Confidential counselling for people working through difficulty in a close relationship, offered in person in Edmonton and St. Albert and virtually across Alberta. Sessions are 50 minutes. Our clinical team includes Registered Psychologists and Registered Provisional Psychologists registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP), along with Registered Social Workers regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), Certified Canadian Counsellors (CCCs) regulated by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), Mental Health Therapists, and Student Therapists.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Relationship Counselling Is Right for You

You may be asking yourself whether this counts. Nothing dramatic has happened. There was no single blow-up, no clear line that got crossed. Things are just harder than they used to be, and you are not sure that is a good enough reason to call anyone.

Maybe you have started rehearsing conversations in your head before you have them. Maybe you have noticed yourself going quiet to keep an evening calm, then feeling resentful about the quiet. Some people describe a low background tiredness around someone they still care about, and cannot explain where it came from.

These are common reactions to living with ongoing strain in a relationship that matters to you. They are not evidence of a flaw in you, and they do not mean the relationship has already failed. People notice this kind of thing long before they have language for it.

You do not need a diagnosis, a decision, or a tidy summary to read further. This page explains what this service involves, what it does not involve, and what happens if you decide to get in touch.

Who We Help

This service may be a good fit if you are:

• Working through recurring conflict, distance, or changes in trust with a partner
• Wanting to think through your own patterns in a relationship, on your own
• Facing a decision about commitment, separation, or what comes next
• Adjusting to different expectations around family, culture, parenting, money, or life stage
• Considering attending with a partner or family member, if everyone involved wants that
• Gathering information for someone you care about

This service may not be the right fit if:

• You are in crisis or immediate danger. Please use the resources below instead.
• You need a custody evaluation, court report, expert opinion, or mediation. Therapy is not a legal or investigative process, and psychological assessments are a separate service at this clinic.
• You are looking for a court-mandated intervention programme. Our administrative team can point you toward other options.
• You want someone to decide what you should do about your relationship. That decision stays with you.

If You Need Help Right Now

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service. We do not monitor phones or email around the clock. If you need immediate support, please use one of the following:

• 911 if there is immediate danger or someone cannot stay safe
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642 (24/7)
• Family Violence Info Line (Alberta): 310-1818 (24/7, toll-free)
• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741

What This Service Is

Relationship issues counselling is scheduled, confidential time with a clinician to look at what is happening in a close relationship. Sessions can focus on communication, boundaries, expectations, recurring conflict, or a decision you are weighing. You set what gets discussed and how quickly.

You can attend on your own. Many people do, including people whose partner has no interest in counselling. Where more than one person takes part, that arrangement is discussed at intake and depends on the goals, consent, and circumstances of everyone involved.

There are things this service is not. It is not a legal service, a mediation service, an investigation, or crisis intervention. It does not produce reports for court. It is not a psychological assessment, which is a separate service with its own process and fees. Your clinician will not tell you whether to stay or leave, and cannot make determinations about anyone who is not in the room.

Confidentiality applies to what you share, within limits set by Alberta law and professional standards. Those limits are explained in detail further down this page, and your clinician will go through them with you at the start.

Signs Relationship Difficulties May Be Affecting You

People notice this in different ways. Some of these may sound familiar:

• Having the same argument repeatedly, in slightly different words
• Editing yourself before you speak, or deciding it is not worth raising
• Feeling lonely in the company of someone you are close to
• Dreading a particular time of day, or the sound of a door opening
• Replaying conversations afterward and wondering what you should have said
• Sleeping poorly, holding tension in your jaw or shoulders, or feeling worn out without a clear reason
• Pulling back from friends or family because explaining it is exhausting
• Losing track of what you actually want, separate from keeping the peace

None of this means something is permanently wrong with you. These are the kinds of adjustments people make when a relationship has been effortful for a while, and they often shift once there is somewhere to think out loud. Relationship concerns can be one of the reasons people seek support from health services in the first place.

How Counselling Works Here

• Find your therapist. You can use the Match with a Therapist tool or read individual profiles on our Our Therapists page. If you would rather talk it through, our administrative team is at 780-904-4880.
• Book your first session. The first session covers consent, confidentiality, and what you want to work on. You decide how much detail to give. Bring questions if you have them.
• Build your plan together. You and your clinician agree on what the work will focus on. The plan reflects your priorities, not a fixed programme.
• Ongoing sessions. Follow-ups are commonly weekly or bi-weekly and can be adjusted. Sessions run 50 minutes, in person or virtually.
• Progress check-ins. Your clinician reviews how things are going with you at intervals. Goals change, and the plan can change with them.

There is no set number of sessions. Some people come for a short stretch to work through one specific thing. Others stay longer. You can raise anything about the pace, the format, or the fit at any point, and you can stop.

Approaches, and What the Evidence Does and Does Not Show

We want to be straight with you about this section. The evidence pack reviewed for this page contains classification material from the World Health Organization and information about how this clinic operates. It does not contain extractable outcome research on relationship counselling. Because of that, nothing below claims that counselling improves communication, trust, closeness, or the stability of a relationship. Those claims may well be supportable, but they are not supportable from the sources reviewed here, so we have not made them. What follows describes what each way of working involves.

Individual Counselling for a Relationship Concern

What it helps with: Structured time to examine your own patterns, hopes, and choices inside a relationship, without needing anyone else to participate.

Evidence summary: The ICD-11 classification maintained by the World Health Organization lists relationship distress with a spouse or partner among relationship-related factors that can lead a person to contact health services, under code QE51.0 (World Health Organization [WHO], n.d.). That tells us relationship difficulty is a recognised reason people seek help. It does not measure whether counselling is effective, and no outcome research was available in the reviewed evidence pack.

Limitations: No effectiveness claim is made here. Individual counselling cannot change another person's behaviour, and what people get out of it varies.

Sessions With a Partner or Family Member

What it helps with: Shared time to talk through communication, expectations, or a pending decision, when everyone taking part is doing so willingly.

Evidence summary: Whether a joint format is appropriate is worked out with your clinician at intake rather than assumed in advance. No outcome research on joint relationship counselling was available in the reviewed evidence pack, so this describes what the format involves rather than what it produces. Where more than one person attends, how information is handled is agreed at the outset.

Limitations: Joint sessions are not suitable in every situation and are not guaranteed in any given case. Availability depends on the clinician and the circumstances.

Safety-Aware and Voluntary Participation

What it helps with: Making sure the format of counselling does not put anyone in a position where they cannot speak freely.

Evidence summary: ICD-11 records a history of spouse or partner violence separately from relationship distress, under code QE51.1 (WHO, n.d.). This is classification context only. It makes no determination about any particular relationship, and nothing on this page should be read as a statement about your situation.

Limitations: Where someone feels pressured, controlled, or unable to talk openly, joint sessions may not be the right starting point. Contacting intake privately to discuss individual options is an alternative.

Working Through Change and Transition

What it helps with: Thinking through boundaries, shifting roles, separation, dating again, or changes in what each person expects.

Evidence summary: Counselling can provide time to explore concerns, expectations, and decisions in a way that fits your goals and circumstances. This is a description of the service rather than an outcome claim. The reviewed evidence pack does not contain research on transition-focused relationship counselling.

Limitations: Counselling does not resolve a relationship question on your behalf, and it cannot promise a particular result.

What Results to Expect

Progress is rarely a straight line. People often report a stretch where things feel clearer, then a harder week, then clearer again. That pattern is ordinary and does not mean the work has stopped being useful.

Some people find relief from just 2-3 sessions, particularly when there is one specific thing they want to think through. Others prefer a longer course of work. Several things influence how it goes, including what has been happening in the relationship, what else is going on in your life right now, whether other people are involved, and how well you and your clinician work together.

No therapy guarantees an outcome, and we will not tell you otherwise. Counselling cannot guarantee that a relationship continues, ends well, or changes in the way you hope.

Fit matters a great deal, and it is not a judgment on you if the first clinician is not the right one. You can ask to change therapist or approach at any stage, and our administrative team can help arrange that.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in session is treated as confidential. Your clinician does not discuss you with your family, employer, or anyone else without your consent, apart from the specific legal exceptions below.

Psychologists at Wholesome Psychology are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and practise under the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. Alberta has more than one privacy law. The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) generally applies to psychologists working in private practice and private clinics, and the Health Information Act (HIA) applies where a clinician is acting as a custodian as that term is defined in the Act (College of Alberta Psychologists [CAP], 2026). Your clinician can tell you which applies to your file.

There are limits. Confidentiality may be broken where:

• There is a risk of serious harm to you or to someone else
• There is suspected abuse or neglect of a child, which carries a mandatory reporting duty under Alberta law
• Records are ordered by a court

If more than one person attends sessions, ask how information shared separately and together will be handled. This should be clear to everyone before joint work begins.

Your clinician will go through all of this in the first session, before you share anything personal. You are welcome to ask questions about privacy first and decide afterward what you want to discuss.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to describe everything that happened in detail?

No. You control how much you say and when. Some people give a broad outline and spend most of their time on present-day patterns, such as how conversations tend to go now or what they want to do differently. Detailed recounting is not a requirement for the work to be useful, and you can tell your clinician that certain subjects are off the table for now.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, within specific legal limits. Your clinician cannot share your information without consent except where there is a risk of serious harm, suspected abuse or neglect of a child, or a court order. Alberta privacy legislation applies, and your file is handled under PIPA or HIA depending on the setting. The Confidentiality and Privacy section above sets this out in full, and your clinician will review it with you in session one.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no fixed number. Some people find relief from just 2-3 sessions when they are working through one particular question. Others continue for several months, especially where there is a long history to work with. Your clinician reviews progress with you regularly, and you can change the frequency or stop at any point.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit is a practical matter, not a verdict on you or on the clinician. If it is not working, you can say so directly or contact our administrative team at 780-904-4880 and ask to be matched with someone else. The Match with a Therapist tool can help narrow the options. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Can I attend sessions online?

Yes. Virtual sessions are available across Alberta and are often easier if you are managing childcare, shift work, or travel from outside Edmonton. The same confidentiality standards apply as for in-person sessions. You will want a private space and a reliable connection, and your clinician can talk through options if privacy at home is difficult.

Do we both have to come, or can I start on my own?

You can start on your own. Attending individually is common, including when a partner is unwilling or unsure. If you later want to try sessions together, that can be discussed with your clinician, and it depends on the goals, consent, and circumstances of everyone involved.

What if I am still in a situation where I do not feel safe or free to speak?

Please contact our intake team privately rather than raising it in a joint session. Where someone feels pressured, controlled, or unable to speak openly, joint counselling may not be a safe place to begin, and individual support or an outside referral may suit better. If there is immediate danger, call 911. The Family Violence Info Line is available at 310-1818, 24 hours a day, toll-free.

Meet Your Clinicians

Our 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. Registered Provisional Psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist.

Clinicians differ in the areas they work with and the approaches they use, including work with relationship concerns, family difficulty, and the effects of trauma. Individual training and current availability are listed on each profile, so the most reliable way to check is to read the profiles directly on Our Therapists or use the Match with a Therapist tool. Our administrative team at 780-904-4880 can also talk you through who might suit.

Children and Youth

Difficulty between adults is often felt by the children around them, and family violence in particular can affect a young person's sense of safety at home. We offer counselling for children, adolescents, and young people alongside our adult services.

Clinicians working with younger clients use approaches suited to the child's age and stage, which for younger children may involve play or activity rather than sitting and talking. Where appropriate, they also work with parents and caregivers, since the environment around a child matters to how they recover. If you are a parent wondering whether your child needs support, our administrative team can help you think it through before you commit to anything.

Getting Started

If any of this sounds close to your situation, here are the ways to take a next step:

• Book a session online
• Match with a therapist
• Call our administrative team: 780-904-4880
• Email: info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• 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.

You do not need to have it all worked out before you call. Starting the conversation is enough.

References

• College of Alberta Psychologists. (2026). Interpretive guide: Privacy legislation in Alberta (Revised January 23, 2026).
• College of Alberta Psychologists. (2023). Standards of practice (May 31, 2023).
• Canadian Psychological Association. (2017). Canadian code of ethics for psychologists (4th ed.).
• World Health Organization. (n.d.). ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics (2026-01 release): Problems associated with interactions with spouse or partner (QE51), Relationship distress with spouse or partner (QE51.0), History of spouse or partner violence (QE51.1). World Health Organization.