Packages help you get started with Counselling.
Our team found that a lot of people don’t know what to expect or where to begin when thinking about starting counselling.
How do I pick a Counsellor?
What if I don’t have a specific goal?
What do all these acronyms like ACT, CBT, DBT, EMDR mean?
Perinatal Wellness Package
The goal of this package is to offer proactive, structured support as you move through the transition into parenthood. Rather than waiting until things feel overwhelming in the postpartum period, sessions are booked in advance so that support is already in place when it’s needed most.
This allows you to build a relationship with your counsellor during pregnancy, create a personalized plan for the postpartum period, and ensure you’re not trying to navigate early parenthood while also figuring out how and when to access support.
This package involves 5 sessions across pregnancy and the early postpartum period, each with a clear purpose and focus.
Session (1) – Telling your story as you prepare for parenthood
This first session is about getting to know you. We take time to understand your story, your current pregnancy experience, your mental health history, and any previous birth or parenting experiences. This is also a space to begin building a therapeutic relationship and understanding what support might feel most helpful for you during this transition.
Informed by Narrative and Person-Centred Therapy
Session (2) – Preparing for the postpartum period
This session focuses on what many people feel unprepared for; the emotional and psychological transition into early parenthood. We explore expectations, worries, and what postpartum adjustment can realistically look like.
A key part of this session is psychoeducation around postpartum emotional health, including the difference between typical adjustment (such as baby blues, sleep disruption, and overwhelm) and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), including postpartum depression and anxiety. Early screening for risk factors is also included.
This session may also address identity changes, relationship shifts, coping with sleep deprivation, and identifying supports to have in place ahead of time.
Informed by psychoeducation, perinatal mental health screening, and attachment-based approaches
Session (3) – Early postpartum check-in (within the first week)
This session is a gentle, supportive check-in during the first days after baby arrives. It is offered virtually and is encouraged to be completed from wherever feels most comfortable, often from home, in a quiet moment of rest.
We take time to process the birth experience, explore early emotional adjustment, and normalize common postpartum experiences such as baby blues, overwhelm, and emotional intensity. This session also supports early identification of mood or anxiety concerns and reinforces coping strategies and supports.
Session (4) – Settling into postpartum life
This session focuses on how you are adjusting to life with a newborn. We explore emotional wellbeing, identity shifts, feeding and sleep challenges, and relationship dynamics as you continue to adapt to this major transition.
Ongoing screening for perinatal mood and anxiety symptoms is included and support strategies are adjusted based on your current needs.
Session (4) – Settling into postpartum life
Ongoing screening for perinatal mood and anxiety symptoms is included and support strategies are adjusted based on your current needs.
Session (5) – Reflection and Ongoing support
This final session focuses on the reflection of your perinatal experience. We explore what has felt most challenging and supportive, and consider ongoing needs moving forward, including whether continued counselling or additional supports may be helpful.
Introduction to Counselling
With this package we are offering a guide to help you begin counselling and discover what direction you want to go. This includes 4 sessions and each session has a purpose.
Session (1) - Telling your life story.
This session serves as an opportunity for you to share your story and for your Counsellor to get to know you. *Informed by Narrative therapy
Session (2) - Explore your relationships.
This session allows you to reflect on the meaningful relationships in your life and the role that they play. *Informed by Attachment therapy
Session (3) - A day in your life.
This session gives you the chance to review how you live an average day by exploring your habits and ways of being. *Informed by behavioural therapy
Session (4) - Introduction to Counselling theory and identifying counselling goals.
This session gives you a chance to identify therapeutic goals or direction. As well as, for the Counsellor to teach you about different counselling theory and techniques that you may want to work with.
*Sessions are pay as you go - there is no obligation to continue once you’ve started*
We recommend this to anyone looking to begin therapy and learn more about the therapeutic process. We encourage clients to book weekly sessions to create a sense of consistency and stability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to start with one of these packages to start counselling at Lakeshore Clinical Counselling? No, these packages are not required to begin counselling at our clinic. They are simply designed to offer a more structured and manageable start for those who prefer that approach.
Am I required to complete all four sessions once I start? No, both packages are pay-as-you-go. There is no obligation to complete all four sessions once you begin.
Do I need to schedule all four at once, or complete them within a certain time frame? No, you’ll start by scheduling just your first session using the booking links provided below. During your first session, you can work with your counsellor to schedule the remaining three sessions, either all at once or one at a time, based on your preferences. To create a sense of consistency and stability, we encourage clients to book on a weekly or biweekly basis, but this is not a requirement.
Can I meet Matt or Travis before starting a package? Yes, before beginning a package, you can book a free 15-minute consultation with either Matt, Sarah, or Travis to get a sense of what working with them would be like, or to raise any other questions you may have about the packages. You can use the same links provided below to book a consultation.
Can I make changes to the focus of a session in a package? Yes, while the packages are designed to provide a structured framework, you and your counsellor can discuss modifying the focus of individual sessions based on your needs. This can be addressed during your first session or in a consultation.
What happens after the package ends? Once you’ve completed the four sessions in a package, you’ll work with your counsellor to decide how to move forward.
