He then advised me that he feels its unhealthy for people to see counsellors often , and then sent me on my way.

Ashley Peters

So this may not be relevant now but considering the amount of people who bring up this place and recommend it I finally have to say my piece. This place started out okay for me. The original counsellor I was placed with seemed to have genuine interest in helping me get better and personally following up and ensuring I was able to make appointments and confirm them with me. She was a dream. I had three sessions with her and one followed up with after a session with their “psychologist” I guess who comes in on limited days. This man made me feel horrible. He barely looked at me while he talked, had his head down at his phone the entire time essentially. When I brought up my families mental health history he pretty much immediately dismissed it all and moved on. He insisted i didn’t need any medical help and that if I really thought I needed it then to try to book another appt with him after a month or two. My counsellor was just as caught off guard as me and even insisted that we could go back in and get a prescription if need be. I was at my wits end on an everyday battle to function normally. But at that point I felt so useless and embarrassed on being there and talking to him. I left. After she told me she had to move on to another job since her term there was ended I was devastated. The next counsellor they put me with was albeit a sweetheart. She wasn’t any help though. It felt as if she didn’t know how to go about the appointments or to get to talking. Seemed as if she was not there to have me rant at or encouraging me to vent I guess but nothing came of the sessions. She seemed more interested in being a cheerleader than to help guide me. I saw her twice and her only idea was to bring markers and to help me colour coordinate my day planner. Which was odd considering I wasn’t asking for help with my organization I was wanting help with my emotions. I stopped going I couldn’t stomach another appt with the psychologist he made me feel stupid and insignificant.

Kelli Jans

Aspen claimed that she would continue being the Director at Aurora in Leduc but wouldn't be seeing clients. No one answers the phone at Aurora and it seems that the business is closed. I would not recommend a therapist who is unavailable to clients or leaves town under dubious circumstances.

Mary Lou Planer

First off, many of these negative reviews seem to be due to inability to take personal ownership. You are an adult and therefor are not only responsible for remembering your own appointment, but are responsible to verify credentials of the worker that has been assigned to you AND verify your insurance coverage. For anyone wanting to seek help: PLEASE do not let the negative reviews stray you. With that being said, I felt very comfortable here. The receptionist I first dealt with was lovely and the psychologist (i.e not social worker) that was assigned to me took a completely different approach than professionals I have seen in the past. It was a breath of fresh air to leave the session feeling hopeful, instead of drained. This was money well spent and I am most definitely going back. The only thing negative I would like to say is the one blonde receptionist that took my payment is very snotty, and I could see her cell phone in plain view. People attend these sessions to improve their lives and well-being and the last thing they need to see before they leave is someone who can't smile (or even use a cheery tone) or someone who obviously cares more about her personal life than her job and the clients. I hope that she receives some retraining as her attitude could easily scare off someone who is exceptionally vulnerable. (I have changed my last name for privacy reasons).

Corbin Uhl

Have to attend a mandatory court ordered counseling session but you can't help simply because I don't want there help they don't know me and will never understand my situation

Mary Nicholson

Do not recommend this place at all! More than half of the counsellors are students, and have no idea how to actually help you. I met with someone twice, hit it off, and then was told she had left and I had to go through the entire intake process again. Ended up going through intake 5 times and every single time the person I was paired with was not helpful in the slightest. They literally just sit there and listen to you and tell you how hard your life must be. I know that, that's why I'm there! I was given constant attitude every time I called in to discuss a new counsellor because the old one was unhelpful. In the end, I decided to quit coming here because I was told my issues were all in my head and there was nothing that could be done for me. THAYS THE POINT OF COUNSELLING!! If you actually want to heal, stay FAR AWAY FROM YHIS PLACE.

Chantel Belisle

My doctor only saw me 3 times and then left!! I said I still needed to talk to someone about my issues surrounding my mental stability and he said they will only call you back if they feel that you still are in need of help. DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE AS THEY WILL BUILD YOU UP JUST TO SMASH AND SHATTER YOU DOWN!!!

Maria Carreon

It is very obvious that CCC isn’t legitimately taking feedback into account if I can read all the one star ratings from the past couple of years to sum up my entire “therapeutic” experience with them. They say they cherish feedback and that the system that they use is for counselling, not the counsellor, but my therapist used words like “rate me” and “how I am doing.” That is not rating therapy, that is rating the therapist - especially when it’s the therapist that is looked at for change when a change needs to be made since you really only have the one mode of therapy based on the ratings paperwork. (they can’t offer services to people who can’t use that rating system for their mental health status because of all the physical based questions) From the way I experienced it, and I did not have to fill out the feedback in front of my therapist, you ARE rating your therapist. Having to do that in front of them would definitely alter the results and cause issues building a trusting relationship with someone. It does not respect the therapeutic process to ask for this kind of feedback in the way it is being done. You have a ton of suggestions to work with here that are still ongoing issues - start by actually addressing some of them before having clients pay to fill out endless forms to give you more suggestions. If someone doesn’t know what they are doing to the point where they need guidance after every session, then maybe they are not ready to work with mentally ill people. Also, I was very clearly abandoned - the therapist didn’t even bother to show up to my last appointment after I received a confirmation text that it was still booked. She couldn’t even trouble herself to return a phone call to me, then when I took issue with that and tried to stand up for myself, CCC suddenly “didn’t have the resources” I needed anymore. (This was despite AHS initially approaching them with my medical history and needs to take over my care because AHS didn’t have the resources and CCC saying they could help me. They lied to get the job, then did nothing but damage to me and delayed my ability to access legitimate healthcare.) Also, as mental health professionals, they are using a global crisis as an excuse to lower their quality of service. That they haven’t been able to figure out how to provide administrative support over the phone yet, this far into Stage 2, shows how little they care about their clients. It also indicates a shockingly low level of care for their staff - therapists themselves are now required to do all client-facing administrative tasks, but the administration gets the brunt of every issue since they are the ones having to sort through everything to forward it on to the therapists. It should not take an overbooked therapist being available for someone to be able to do something as simple as update their personal information. That is a burdensome system for everyone actually forced to use it. A designated phone line at one of the homes of an admin staffer (anyone in admin - from receptionist to billing) is one of the easiest and least expensive methods of being able to maintain services during quarantines and they couldn’t even spring for that software or a simple cell phone. They are healthcare professionals imposing systems of stressors into an already stressful situation rather than attempting to rise to the COVID-19 challenge and provide a healthy work-situation for their employees to be able to successfully help heal people. That is a special type of evil. COVID or not - get your act together Calgary Counselling Centre! You are taking advantage of unhealthy people in need and putting people’s health at further risk by interfering with their healthcare! Taking advantage of a medical pandemic, your staff, your clients and government health services the way you are is extremely parasitic. That isn’t supposed to be your purpose (according to your website, everything I was told by member of your centre, and client expectations when we go to you for CARE).

Brandon

decent sized waiting room. just hated the fact when your paying for your session your literally right in the main entrance and everyone is in the way of everyone else, you'd think they would have rethought that one out. otherwise ok

lisa krocker

We were there today... damn, that was so bad, so cold communication! Mr. Jeff was so cold, he only nodded to the other guys thoughts and explanations and that's it!! Mrs Megan was better than him and they were not teaching how to be better in marriage and so on! Guys, you're not doing your job properly! I would not recommend those courses FOR NOT A CANADIAN couple! 300$?????? You were just laughing of us I guess!

Bryanne Papp

Our family has been using Michelle K's counselling services and she has been excellent. When our family was in crisis, Michelle was available to accomodate our schedule. We appreciate what Michelle has done to support us and we have seen positive improvements in our family's mental well-being. Thank you.