Expanding accessibility of counselling for everyone.
Perhaps you’re reeling from having been evacuated from the wildfire in Jasper. You may be looking for resources for hosting evacuees in Alberta, or are otherwise helping or feeling the real impact of the wildfires in Alberta.
Or, maybe you’ve been weathering your own metaphorical storm and have felt unnoticed and alone for long enough, and are searching for where you may put down an anchor.
Your experience is valid.
Your story matters.
We believe your access to support matters, too.
Currently accepting new clients.
Attend weekly or biweekly counselling sessions
with masters student therapist Mikayla Stoica.
[ $0 – $60 ]
No one turned away for lack of funds.
Simply tell us what affordable looks like for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sessions will be offered with Mikayla until October 2024 with a limited number of spaces on the caseload. New clients will be accepted until caseload is at capacity. At that time those interested may be invited to join an interest list, to be contacted as spaces open up into the future.
We offer the same quality of counselling service, and no limit on number of weekly sessions regardless of fee arrangement, for as long as we have a student therapist available with space on their caseload.
That’s a great question, as therapist fit matters! Free/ low cost sessions through LifeRoots are provided by Mikayla Stoica, a student therapist under the supervision of Registered Psychologist Lindsay Redman. You are welcome to check out Mikayla’s bio or schedule a consultation to see if she’s a fit to work with you. If you decide you’d like to work with an alternate therapist, Mikayla is also available to provide personalized referrals based on the areas you’re seeking support in, with your budget in mind.
Student therapists draw upon a solid core base of counselling skills to support healing and growth.
Actively engaged in working through the rigorous steps toward registration and completion of a masters program, they often bring a unique skill set and areas of passion/ insight to work with clients in our community. They may already have additional training and employment/ volunteering experience to bring to their work, and areas of special interest already well under development. Student therapists also receive additional insight, perspectives and feedback within supervision, ongoing instruction and peer therapist consultation as they refine their counselling skills, which may compliment and deepen your work together.
You may find it helpful to begin doing some foundation work to release anxiety, grow regulation skills, strengthen confidence navigating relationships, etc. with a student therapist, knowing you may later decide to seek further specialized counselling with a psychologist at a higher rate, as a creative way to work within a budget to achieve desired growth over time.
Through reflection and added insights during supervision, a student therapist will watch for and communicate to you any potential areas that you may be seeking support beyond their scope of experience/ training. In these instances, your therapist will discuss this with you and may provide thoughtful referrals if you express an interest to proceed with exploring other avenues, as you feel ready.
Whether seeking support to navigate a complexity or communication within your relationship, relief from struggles with lingering anxiety or social anxiety, healing grief/ loss/ transition in your life, exploring gender or meaningful dimensions of your personality, processing feelings and new perspectives related to neurodiversity (autism/ ADHD), paying regular suggested counselling fees out of pocket can be simply unattainable for many members of our community. Affordable and free sessions helps to bridge this gap.
Absolutely. There are some instances where online counselling may not be suitable, which can be reviewed during a consult to see if you’re a fit to work with us. However, in many cases rural Albertans find affordable remote counselling is an excellent option to attend when commuting to a attend a session in a city is out of reach or time consuming. Whether you’re calling from of Grand Prairie, Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Calgary or a more remote Alberta location, meeting online may open many options for you to attend counselling.
Yes. Supporting clients navigating a suspected or new diagnosis, or even years after diagnosis, building greater awareness of how to live life thoughtfully in tune with neurodiversity is an area of passion. We understand not everyone has means or is ready to pursue diagnosis. What matters to us is your experience, meeting you there and building upon what you already know, collaborating to grow further awareness and increased functioning and fulfillment in life. Referrals may be provided by request for autism assessment and/or ADHD assessment.
We’re delighted to have found a handful of private practices currently offering additional low cost and free counselling options to round out your options, and compiled a list of free 24/7 community resources in Alberta. If you’re looking for support in a particular area and budget, we have access to a network of therapists to provide more specific and dialed in options for you. We are happy to provide thoughtful recommendations to therapists in our community to fit a range of budgets and areas of interest/ specialization. Schedule a complimentary consultation to discuss your options.
Counselling with student therapists is typically highly discounted compared to therapists who are fully registered, while they work through the rigorous steps of registration and completion of a masters program. At LifeRoots, student therapists join clients in working collaboratively toward healing while developing core counselling skills through ongoing supportive supervision and guidance of a Registered Psychologist.