Therapy for Couples
Why Seek Couples Therapy
Some of the reasons couples seek therapy include:
feeling disconnected and stuck
reactivity to seemingly small things
repeated triggering topics (ie: finances, parenting, in-laws)
attachment injuries such as affairs, lies, or other betrayals
loss of feeling valued, prioritized, or cared for no matter how loud you protest
feeling like things are always tense no matter how much you try to shut it down
Couples are often battered by negative communication patterns leaving two good people who long to connect tragically disconnected.
Possible benefits of therapy:
Reduced Distress
Better Communication
Reduced Anxiety
Conflict Resolution
Rediscovered Intimacy
Our Approach to Couples Therapy
We offer Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples. EFT is:
non-judgemental
non-blaming
evidence-based
The work in EFT for couples involves:
meeting couples in their place of distress
slowing down quick, reactive communication patterns
making sense of reactivity (what the partner sees) and the vulnerability that lies underneath (what the partner does not see)
attuning to and responding to one another in a new way that fosters a safe, secure, and loving bond
EFT is widely regarded as the most effective couples therapy that has been researched..
The goal is that couples will create a secure bond so they are able to face life’s challenges together.
Who Offers Couples Therapy
Owner & Director, Registered Psychologist
Dr. Kendell Banack
What to look for when selecting a couples therapist.
There are so many options for therapists out there today. Here are some considerations when selecting a couples therapist:
how much post-graduate training specific to couples has the therapist completed?
what modalities does the therapist use and what steps and stages of therapy do they follow?
does the therapist engage in consultation with experts to support the work?
is the therapist a regulated health professional upheld to ethical practice, continuing competence, and training standards (in Alberta, either a Registered Psychologist or Social Worker)
do not trust Psychology Today - educate yourself on the alphabet soup! The terms “counsellor”, “therapist”, or “coach” are titles anyone can use regardless of their qualifications or training
How to Start the Process
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Dr. Kendell Bank, Registered Psychologist, offers couples therapy at CRMH. If you would like to learn a little bit about Kendell, check out her bio on our about page here.
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Complete the online form at the bottom of the page, send an email, or call our office. If you leave a voicemail, let us know your name, and if you are comfortable, an email address you are comfortable using for communication.
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Once we have an email, we will send you an initial consultation form to gather brief information about why you are reaching out for support.
Please give our team a few days to respond to requests. If you do not hear back from us, please feel free to call or send email to crmhinfo@gmail.com
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Dr. Kendell will be in touch with you to set up a first appointment.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our team at crmhinfo@gmail.com
FAQs About Therapy for Couples
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In EFT, the therapist meets with both partners in the initial session to get a sense of what brings the couple to therapy, as well as relationship strengths and areas of challenge.
The therapist then has individual sessions with each partner to discuss mental health, attachment history, motivation to repair the relationship, and safety.
Once this early assessment phase of therapy is complete, the therapist will meet with the couple together again to begin the work of repairing the relationship.
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Services provided by psychologists are confidential. We are regulated health professionals, and therefore we are upheld to this rule of confidentiality by the College of Alberta Psychologists.
If you are an adult, the information you provide is confidential. We cannot even confirm or deny that you are a client (ie: to your partner or doctor) without your consent.
If you are a parent or caregiver of a child in therapy, you will work with your psychologist to determine appropriate information sharing depending on the age of the child.
There are times that psychologists must disclose confidential information, even without the consent of clients. These circumstances include:
If the client is in serious or imminent danger of gravely harming themselves or others (please note, suicidal thoughts without active planning are common in clients, and without serious or imminent risk, it is not necessary for a psychologist to disclose this information without consent)
If a child or vulnerable person is at risk of being harmed
If a regulated health care professional (ie: physician, psychologist, physiotherapist) has engaged in sexual abuse or sexual misconduct
If there is a subpoena by a judge
In the case of required file review by the College of Alberta Psychologists (ie: in the case of a malpractice complaint)
If you experienced harm at work that contributed in whole or in part to (psychological) injury, and this injury has caused you to be off work for more than one day and interferes with, or is likely to interfere with, your ability to engage in normal work activities
If your services are covered through insurance, insurance companies will occasionally audit claims and inquire if clients have attended the sessions they have attempted to claim. There are also mandatory reporting circumstances for some clients (ie: for therapy to support a return to work, clients with the Canadian Armed Forces or Veterans Affairs)
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No, we do not offer direct billing at this time. We will provide you with an invoice with all the information required to submit to your insurance company. We apologize for this inconvenience.
Please contact your insurance company to inquire about your personal coverage.
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We are regulated health professionals and we follow the recommended fee schedule provided by the Psychologists Association of Alberta.
The fee for services by a Registered Psychologist is $235 per 50 minutes hour.
The fee for services provided by a Registered Provisional Psychologists is typically $200 per 50 minute hour.
We occasionally have practicum students completing their masters in counselling psychology. The fee for services provided by a practicum student is typically $50 per 50 minute hour.
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We accept etransfer, cash, or cheque. If you prefer to pay by credit card, there is a 2.4% fee associated with the payment.
We hold a credit card securely on file in the case that payment is not received in 7 days.
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We require 24 hours notice of cancellation. With less than 24 hours notice of cancellation, you will be billed the full cost of the session.
This policy is out of respect for the psychologist who reserved the spot for you in their schedule, and also for other clients who may be waiting for services.
Contact Us
If you want to get started with CRMH, please contact us!
Please complete the contact form on this page (note that information submitted is not encrypted) or contact us as follows:
Email: crmhinfo@gmail.com
Phone: 780-781-8980 (leave a voicemail)
If you have questions, please provide your information, and we will contact you as soon as we can. Please note that we do not respond on evenings or weekends.
We look forward to connecting with you!
Are you a returning client?
If your therapist uses online booking, please book your next appointment through our online portal.