FAQ

Blossom Tree Counselling has moved to 734 Terminal Ave North as of November 1, 2021. If you are travelling north on the island highway, you will find us on the right side of Terminal Ave in between Townsite Road and Cypress Street. Please note that Terminal Ave N has double solid lines which means no left turns should you be travelling south. Heading south you can make your way down Brechin Road to Stewart Ave then right onto Townsite Road and then right on to Terminal Ave. This is just something to be aware of as head towards us. 

We have a large gravel parking area with 3 parking spots indicating where you may park. We appreciate you parking in the designated spaces as it makes exit and entry easier for everyone. 

You will find a driveway to the left of the house that takes you to the back. Erin & Kristen are located on the main floor of the house, you can go through the front door and wait in the large living room waiting area.

Megan's office is located at the back of the house, overlooking a large, spacious yard surrounded by privacy hedges and screens. You can enter the office upon arriving. We have two chairs outside if you choose to wait outside or you are welcome to wait in your vehicle if you are quite early.

At your appointment time we will come to the waiting area to invite you to our counselling room. Masks are optional and at your discretion. 

Erin is open to scheduling a meet and greet consultation to determine if you feel that this would be a good fit. If this is something you are wanting to set up, please contact Erin@blossomtreecounselling.com to make the arrangements. 

Initially, when Megan first opened meet and greets were open and available anytime. As Megan has grown her practice and has a full caseload she no longer offers meet and greets but will schedule a phone consultation time to discuss services and answer questions, and even assist people in finding a resource that may be a better fit. 

Everything you tell me is kept confidential, however Provincial legislation requires that suspected abuse or neglect of a child, elder, dependent adult, or developmentally disabled person be reported. Provincial legislation also requires that others be informed if a client threatens suicide or harm to herself/himself, or others. If that threat is clear and imminent danger, the proper individuals and law enforcement must be contacted. The person against whom the threat has been made may also be contacted to prevent harm. Should I be presented with a court order, I may be required to disclose information in the presence of a judge; however, I will first assert legal privilege in an effort to protect your confidentiality.  Information, which may jeopardize my safety, will not be kept confidential. In the event of a medical emergency on your part, emergency personnel may have to be provided with some of your information.

For parent's wanting their child or youth to attend counselling, both Legal Guardian's MUST consent to counselling. We will not provide counselling services to children or youth when a legal guardian does not consent to the services. 

You can come meet with me and talk about that first, as usually that’s a pretty lengthy story that’s not best answered in a FAQ section. In short, it depends on whether you have a court order or not. I prefer to inform the other parent of the services available, and invite them to meet with me to discuss their concerns. Sometimes the other parent is worried that it might somehow make things worse, or that I’m going to work with the other parent against them. I only want to work for the best interest of the child. Children and adolescents must have permission from a parent or legal guardian before receiving services. Confidential information will be shared with a parent or legal guardian only if the child or adolescent is in imminent physical or emotional danger.

Typically I see children every other week for several months, sometimes I see them every week for over a year. It all depends on the family, the history of concerns and the childs own nature. Play therapy can go through interesting stages. We start with getting to know each other and getting comfortable being together. Then there’s a honeymoon phase where it seems like they are doing well and things seem to be improving! It’s working! They’re feeling heard and they like what’s happening. Then things might escalate, behaviors might come up, or they start acting younger than they are. This is normal, they are seeing if we can handle their hurt, we don’t want to end things yet. When they start to want to do normal things like play with a friend after school instead of going to counselling. Excellent! Then we know we’re on our way to transition out. We can start seeing each other less and less. They’re not feeling like they need it anymore. This can take a few months, or many months. I wish I could give a scientific precise order but every situation runs its own course. 

Parental involvement is a very important part of the play therapy process. I really want to hear from parents, what you are noticing at home, what your ongoing concerns are, where you are feeling stuck, feedback on implemented strategies that are helpful or not working. It's very important to me that we are working together throughout our time together and we have mandatory parental involvement. We will not provide play therapy to children if their primary caregiver is not willing to update us prior to appointments and attend regular parent follow up appointments.