Frequently Asked Questions

Sex Therapy & Sex Therapists

  • This is the most common question we receive from potential clients. Sex therapy is a non-touch, clothes-on, talk therapy, with a focus on working with people around sexual issues, or struggles around their sexual identities. Sex therapy sessions are offered to both individual or couples, depending on the unique needs of the client(s).

  • At Allura, our team consists of Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCCs), Certified Canadian Counsellors (CCCs), and Registered Social Workers (RSW).

    • A Registered Clinical Counsellor and a Certified Canadian Counsellor is a professional counsellor who has met specific educational and training criteria that provide assurance of experience, qualifications, and stringent professional and ethical standards under the BC Association for Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) or the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA).

    • A Registered Social Worker provides the same standards but under the BC College of Social Workers (BCCSW). For more information, feel free to visit their website.

    • An Intern Counsellor can offer low-cost counselling. These counsellors are Master's level graduate students completing their practicum placement with us. These students are closely supervised by highly experienced clinicians on the team.

  • We work with people of varying ages, genders, sexual orientations and abilities. Please note, however, that we do not work with people under the age of 18 — except in extenuating circumstances.

  • Yes, we do. As Registered Clinical Counsellors and Registered Social Workers with extensive training in sex therapy, our services are poly-, LGBTQ-, kink-friendly, aware, and sensitive. As such, some clients prefer to see us due to this reason but our work may be around other issues, such as anxiety or depression.

  • Due to regulations in different provinces and countries, our counsellors are only able to work with clients who currently live or have a permanent address in BC, Canada or one of the unregulated provinces (i.e., Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan, Yukon, and Nunavut).

  • Yes we do! We offer a variety of group therapy sessions throughout the year – you can find out our current groups and registration information here.

  • At this time, all of our counsellors are available for virtual sessions or sessions for people residing within BC.

At Your Appointment

  • In the first session of counselling, you and your therapist will work to build a connection. Your therapist will ask questions to get to know more about the issue that brought you — and your partner(s) — to Allura. Together, you’ll explore what your goals look like for therapy, and what changes you would like to see happen. Your counsellor will be there to answer any questions you may have — the first session is especially important to begin to build your trust and comfort within a counselling environment.

  • Yes, what we discuss in counselling is held to the strictest of confidence. If you are working with an intern counsellor, your sessions are confidential between yourself, the intern counsellor, and their supervisor. However, there are three exceptions to this rule:

    1. If your therapist believes you are at imminent or serious risk to harm yourself or others.

    2. If your therapist believes a child or vulnerable adult is at risk of or is being abused.

    3. If we are officially subpoenaed in a court case.

  • This is a difficult question to answer. Depending on the complexity of the issue that brings you to therapy, this number can vary. The same issue in two people can take different amounts of time to begin to see change depending on the underlying cause. Regardless of how many sessions you might ultimately need, you could begin to see positive changes in your life after six sessions.

Fees, Extended Health Care Plans & Direct Billing

  • Our fees vary from counsellor to counsellor, ranging between $160 and $375 CAD per session. You can find each counsellor's fee at the bottom of their bio.

  • As Registered Clinical Counsellors, Canadian Certified Counsellors, and Registered Social Workers, our services are covered by many extended health benefit plans. Please contact your service provider to inquire. An official receipt will be provided after each session to be submitted for reimbursement; clients are responsible for paying for session fees upfront.

  • Think of sex therapy as a type of approach that can be used in clinical counselling, rather than as a different type of counselling completely. Sex Therapy is often covered by a majority of extended health benefit plans, if it’s provided by a Registered Clinical Counsellor, Canadian Certified Counsellor, and Registered Social Worker.

    Our receipts do not list sex therapy as a service and are discreetly billed. The issue you are working on within counselling is not required to be disclosed to your insurance company. The information they do require is proof that they are registered with the proper body, which entitles you to sessions with us as RCCs (Registered Clinical Counsellor) or RSWs (Registered Social Workers).

  • At Allura Sex Therapy Centre, we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to be heard. For this reason, we offer lower-cost counselling with one of our Intern Counsellors who are currently completing their Masters degrees in Counselling and are closely supervised by one of our experienced therapists.

    In addition, many of our therapists offer a sliding scale for clients facing financial barriers. Please contact us prior to booking a session to discuss this further as this varies for each counsellor.

  • Your appointment time is held specifically for you.

    At Allura, we have a firm 48-hour cancellation policy. All cancellations or requests to reschedule given with less than 48 hours of notice will be charged the full session amount, regardless for the reason for cancelling.

Contact Us

  • We have multiple options available for you to connect with our team!

    Booking an appointment or consultation?

    • Connect directly with a counsellor by visiting Allura’s team page

    Questions about Allura or our services?

  • If you’re unsure which counsellor is the best fit, we recommend visiting our team page to learn more about each therapist’s approach, experience, and rate. You can also use the filter feature to find the right match for your needs.

  • Allura offers one cohort each year for practicum placements. This program runs from September to April for eight months; requiring a 2-3 day commitment including client sessions, individual and group supervision, training, and other administrative tasks.

    We accept applications in December each year for a September start date. Head to our Careers Page to learn more about our practicum opportunities and sign up to be notified when our application process opens again.