Thea Megas & Associates
Clinical Counselling
What if it could be better?
Online, Port Moody & Coquitlam, BC
NEW LOCATION JAN 1 2024: Our Coquitlam Office will now be 202-2700 Barnet Hwy, Coquitlam
OUR SERVICES
We offer therapy for people ages 5+ with Clinical Counsellors and Mental Health Occupational Therapists. See below for more information about the different techniques & approaches we take.
Talk Therapy
Sometimes we deeply need to talk and verbally process what's happening, or the sense of being able to leave it all with a counsellor, or someone to simply validate our experience while perhaps helping us challenge some of our perceptions. This is the most common kind of therapy, and often draws in pieces from other modalities as clinically relevant.
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All team members offer talk therapy - click here to meet the team.
EMDR/ FLASH/ Rewind
Unlike talk therapy, these methods don't use a lot of talking, but do have a track record for faster results. Instead, these techniques rely on the use of things like relaxation techniques, imagery, Dual Attention Bi-Lateral Stimulation, and/or a Positive & Engaging Focus. Rewind is specifically a trauma therapy, while EMDR and FLASH can be used to treat a variety of conditions including panic, anxiety, depression, chronic pain & illness, and more.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a practice sometimes similar to meditation, but can be used very therapeutically to ground and stabilize, increase self-awareness, and decrease symptoms of depression, anxiety, anger, ADHD, burnout, trauma, relationship issues, and more. You can try a brief mindfulness exercise on our Tools & Resources Page.
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All team members offer mindfulness click here to meet the team.
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RCC Adriana has a specialization in this, and particularly Mindful Parenting.
Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapy
We appreciate & understand the brain's variable function as natural, just like any other biological asset. Thus, we do NOT talk about functional differences as deficits, nor offer therapy directed towards becoming Neurotypical (NT). Instead, we embrace neurological differences that come with ADHD, Autism, trauma, giftedness, LDs, and any variances, and work with Neurodivergent's (ND's) unique strengths & skills to optimize daily function in ways that matter to YOU. We recognize the barriers in our health systems for ND folx, the value of lived ND experience, and especially, the privilege and responsibility of working with ND.
Child & Youth Therapy
Children and youth are special populations, and our clinicians who work with them are specialized in their approach. Therapy with children often involves elements of play, art, and movement. Therapy with youth is generally relationship centred. In both cases, therapeutic skills and approaches are introduced in a style that connects with the age and strengths of the young person.
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RCC Sarah works with ages 7+, especially around Neurodiversity.
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RCC Adrianna works with ages 5+.
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RCC Thea works with ages 14+.
Couple's Therapy
Couples can seek therapy for many reasons largely based on working towards a healthier relationship in some capacity or exploring the future of the relationship. Counselling can help with exploring the relationship vision, communication, and enhancing emotional intimacy, for example. Assessing the needs of a couple generally takes 3-4 sessions (a combination of individual and conjoint sessions) before beginning any interventions.
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RCC Ashley works with couples.
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Our team does NOT work with high conflict divorce, domestic violence, or sex therapy - these require a more specialized service.
Occupational Therapy (OT)
OT is a functional approach to solve problems that interfere with your ability to do the things that are important to you and to help you participate in more of the activities you find meaningful. For example:
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Is something getting in the way of doing the things you love or things you have to do?
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Is poor sleep keeping you from that early morning at the gym? Is anxiety preventing you from leaving the house?
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Do you struggle to get your “To Do” list done?
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Do you feel in a constant state of burn out?
For these and more, OT can help you by: developing cognitive strategies to improve memory & attention or calm racing thoughts; a custom activation plan to combat low mood and energy;
Sensory Modulation Techniques to calm or excite the nervous system; coaching in sleep, productivity, burnout, anxiety, and assertiveness.
CBT/ DBT/ ACT
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) are three of the most well researched and effective therapies for most mental health conditions. They rely on learning specific skills in working with one's thoughts, feelings, and actions to enhance awareness and make changes.
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All team members offer these to some degree, usually as an eclectic approach based on clinician indication - click here to meet the team..
Virtual Therapy
Throughout the pandemic, virtual counselling became the standard. This allowed a unique opportunity to compare clinical gains through traditional in person therapy to the virtual results. Interestingly, in most cases telehealth was found to be as effective as in person therapy. We continue to offer video and phone options to our clients. The requirement for participation is to have a good internet or phone connection, a safe and private space to connect from, and the ability to communicate your needs for support to your clinician.
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All team members offer virtual therapy - click here to meet the team.
ICBC/ CVAP Counselling
We can support people who wish to access counselling under ICBC/ CVAP benefits.
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FOR ICBC: RCCs Sarah & Thea are approved providers and can direct bill the ICBC covered amount to ICBC; only the top up fee is paid out of pocket. RCCs Adriana & Ashley can provide ICBC support if pre-approved; clients pay out of pocket and submit to ICBC for partial reimbursement.
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FOR CVAP: RCCs Adriana & Thea are approved providers; clients pay out of pocket and submit the receipt to CVAP for partial reimbursement.
Mindful Caregiving/ Parenting
Caregiving or parenting someone who has their own mental health or ND concerns is a whole different journey, and often misunderstood. The normal tips and tricks often feel useless or unhelpful. We know that a completely different level of unsubscribing and reworking is required, and this is something that often gets missed in therapy for caregivers, parents or partners of those with MH/ ND. To this end, we offer therapy centred on mindful caregiving, parenting, and partnering - building one's own awareness, skills, and processing to show up in those relationships as best we can and making mindful choices based on what we truly value.
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RCC Adriana offers mindful parenting/ caregiving support, and has extensive experience working with adoption/ fostering as well.
Etc.
Our team uses many other modalities and approaches to treat our clients. We are dedicated to taking the approach that best serves the client using our expertise and clinical judgement. Please see team member's profiles to see other skills, specializations, training, and interventions offered.
Please note we do NOT offer diagnosis, nor medical or legal opinions.