How much does therapy cost at Bodymind Counselling in Victoria, BC?

Sessions with a Registered Clinical Counsellor are $160 per 50-minute individual session and $170 for couples. Senior counsellors charge $180. Low-fee sessions with supervised student counsellors start at $30 for a first session and $70 for subsequent sessions.

Does MSP cover counselling in BC?

No, MSP does not cover private practice counselling in BC. However, many extended benefits plans do cover Registered Clinical Counsellors. Bodymind Counselling offers direct billing to most major insurance providers.

Do you offer online counselling in BC?

Yes. Bodymind Counselling offers online therapy to clients anywhere in British Columbia. Virtual sessions are equally effective for most concerns and follow the same process as in-person appointments.

What is somatic or body-centred therapy?

Somatic therapy goes beyond traditional talk therapy by incorporating attention to what is happening in your body — sensations, nervous system responses, and physical experience — as a source of insight and healing. It is particularly effective for anxiety, trauma, and stress. Sessions are not physical or hands-on; it simply means your counsellor attends to your body's experience alongside your thoughts and emotions.

How do I get started with counselling at Bodymind?

New clients start with a free 20-minute consultation by phone or video. You can request this through the contact form on our website. We'll match you with a counsellor whose availability and experience fit your needs, or you can let us know if you already have someone in mind from our counsellor bios.

What level of training do your therapists have?

All Bodymind counsellors are either Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCCs) with a master's degree in counselling, or master's-level practicum students in their final training year, supervised by an RCC. All counsellors engage in ongoing professional development.

Do you offer low-cost or affordable counselling in Victoria?

Yes. Bodymind Counselling offers low-fee counselling through our student practicum program. Supervised student counsellors offer sessions at $30 for a first session and $70 for subsequent sessions, making therapy accessible to those on a limited budget.

Are you accepting new clients for counselling in Victoria?

Yes, Bodymind Counselling is currently accepting new clients. We have counsellors with availability during daytimes, evenings, and weekends. Contact us through our website to request a free consultation and get matched with a therapist.

Do you offer couples counselling in Victoria, BC?

Yes. Bodymind Counselling provides couples counselling with our Registered Clinical Counsellors. Sessions are $170 for 50 minutes. The process begins with a free consultation to discuss your goals and find the right therapist fit.

Are your sessions confidential?

Yes, confidentiality is central to our practice. There are a few legally defined exceptions (such as risk of serious harm) that your counsellor will explain in your first session. For student therapists, a supervising RCC will have limited access to session information for training purposes, and is equally bound by confidentiality.

Alison Ferko, Registered Clinical Counsellor

Mar 1

Written By Bitty Berlinghoff

Alison Ferko, RCC (she/her)

AREAS OF FOCUS:

Neurodivergence
Parenting and caregiving
Identity
Stress and burnout
Anxiety

THERAPY MODALITIES:

AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy)
Neurodiversity-affirming
Somatic (body-based) approaches
Parts-work
Emotions-focused

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT WHEN WORKING WITH ALISON

My approach to counselling is relational, gentle, and collaborative, and allows lots of space for the client to be the expert in their own experience. I deeply value the therapeutic relationship and the courage and vulnerability that it takes to show up in this space; and prioritizing your safety means moving at your own pace. My goal is to help you attune to the present-moment feelings and sensations that we sometimes shy away from (for good reason!), in order to have new experiences that bring us closer to ourselves.

ALISON’S EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING

I graduated with an Honours B.A. in Psychology from Queens University in 2010, and completed my M.A. in Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University in 2023. I did my practicum as part of that program at Bodymind Counselling, and have been with the practice since 2023. In the years in between my two degrees, I studied and taught yoga and other movement modalities, and earned a diploma in holistic nutrition from Pacific Rim College here in Victoria.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE

The biggest part of my identity during this season of life is being a mother. My partner and I are the parents of two (wild and wonderful) young children in a neurodiverse family, and have had a crash course in the past 8 years in caregiving, trust, acceptance, and resiliency. My own cherished relationship with my counsellor has been one of the greatest resources along my parenting journey.

Outside of work and life at home, I love being near the ocean, reading, walking, practicing yoga, and listening to podcasts.

FEES

Alison’s fees are $160 per 50 minute session.

HOURS

Alison is available on Sundays and Thursdays, from 8:30am-2:00pm.

book a session

Professional Development and Education

Anxiety Regulation with Steve Shapiro - AEDP Institute
AEDP Essential Skills 2025-2026
Low Demand Parenting - 2026 - Amanda Diekman
Anxiety and Demand Avoidance - 2025 - Dr. Naomi Fisher
Feeling Like a Man: Exploring Masculinity and Shame in Healing Attachment Trauma - AEDP Institute
AEDP Immersion - 2025 - with Diana Fosha
AEDP Anger Seminar - Hilary Jacobs Hendel
Working with Adults with ADHD - Dr. Elisabeth Baerg Hall and Dr. Candice Murray
Basic Principles of Somatic Experiencing
The Dos and Don’ts of Therapy with Neurodivergent Clients - with Nyck Walsh
Neurodivergent Somatics, Part 1 - with Nyck Walsh
Intro to AEDP: How to Be a Transformational Therapist and Put Neuroplasticity into Everyday Action - on demand - with Diana Fosha
Getting Started or Restarted with AEDP - on demand - with Ben Lipton
Paradigm Shift training program for parents of PDA autistic children - ongoing
500 hour trauma-informed yoga teacher training
Holistic Nutrition Diploma - Pacific Rim College
Anxiety Regulation with Steve Shapiro

Featured

Alison Ferko, Registered Clinical Counsellor

Alison is a Registered Clinical Counsellor whose approach is warm, gentle, and collaborative. Alison strives to foster an authentic therapeutic relationship where clients can feel understood and seen in all of their humanness. Alison has a special interest in working with highly sensitive/possibly neurodivergent adults, though is open to working with a range of concerns including identity-exploration, parenting, anxiety, and burnout.

In Person and Virtual Appointments, weekend availability

Özlem Maviş, Registered Therapeutic Counsellor

Özlem Maviş is a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor and an expressive arts therapist. Her approach is gentle, experiential, creative, collaborative, and anti-oppressive. Oz has a particular interest in supporting people through their heartbreak and relational wounds, trauma, anxiety, life transitions, immigration or major moves, and quest for home and belonging. Oz also offers expressive art therapy sessions out of a beautiful studio space in Fernwood.

In Person, Art Studio and Online Sessions

Richard Turner, Registered Clinical Counsellor

Richard is a Registered Clinical Counsellor at our downtown location. He supports adults with a variety of concerns including anxiety, depression, childhood bullying, and life transitions (including immigration). His goal is to help clients find a deeper sense of understanding, self-acceptance, and a more integrated relationship with themselves. He has a particular interest in supporting neurodiverse individuals.

In Person and Online Sessions
Weekend availability

Allie Murphy, Registered Clinical Counsellor

Allie Murphy is an RCC whose collaborative, feminist, trauma-informed approach is grounded in humility, curiosity, and compassion, and willingness to learn. Allie has a special interest in supporting anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, sexuality and gender identity, neurodiversity, and life transitions.

In Person and Online Sessions

Linnea Strom, Registered Social Worker

Linnea Strom is passionate about supporting clients to release past trauma, develop self-compassion, and improve emotional regulation. Her style is warm, relational and body-based. She brings skills in navigating complex life issues, with lived and professional experience in areas such as parenting, gender and sexuality, grief, depression/anxiety, medicalization/chronic health issues, neurodivergence, and trauma.

Virtual Sessions Only, Morning and Evening availability.

All of the counsellors at Bodymind Counselling gratefully live and practice on the lands of Lekwungen peoples, the Songhees and Esquimalt, and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples.

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Bitty Berlinghoff https://easyoriginals.com