Therapy for panic-related experiences, offered in person in Edmonton and St. Albert and virtually across Alberta. Registered Psychologists at Wholesome Psychology are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Practice is guided by CAP Standards of Practice and the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. 50-minute sessions, in person at five locations or by secure video anywhere in Alberta. Daytime, evening, and weekend appointments.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Panic Attack Support Is Right for You

You may be asking yourself whether what happened was serious enough to bring to a therapist. Maybe it was one episode in a grocery store aisle six months ago, and nothing since. Maybe you went to emergency, had tests, and were told your heart was fine, which left you relieved and also strangely embarrassed. That mix of relief and doubt is a common place to start from.

Some of what follows may sound familiar:

• Checking your body for signs that it might be starting again, sometimes without meaning to.
• Planning around the possibility. Choosing the aisle seat, the shorter drive, the coffee shop you can leave easily.
• Turning down things you used to say yes to, and not always being able to explain why.
• Feeling worn out afterward in a way that is hard to describe to people who have not had it happen.

These are understandable responses. When your body has produced a sudden wave of intense physical sensation and fear, it makes sense that part of you starts watching for the next one. That watchfulness is your system trying to protect you, not evidence that something is permanently wrong with you.

This page explains what panic-focused counselling at Wholesome Psychology involves, what the research does and does not tell us, and what the practical details look like. You may wish to read on and decide for yourself whether it feels relevant.

Who We Help

This service may be a good fit if you are:

• An adult in Edmonton, St. Albert, or elsewhere in Alberta who has had one or more panic-related episodes.
• Someone whose daily life has narrowed around avoiding places, activities, or sensations.
• Someone who has been medically checked and would now like to understand the pattern.
• A parent or partner gathering information for someone you care about.
• Uncertain about therapy and looking for clear information before deciding anything.
• Looking for support that works alongside care you already receive from a physician.

This service may not be the right fit if:

• You are in crisis or immediate danger. Please use the resources in the next section.
• You are having new, severe, or unexplained physical symptoms. Timely medical assessment matters, and therapy does not replace it.
• You need a formal psychological assessment or a report for a court, employer, insurer, or immigration process. Psychological assessments are a separate service at Wholesome Psychology and are not part of this counselling service.
• You are looking for medication advice. Medication decisions belong with a physician, nurse practitioner, or psychiatrist.

If You Need Support Right Now

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service. Appointments are scheduled in advance, and clinicians are not available between sessions for urgent situations. If you need help right now, please use one of the following:

• 9-1-1 if you or someone else is in immediate danger.
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642, available 24 hours a day.
• 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 9-8-8, available 24 hours a day, every day, across Canada (9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline, n.d.).
• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741.

What This Service Is

Panic attacks management counselling is regular talk therapy focused on panic-related experiences. You meet with a therapist for 50 minutes at a time, in person or by video, and work through what has been happening, what tends to surround it, and what you would like to be different. Therapy can offer a collaborative space to explore patterns, responses, and goals related to panic-related experiences.

A panic attack can involve an abrupt episode of intense physical sensations and distress. People describe it differently, and it can happen in different contexts. Panic attacks on their own do not establish a particular diagnosis. No website can determine what you are experiencing or whether any diagnosis applies to you, and nothing on this page is intended to do that.

It helps to be clear about what this service is not. It is not a legal service, an investigative process, or crisis intervention. It does not include psychological assessment, diagnosis, testing, or report writing, which are handled separately. It is not medical care and does not include medication management. Panic-related experiences can overlap with physical health concerns, so new, severe, or unexplained physical symptoms may warrant timely medical assessment.

The pace is yours. You decide what to talk about and when. Your therapist will explain confidentiality, consent, and the limits that apply before you share anything personal, and you can ask questions about any of it first. A fuller explanation appears in the confidentiality section below.

Signs Panic-Related Experiences May Be Affecting You

People notice this in different ways. You do not need to recognize all of these, or any particular number of them, for support to be worth considering.

• Sudden waves of intense fear or dread that arrive without an obvious trigger.
• Strong physical sensations during those episodes, such as a racing heart, chest tightness, shortness of breath, shaking, or feeling unsteady.
• A sense of unreality, or of watching yourself from a distance, while it is happening.
• Worry between episodes about when the next one might come.
• Monitoring your body closely and interpreting ordinary sensations as warning signs.
• Avoiding places, activities, or situations linked in your mind to a past episode.
• Changes to driving, travel, exercise, or time alone because of what might happen.
• Tiredness, poor sleep, or difficulty concentrating in the days around an episode.
• Pulling back from people, or minimizing it when they ask, because it is hard to explain.

These are common reactions to frightening physical and emotional experiences. They are not character flaws, and they are not proof that something is permanently wrong. Structured, collaborative counselling gives you a place to look at the pattern with someone whose job is to help you understand it.

How Treatment Works Here

• Find your therapist. You can use the Match with a Therapist tool, read profiles on the Our Therapists page, or call the administrative team at 780-904-4880 and talk it through with a person. Therapist availability changes, so the team can tell you what is current.
• Book your first session. The first appointment covers what brings you in, your goals, informed consent, and confidentiality and its limits. You will have time to ask questions before deciding how much to share.
• Build your plan together. You and your therapist agree on what to focus on and how to approach it. The plan is co-created rather than assigned, and you can say when something is not working.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes, usually weekly or every second week, and the spacing is adjusted to suit your circumstances.
• Progress check-ins. Your therapist reviews progress with you at regular points. Goals and approach can change as your needs change.

There is no fixed number of sessions and no standard script. Some people come for a short focused period, others stay longer, and some pause and return later. Your voice matters at every stage, including when you want to slow down.

Evidence and Approaches

The approaches below may be discussed with you. Which one is used, and whether it suits you, depends on your goals, history, and preferences and on the individual clinician's training. Confirm approach and fit during matching or at your first appointment.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

What it helps with: The relationship between situations, physical sensations, thoughts, and responses in panic-related experiences.

Evidence summary: Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence ([NICE], n.d.) on panic disorder in adults identifies CBT as one psychological treatment option within a stepped-care approach. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health ([CAMH], n.d.) publishes a CBT information guide including a panic-attack monitoring form, reflecting the CBT practice of noticing links among thoughts, feelings, sensations, and actions.

Limitations: NICE guidance is written for the United Kingdom health system, so its pathways do not map directly onto Alberta. Responses vary between people, and our source set supports no claim about how quickly anyone may benefit.

Working With Avoidance Within a CBT Framework

What it helps with: The gradual narrowing of activity, travel, or independence that can build up around anticipating another episode.

Evidence summary: Therapy may include education, noticing patterns, and collaboratively considering how to respond to avoidance. Cautious, consent-based work of this kind draws on CBT principles as described in the CAMH information guide (CAMH, n.d.). Any change to avoidance is planned together and paced by you, not prescribed in advance.

Limitations: This page cannot provide individualized exposure, breathing, or lifestyle instructions, and reading about an approach is not the same as receiving it. Whether this kind of work is appropriate depends on your circumstances and on clinical judgment during care.

Stepped Care and Shared Decision-Making

What it helps with: Deciding what level of support makes sense now, and reviewing that decision as things change.

Evidence summary: NICE guidance for panic disorder in adults describes a stepped-care approach and emphasizes shared decision-making, monitoring, and care that reflects individual circumstances (NICE, n.d.). The same guidance notes that medication decisions require discussion with an appropriate healthcare professional (NICE, n.d.). Counselling can sit alongside medical care rather than replacing it.

Limitations: Stepped care describes how services are organized and does not predict individual outcomes. Coordination with other providers depends on your consent and on each provider's role.

One further note on evidence. A systematic review and network meta-analysis comparing psychotherapies for panic disorder was included in our source materials, but the supplied extract contained no results or effect estimates. For that reason this page makes no claims about one therapy working better, faster, or for more people than another.

What Results to Expect

Progress is rarely a straight line. People often describe stretches where things feel easier followed by a difficult week, and that pattern does not mean therapy has failed.

What influences how things go includes the nature and history of your experiences, what else is happening in your life, physical health factors, whether you are also working with a physician, and how well you and your therapist work together. Therapeutic fit is a real variable, not a formality.

Some people notice shifts within a few months. Others find longer-term work more useful, and some prefer to space sessions out over time. The honest answer is that timelines vary between people, and our current evidence set does not support a specific figure for how long panic-focused counselling takes.

No therapy guarantees outcomes, and no clinician can promise that panic-related experiences will stop or will not return. What your therapist can do is review progress with you openly and adjust the plan. If the approach or the relationship is not working, changing therapist or changing direction is always an option, and asking for that will not offend anyone here.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you say in therapy is confidential. Your therapist keeps records securely and does not share information about you without your consent, apart from a small number of legally defined exceptions.

Several frameworks govern this. Registered Psychologists at Wholesome Psychology are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and practise under CAP Standards of Practice. Certified Canadian Counsellors (CCCs) are certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW). Ethical obligations for psychologists follow the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists.

Alberta privacy legislation also applies. The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) generally governs psychologists working in private practice or private clinics. The Health Information Act (HIA) applies to health information held by custodians, and psychologists employed or contracted by a custodian handle health information as affiliates under that Act. Your therapist can tell you which framework applies to your file.

Confidentiality has limits. Information may be disclosed without your consent when:

• There are reasonable and probable grounds to believe disclosure is necessary to prevent imminent and grave harm to you, to another person, or to public safety.
• There is suspected abuse or neglect of a child. Reporting is mandatory under Alberta law.
• A court order, or another federal or provincial legal requirement, compels disclosure.

Your clinician will explain these limits in plain language during the first session, before you share anything personal. You are welcome to ask how records are stored, who can see them, and what happens to them if you stop attending. Asking those questions first is reasonable and common.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to describe a panic attack in detail?

No. You set the pace and decide how much to say. Some people find it useful to walk through a recent episode; others prefer to work with present-day patterns such as avoidance, anticipation, or body monitoring without reconstructing any single event. Both are legitimate starting points, and you can change your mind partway through.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, with limited legal exceptions. Records are kept securely, and your information is not shared without your consent except where there are grounds to believe disclosure is necessary to prevent imminent and grave harm, where child abuse or neglect is suspected, or where a court order or other law requires it. The confidentiality section above sets out the regulatory bodies and Alberta legislation that apply, and your therapist will go through all of this with you in the first session.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no fixed answer, and anyone who gives you a firm number without meeting you is guessing. Some people work on a short, focused basis. Others prefer ongoing support or want to space sessions out. Your therapist reviews progress with you at regular points so the plan can be adjusted, including reducing frequency or finishing when it makes sense to.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and it is a normal thing to raise. You can tell your therapist directly, or contact the administrative team at 780-904-4880 and ask to be matched with someone else. No explanation is required. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Can I access therapy online?

Yes. Virtual sessions are available to clients across Alberta by secure video, and the same confidentiality standards apply as for in-person appointments. Many people find virtual sessions easier when travel or leaving the house feels difficult. You will need a private space and a reliable connection.

My doctor said my heart is fine. Should I still see a doctor about this?

Keep your medical care in place. Counselling does not replace medical assessment, and new, severe, or unexplained physical symptoms may warrant timely medical attention even if you have been checked before. Therapy can run alongside the care you already receive. With your consent, your therapist can discuss appropriate coordination, though the details depend on your circumstances and each provider's role.

Is a panic attack the same thing as panic disorder?

Not necessarily. A panic attack describes an experience that can occur in a range of contexts, and panic attacks on their own do not establish a diagnosis. Whether any diagnosis applies is a clinical question that cannot be answered by a website, a checklist, or a single episode. If you want to understand more about related concerns, our pages on anxiety disorder treatment and panic disorder treatment may be useful.

Meet Your Clinicians

Wholesome Psychology's team includes Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Certified Canadian Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and Student Therapists. All psychologists are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists. Certified Canadian Counsellors (CCCs) are certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), and Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW). Registered Provisional Psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior Registered Psychologist, which is a normal stage of registration and not a reflection of quality of care.

Credential type affects fee tier, scope of practice, and supervision requirements. It does not determine whether a particular clinician will be a good match for you. Experience with anxiety and panic-related concerns varies between clinicians, so it is worth confirming during matching or at booking rather than assuming.

You can read individual profiles on the Our Therapists page, use the Match with a Therapist tool, or call the administrative team at 780-904-4880 if you would rather talk it through. Related approach pages include cognitive behavioural therapy and exposure therapy.

Children and Youth

Panic-related experiences can affect children and adolescents as well as adults. Wholesome Psychology offers counselling for children, adolescents, and young people, and clinicians who work with younger clients use approaches suited to the child's age and stage of development.

Caregivers are part of this work. Clinicians can work with parents and guardians on the home and school environment around a young person, within the consent arrangements that apply to that child's care. Our child and youth counselling and child and youth anxiety pages explain more, and the administrative team can help you find a clinician who works with the relevant age group.

Taking a Next Step

If you would like to go further, here are the ways to do it:

• Book a session online through our booking system.
• Match with a therapist using the questionnaire.
• Call 780-904-4880 to speak with the administrative team.
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca with questions.
• Read Getting Started with Therapy if you would like to know more about the process first.

New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Starting the conversation is enough.

References

• 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline. (n.d.). 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline. Retrieved September 6, 2026, from https://988.ca/
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. (n.d.). Cognitive-behavioural therapy: An information guide. https://www.camh.ca/-/media/health-info-files/publications/cbt-guide-en.pdf
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (n.d.). Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: Management (NICE Guideline CG113). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg113/chapter/Recommendations