Self-Esteem Counselling

Helping You Build Your Self-Esteem

Build Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is built over a lifetime, and it is the result of all of your experiences over time. Self-esteem is about how you see yourself and your worth as a person. The ability to believe that you can achieve your goals, and that you deserve happiness is the basis of self-esteem. If you do not have a positive sense of self, or do not believe that you deserve to be happy and have good things happen, you may be less productive and ambitious than you might be with an increased level of self-esteem.

Low self-esteem results from a poor self-image, when you do not value your abilities and accomplishments. When a person has low self-esteem, this increases negative thinking and contributes to negative beliefs about the self. When you lose confidence in yourself, you may become shy, focus on flaws, reject positive comments from others, experience anxiety, expect bad things to happen to you, or feel lonely or depressed. When this occurs, you are also susceptible to the effects of less than positive experiences that will keep you feeling down.

Increasing self-esteem helps to build a positive attitude towards life. Feeling good about yourself helps improve how you think, feel, and behave, as well as how you relate to others. High self-esteem also allows you to live your life to your full potential, and meet challenges with confidence. Those with high levels of self-esteem tend to have confidence in their abilities, and are secure with their sense of self. Taking care of yourself when you feel good is much easier than when you feel bad, so eating healthy and staying active are more likely to occur as well. People with high levels of self-esteem are able to make healthier choices in life and in relationships.

My work with those who would like to increase their levels of self-esteem includes some of the following: targeting negative core beliefs (negative beliefs about oneself), cognitive distortions (distorted ways of thinking), working on assertiveness and boundaries, focusing on strengths, healthy relationships, body image, and goal planning.

Questions on Counselling

How do I know if I need counselling?

Sometimes we need to seek help from a trained professional to work through problems that we are encountering. You may need counselling if:

  • you are feeling overwhelmed, and your problems do not seem to improve despite your best efforts
  • you are having difficulties in your relationships
  • it is difficult to carry out your daily routine, performance at work is affected, relationships are strained, or you are not feeling like you are coping effectively
  • You are using alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex, or other means that are negatively affecting your life
  • You feel unhappy or hopeless
What can I expect in a first session?

During the first session, paperwork is completed as well as a functional assessment. I will ask about your concerns and what has brought you to therapy. Once all information has been gathered, goals for therapy and a treatment plan can be discussed.

How do I know if it’s the right fit for me?

You should feel comfortable with your psychologist and be able to discuss personal information. It is important to have a good rapport with your psychologist and feel at ease with him/her.

In order to determine if we are a good fit for each other, I offer a free 20 minute consultation.

How long are sessions?

Sessions are 60 minutes in length, which includes admin time (i.e. payment, booking next appointments, etc). Longer sessions may be arranged in 15 minute segments.

How many sessions are required?

Therapy is individual to each person and the amount of time required is dependant on several factors. Some of these factors include the nature of the concerns brought to therapy, complexity of the issues, amount of work completed outside of sessions, and motivation to change.

What is the cost?

The Fee Schedule recommended by the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta is a guideline for setting fees for services. My fees are set using this schedule as a guideline. You can access this fee schedule on the Psychologists’ Association website at www.psychologistsassociation.ab.ca.

My fee for individual sessions is $220/hour.

Alberta Health Care does not cover the cost of psychological services. However, I will issue a receipt for fees paid, and if you have an insurance plan, this may be submitted to your insurance company for full or partial re-imbursement.

Live Your Best Life

I can support you in finding the path to health and healing.