Compassionate Counselling for children, teens, and adults in Edmonton & St. Albert.

We provide mental health counselling for individuals and families at every stage of life. Whether you are seeking support for a child, a teenager, yourself, or your whole family, we have counsellors ready to help.

Submit a Referral

Who we serve

  • Childhood is not always easy. When your little one is struggling with anxiety, big emotions, behavioural challenges, or life changes, our child counsellors are here to help. We use play-based, child-centered approaches that help kids feel safe and understood.

    What We Address:

    • Anxiety and fears

    • Emotional regulation and meltdowns

    • Behavioral challenges

    • Life transitions (divorce, moving, new sibling)

    • Grief and loss

    • Social challenges

    • Low self-esteem

    • Trauma

    Delivered By:

    • Registered Professional Counsellors with specialized training in child therapy

    Learn More!

  • The teenage years bring unique pressures. School stress, social challenges, identity questions, and mental health concerns can feel overwhelming. Our teen counsellors create a safe, judgment-free space where teens can be heard and supported.

    What We Address:

    • Anxiety and depression

    • School stress and academic pressure

    • Peer relationships and social challenges

    • Identity and self-esteem

    • Life transitions

    • Family conflict

    • Grief and loss

    • Trauma

    Delivered By:

    • Registered Professional Counsellors with experience working with adolescents

    Learn More!

  • Adulthood comes with its own set of challenges. Anxiety, depression, relationship stress, career pressures, major life transitions, and grief are just some of the reasons adults seek counselling. Our counsellors provide professional, confidential support for whatever you are facing.

    What We Address:

    • Anxiety and stress

    • Depression and low mood

    • Relationship challenges

    • Life transitions (career, divorce, retirement)

    • Grief and loss

    • Trauma and PTSD

    • Burnout and work stress

    • Self-esteem and identity

    • Couples therapy

    Delivered By:

    • Registered Professional Counsellors and Mental Health Therapists

    Learn More!

  • Parenting is rewarding and hard. Whether you are navigating your child's challenging behaviors, managing family conflict, adjusting to changes, or just feeling overwhelmed, our counsellors support parents and families with practical strategies and emotional support.

    What We Address:

    • Parenting challenges and strategies

    • Family communication and conflict

    • Supporting a child with mental health needs

    • Blended family transitions

    • Divorce and co-parenting

    • Caregiver stress and burnout

    • Strengthening family relationships

    Delivered By:

    • Registered Professional Counsellors with family therapy training

Life brings challenges at every age. Whether your child is struggling with big emotions, your teen is navigating a tough time, you are facing stress and anxiety, or your family needs support through a transition, you do not have to face it alone.

At Ruby Therapy Services, our registered professional counsellors provide caring, evidence-based mental health support. We meet you where you are and help you build the skills and resilience you need to thrive.

No referral needed. Virtual and in-person options available. We are here when you are ready.

Submit a Referral

What we work on Together

  • Are you experiencing persistent worry, anxiety, or fear that's impacting your daily life, work, relationships, or wellbeing?

    What It Looks Like:

    • Excessive worry about everyday things that's hard to control

    • Physical symptoms: rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, muscle tension, stomach issues

    • Panic attacks or intense waves of fear

    • Social anxiety: fear of judgment, avoidance of social situations

    • Constant "what if" thinking or catastrophizing

    • Difficulty sleeping due to racing thoughts

    • Avoidance of situations that trigger anxiety

    • Health anxiety or worry about physical symptoms

    • Perfectionism or fear of making mistakes

    • Feeling on edge, restless, or unable to relax

    How We Help:

    • Our counselors use evidence-based approaches including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness strategies, and exposure-based techniques to help you understand and manage anxiety. You'll learn to identify anxious thought patterns, challenge unhelpful beliefs, develop effective coping strategies, and gradually face fears in a supportive environment. Therapy provides tools you can use for life.

  • Are you experiencing persistent sadness, loss of interest in things you used to enjoy, or feeling stuck in a low mood?

    What It Looks Like:

    • Persistent sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness

    • Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy

    • Changes in sleep (sleeping too much or too little)

    • Changes in appetite or weight

    • Fatigue or low energy most days

    • Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

    • Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt

    • Withdrawal from relationships and social activities

    • Thoughts that life isn't worth living (please seek immediate help if you're experiencing suicidal thoughts)

    • Irritability or anger alongside sadness

    How We Help:

    • Our counselors use evidence-based approaches like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), behavioral activation, and emotion-focused therapy to help you work through depression. We'll explore contributing factors, challenge negative thought patterns, rebuild engagement with meaningful activities, and develop sustainable strategies for managing mood. If appropriate, we can also collaborate with your physician regarding comprehensive treatment, which may include medication.

    Important:

    • If you're in crisis or experiencing thoughts of suicide, please contact a crisis line immediately or visit your nearest emergency department. Crisis Services Canada: 1-833-456-4566 (24/7)

  • Are you feeling chronically stressed, overwhelmed, or burned out by work, life demands, or caregiving responsibilities?

    What It Looks Like:

    - Feeling constantly overwhelmed by responsibilities

    - Physical symptoms of stress: headaches, muscle tension, fatigue, digestive issues

    - Emotional exhaustion or feeling "running on empty"

    - Difficulty disconnecting from work or relaxing

    - Cynicism, detachment, or loss of motivation

    - Decreased productivity despite working harder

    - Sleep difficulties related to stress

    - Irritability, impatience, or emotional reactivity

    - Neglecting self-care or relationships due to demands

    - Feeling like you can't keep up or can't do enough

    How We Help:

    We help you identify sources of stress, examine patterns contributing to burnout, and develop practical strategies for managing demands. You'll learn stress-reduction techniques, boundary-setting skills, work-life balance strategies, and ways to rebuild resilience. Therapy focuses on sustainable change, not just coping with an unsustainable situation.

  • Are you navigating a major life change—career transition, divorce, move, retirement, empty nest, or other significant shift?

    What It Looks Like:

    • Uncertainty or anxiety about the future

    • Grief over what you're leaving behind

    • Identity questions ("Who am I now?")

    • Feeling lost, stuck, or overwhelmed by change

    • Difficulty making decisions about next steps

    • Loss of purpose or direction

    • Stress in relationships due to transition

    • Mixed emotions (relief and sadness, excitement and fear)

    How We Help:

    • Life transitions—even positive ones—can be destabilizing. Our counselors help you process the emotions that come with change, explore your values and priorities, make meaning of the transition, and move forward with clarity and confidence. We provide support as you navigate the practical and emotional aspects of major life changes.

    Common Transitions We Support:

    • Career changes, job loss, or retirement

    • Divorce, separation, or relationship endings

    • Relocation or moving to a new city

    • Empty nest or children leaving home

    • Becoming a parent or adjusting to parenthood

    • Caring for aging parents

    • Health diagnoses or disability

    • Loss of identity or role changes

  • Are you and your partner experiencing communication breakdowns, conflict, disconnection, or challenges in your relationship?

    What It Looks Like:

    • Frequent arguments or conflict that goes unresolved

    • Communication breakdowns ("We just can't talk anymore")

    • Feeling disconnected, lonely, or like roommates rather than partners

    • Trust issues or difficulty rebuilding trust after betrayal

    • Differences in parenting, finances, or life goals

    • Navigating major transitions together (new baby, job loss, relocation, illness)

    • Intimacy challenges or emotional distance

    • Considering separation but uncertain about the decision

    • Patterns that keep repeating despite efforts to change

    How We Help:

    • Our couples counselors create a safe, non-judgmental space for both partners to be heard. We help you improve communication, resolve conflicts constructively, understand each other's perspectives, rebuild trust and connection, and strengthen your relationship. Whether you're working to save your relationship or making a difficult decision about your future, we provide support and guidance.

    Therapeutic Approaches:

    • Emotionally-focused therapy for couples (EFT), Gottman Method principles, communication skills training, conflict resolution strategies

    Note:

    • We provide general relationship and marriage counseling. For specialized concerns like sex therapy, we can provide referrals to appropriate specialists.

  • Are you grieving the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, or another significant loss?

    What It Looks Like:

    • Intense sadness, yearning, or emotional pain

    • Numbness or feeling disconnected from emotions

    • Anger, guilt, or regret related to the loss

    • Difficulty accepting the reality of the loss

    • Intrusive thoughts or memories

    • Avoidance of reminders or difficulty engaging with life

    • Changes in sleep, appetite, or energy

    • Feeling like you should be "over it" by now

    • Wondering if your grief is "normal"

    • Struggling to find meaning after loss

    How We Help:

    • Grief is a natural response to loss, but it can feel overwhelming and isolating. Our counselors provide compassionate support as you navigate grief, honor your loss, process complex emotions, and gradually adjust to life after loss. There's no timeline for grief—we meet you wherever you are in the process.

    Types of Loss We Support:

    • Death of a loved one (spouse, parent, child, friend, pet)

    • Relationship endings (divorce, breakup)

    • Job loss or career changes

    • Health-related losses (mobility, independence, abilities)

    • Miscarriage or pregnancy loss

    • Loss of identity or life role

    • Ambiguous loss (estrangement, dementia)

  • Are you experiencing significant stress related to work, career transitions, workplace conflict, or burnout?

    What It Looks Like:

    • Job dissatisfaction or feeling stuck in your career

    • Workplace conflict with colleagues or supervisors

    • Imposter syndrome or fear of being "found out"

    • Difficulty setting boundaries with work demands

    • Anxiety about job performance or evaluations

    • Stress from toxic work environments

    • Uncertainty about career direction or next steps

    • Work-life balance struggles

    • Difficulty coping with job loss or career transition

    How We Help:

    • We help you navigate work-related challenges, manage workplace stress, build confidence, set healthy boundaries, and make career decisions aligned with your values and goals. Therapy provides a space to process work stress, develop effective coping strategies, and gain clarity about your professional path.

  • Are you struggling with low self-esteem, negative self-beliefs, people-pleasing patterns, or questions about identity?

    What It Looks Like:

    • Negative self-talk or harsh inner critic

    • Difficulty believing you're good enough or worthy

    • Constant comparison to others

    • People-pleasing: saying yes when you want to say no

    • Difficulty setting boundaries or advocating for yourself

    • Perfectionism or fear of failure

    • Feeling like you don't know who you are

    • Identity questions related to life transitions, culture, sexuality, or gender

    • Difficulty accepting compliments or recognizing your strengths

    • Seeking external validation to feel worthy

    How We Help:

    • We help you explore and challenge negative self-beliefs, develop self-compassion, build genuine confidence, set healthy boundaries, and clarify your values and identity. Therapy focuses on developing a healthier relationship with yourself and living authentically.

  • Have you experienced trauma—abuse, assault, accidents, violence, or other deeply distressing events—that continues to impact your life?

    What It Looks Like:

    • Intrusive memories, flashbacks, or nightmares about the trauma

    • Avoidance of reminders, places, or people related to the trauma

    • Hypervigilance or feeling constantly on edge

    • Difficulty trusting others or feeling safe

    • Emotional numbing or disconnection

    • Sleep disturbances

    • Irritability, anger, or emotional outbursts

    • Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

    • Feeling like the trauma is still happening

    • Shame, guilt, or self-blame related to the trauma

    How We Help:

    • Our counselors use trauma-informed, evidence-based approaches to help you heal from traumatic experiences. We create a safe therapeutic relationship, help you process trauma at your own pace, develop coping strategies, and work toward integration and healing. Trauma therapy is collaborative, gentle, and focused on restoring your sense of safety and control.

    Therapeutic Approaches:

    • Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), EMDR (when appropriate), emotion-focused therapy, somatic approaches, narrative therapy

    Important:

    • If you're currently in an unsafe situation, please contact appropriate authorities or crisis services immediately.

  • Are you struggling with anger, irritability, or difficulty managing intense emotions in healthy ways?

    What It Looks Like:

    • Frequent angry outbursts or "losing your temper"

    • Saying or doing things you regret when angry

    • Relationship or work consequences due to anger

    • Feeling like emotions go from 0 to 100 very quickly

    • Difficulty calming down once upset

    • Irritability or impatience most of the time

    • Physical symptoms: muscle tension, rapid heartbeat, feeling "hot"

    • Guilt or shame after emotional outbursts

    • Feeling like emotions control you, not the other way around

    How We Help:

    • We help you understand the roots of anger, identify triggers, develop healthier ways to express and manage emotions, and build emotional regulation skills. You'll learn to recognize early warning signs, use coping strategies, communicate assertively rather than aggressively, and respond to situations more effectively.

  • Are you having difficulty adjusting to a stressful life event or change, with emotional or behavioral responses that feel out of proportion or are impacting your functioning?

    What It Looks Like:

    • Overwhelming emotional response to a specific stressor or change

    • Anxiety, depression, or behavioral changes following a life event

    • Difficulty functioning at work, home, or in relationships

    • Symptoms that began within three months of a specific stressor

    • Feeling like you can't cope or adjust to the change

    • Emotional responses that feel excessive given the situation

    How We Help:

    • Adjustment disorders are time-limited responses to stress that benefit from short-term counseling. We help you process the stressor, develop effective coping strategies, build resilience, and adjust to the new reality. Many people find significant relief with focused, supportive therapy.

  • Are you adjusting to a chronic illness diagnosis, disability, or significant health changes?

    What It Looks Like:

    • Grief over health losses or changes in abilities

    • Anxiety about health, future, or prognosis

    • Depression related to illness or limitations

    • Difficulty accepting diagnosis or new reality

    • Identity changes ("I'm not the same person I was")

    • Relationship strain related to illness

    • Difficulty managing the emotional aspects of medical care

    • Feeling misunderstood or isolated

    • Navigating lifestyle changes required by illness

    How We Help:

    • Living with chronic illness involves ongoing emotional challenges alongside physical ones. We provide support for the grief, anxiety, identity changes, and life adjustments that come with health challenges. Therapy helps you process emotions, develop effective coping strategies, maintain quality of life, and find meaning despite illness.

  • Are you caring for an aging parent, ill partner, or child with complex needs, and feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or burned out?

    What It Looks Like:

    • Emotional and physical exhaustion

    • Feeling alone in caregiving responsibilities

    • Guilt about feeling overwhelmed or resentful

    • Neglecting your own health and self-care

    • Difficulty setting boundaries with care recipient or other family members

    • Grief over losses (your loved one's decline, your own life changes)

    • Relationship strain with partner or family

    • Feeling like there's no time for yourself

    • Anxiety or depression related to caregiving demands

    • Difficulty asking for or accepting help

    How We Help:

    • Caregiving is demanding and often isolating. We provide a supportive space to process the complex emotions of caregiving, develop strategies for self-care and boundary-setting, navigate family dynamics, manage guilt and grief, and prevent or address burnout. You can't pour from an empty cup—therapy helps you sustain yourself while caring for others.

  • Are you feeling isolated, lonely, or disconnected from others, even if you're around people?

    What It Looks Like:

    • Feeling alone even when surrounded by others

    • Lack of meaningful connections or close relationships

    • Difficulty making or maintaining friendships

    • Social anxiety or discomfort in social situations

    • Withdrawal from social activities or relationships

    • Feeling like no one understands you

    • Loneliness after major life changes (move, retirement, divorce)

    • Difficulty reaching out or connecting with others

    • Sense that something is missing in your life

    How We Help:

    • We help you explore barriers to connection, develop social confidence, challenge beliefs that keep you isolated, and create strategies for building meaningful relationships. Therapy itself provides connection while you work on expanding your social world.

Submit a Referral

Our Approach to Counselling

Taking the step to get support

takes courage.

You deserve to feel better, and you don't have to figure everything out alone. Our counselors are here to listen without judgment, provide real tools that help, and support you through whatever you're facing.

Submit a Referral

Starting therapy can feel uncertain.

Here's what the process looks like.

  • Getting started is simple. Complete our online referral form with basic information about yourself or your child and what brings you to counselling. No doctor's referral is needed.

    What We Will Ask:

    • Who is seeking counselling (child, teen, adult, couple, family)

    • Your main concerns or goals

    • Any relevant background

    • Insurance information (if applicable)

    • Your preferences (virtual or in-person, scheduling needs)

    Timeframe:

    • Our team will contact you within a few business hours.

  • Your first session is all about getting to know each other. Your counsellor will ask about your concerns, background, and goals. You will have a chance to ask questions and decide if it feels like a good fit.

    What Happens:

    • For children: Often starts with a parent consultation before meeting the child

    • For teens: May include parents in part of the session or meet individually

    • For adults: Conversation about what brings you to therapy and what you hope to achieve

    • For couples/families: Initial meeting to understand the concerns from each person's perspective

    Goal:

    • By the end, you should feel comfortable and have a clear sense of next steps.

  • Together with your counsellor, you will create a plan tailored to your needs. This includes your goals, the therapeutic approach, how often you will meet, and what to expect along the way.

    You Will Receive:

    • Clear therapy goals (what success looks like for you)

    • An understanding of the approach and methods

    • Expected frequency and duration of sessions

    • Your role in the process (and for parents, how you will be involved)

  • This is where the real work happens. Sessions are typically 45-60 minutes and occur weekly or bi-weekly. Your counsellor will use evidence-based approaches tailored to your needs.

    What Sessions Look Like:

    • For children: Play-based activities, art, games, and age-appropriate conversation

    • For teens: A comfortable space to talk, learn coping skills, and process experiences

    • For adults: Conversation-based therapy with skill-building and processing

    • For couples/families: Facilitated discussions and skill-building for better relationships

    Flexibility:

    • In-person at our St. Albert location or virtual sessions available.

  • Your counsellor will regularly check in about your progress and adjust the approach as needed. We celebrate wins, address challenges, and ensure therapy is meeting your needs.

    Ongoing Support:

    • Regular check-ins about progress toward goals

    • Adjustments to the approach if needed

    • Open communication about what is and is not working

    • Parent updates and coaching (for child and teen clients)

  • When you have reached your goals, we will work together to plan for ending counselling and maintaining your progress. Our door is always open if you need support in the future.

    Transition Support:

    • Summary of progress and skills gained

    • Strategies for maintaining mental health going forward

    • Recommendations for ongoing support if needed

    • Open door to return if new challenges arise

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Taking the first step is often the hardest part. You do not have to have it all figured out. You just have to be ready to start.

Whether you are seeking support for yourself, your child, your teen, or your whole family, our compassionate counsellors are here to help you move forward with hope, healing, and resilience.

Submit a Referral

FAQs

  • No, you do not need a doctor's referral to access our counselling services. You can submit a referral directly through our website. However, some insurance plans require a physician's referral for coverage, so it is worth checking with your insurance provider.

  • Yes, confidentiality is a cornerstone of counselling. What you share stays private except in specific situations required by law: if there is risk of harm to yourself or others, suspected abuse of a child or vulnerable person, or if records are subpoenaed by court. Your counsellor will explain confidentiality in detail during your first session.

  • Previous unsuccessful counselling does not mean it cannot help. Sometimes the approach, timing, or therapeutic relationship was not the right fit. We encourage you to share your previous experience so your counsellor can discuss a different approach. The right fit can make all the difference.

  • Yes. We offer couples counselling for partners experiencing communication challenges, conflict, trust issues, life transitions, and other relationship concerns. Our couples counsellors help you improve communication, resolve conflict, and strengthen your connection. See our Adult Counselling page for more details.

  • Yes. The relationship with your counsellor matters. If you feel your current counsellor is not the right fit, you can request to work with someone else. Your comfort and progress are the priority.