• This program is for:

    Individuals and/or families who reside in Alberta who need short-term counselling related to relationships, sexuality, gender and sexual diversity and sexual health.

  • Costs & Fees

    There is no cost for this program.

  • Location

    Centre for Sexuality offices or virtually online or on the phone.

    Arrangements may be made to meet in public or other community locations.

  • Hours & Availability

    9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Friday
    9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays

  • How to Register

    Book online through our intake form.

  • Contact Us

    Contact Us

Is This An Emergency?

If you’re having a crisis or need to talk with someone right away, Distress Centre and Alberta Health Services Mental Health Help Line offer 24/7 service.

Please note: We are currently booking appointments into January 2024. Pregnancy options counselling appointments may be able to be scheduled sooner.

We believe that all people have the skills, strength and abilities to achieve their goals. Through our supportive counselling, we provide emotional support and guidance to empower you to make positive changes related to your sexual health, gender, sexuality or relationships. 

Together, we will work on finding possible solutions to the challenges you may be experiencing.​ 

Jump to:

Counselling

One-on-One Education

Relationship and Sexual Health Education for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Click Here to Book Online

Counselling Supports

Sessions are client-led, which means that you and your supportive counsellor will work together on achieving your goals for the session. 

Counselling is provided by a registered healthcare provider. Sessions are 75 minutes in length.

We find that one session is often enough to get the information you need. An additional session can be booked if you need support with a different issue or concern. 

Individuals or families who reside in Alberta and want support related to a current issue, challenge or concern related to relationships, sexuality, gender and sexual diversity and sexual health. This includes topics such as: 

  • All options pregnancy counselling 
  • BDSM/Kink 
  • Birth control 
  • Coming out
  • Decision making and communication 
  • Setting and maintaining boundaries in relationships 
  • Gender identity 
  • Polyamory/non-monogamy 
  • Post abortion counselling 
  • Relationships and consent 
  • Sexual difficulties 
  • Sexual orientation 
  • STI information and/or support 
  • Support and resources for parents/caregivers of LGBTQ2S+ Youth 
  • Transgender support and resources  

Youth who are 13 and under require parental consent to access our services. Youth who could be considered a mature minor can access our services without parental consent. 

We are unable to provide support to people in distress or crisis. If you need help right now, please contact the Distress Centre or the Alberta Mental Health Help Line. 

After you submit a request for counselling services:

Initial Call

Our Supportive Counsellor will reach out to schedule an initial call or e-mail to ensure that we can meet your needs. During this check-in, we will: 

  • briefly review the main challenge or issue you want to discuss​; 
  • identify your goals for the session/what you hope will be different after attending a counselling session; and​ 
  • provide resources or referral if needed. 

If our services meet your needs, you can book your 75-minute session. The counselling session is 60 minutes, plus 15 minutes to review consent and complete evaluations.

Once you book your session, we’ll send you a consent form to complete. If you can’t fill it out before your appointment, you can do so at your session. 

During and after your session

We can see you in person at our office, chat via Zoom or do the session on the phone. ​ 

After the session, we’ll follow up with an e-mail with additional resources or referral if needed. Our referral service aims to match clients to services with resources that are appropriate for their needs. We will discuss referrals with you and always get your consent to disclose information before contacting any service on your behalf.

Book Now

If you are interested in accessing our supportive counselling services, please fill out our intake form.

We do not provide…

Psychotherapy: We do not provide psychotherapy and are unable to support people working through long-term challenges (i.e., something that has happened in the past that is impacting you today). If you are seeking more in-depth or comprehensive support and would like some help finding a service provider, please contact our information specialist at info@centreforsexuality.ca for assistance. 

Conversion therapy: We normalize healthy sexuality and support clients to make informed choices that are right for them. As a feminist and pro-choice organization, we do not offer or support any type of conversion therapy. Our support model emphasizes individual choice and self-determination; participation in any of our sessions is purely voluntary. 

Court Mandated Counselling: We are unable to offer court-ordered or otherwise mandated counselling and do not accept referrals for individuals involved in the justice system. If you’re looking to access these services, contact us for a referral.

Our Counselling Services

We help folks who want emotional support and guidance related to gender and sexual diversity.  We can provide information and support related to topics like: 

  • Coming out​ 
  • Exploration of gender and/or sexuality​ 
  • Navigating medical, social, and legal transition 
  • Referral letters to gender affirming specialists​ 
  • Gender affirming gear​
     

If you need more information, please give us a call at 403-283-5580, or fill out an intake form to book a session.

Creating safe and supportive environments at home for children, teens and young adults is vital to their well-being. We offer counselling sessions for parents/natural supports of 2SLGBTQ+ individuals to help them create safer, more affirming spaces. We cover topics such as:​ 

  • Family relationships 
  • Advocacy/systems navigation 
  • School/ healthcare systems​ 
  • Grief and loss​ 
  • Strategies to support your 2SLGBTQ+ family member ​ 
  • Which behaviours help and which behaviours hurt​ 

If you need more information, please give us a call at 403-283-5580, or fill out an intake form to book a session.

To ensure that clients have access to the full range of services available, we also offer referral services.

The purpose of our referral service is to match clients to the most appropriate and beneficial services and resources based on client choice, assessment, and availability of community resources. All referrals are discussed with clients, and consent is obtained to disclose information before contacting the community service on the client’s behalf and making the connection.

To book a supportive counselling session, complete our counselling intake form.

One-on-One Education

Everyone has the right to quality information about sexual health, sexuality, gender and healthy relationships. ​ 

We recognize the importance of providing the knowledge and tools required for people to have healthy bodies, relationships and in turn, communities. Our one-on-one education sessions are for individuals seeking fact-based information about sexual health and healthy relationships. ​ 

If you want information from a caring and non-judgmental sexual health educator, you can book a 15 to 60 minute education session (depending on the number of topics you want to discuss). Sessions can be facilitated on Zoom or in person.​ 

  • Individuals or families who want education related to relationships, sexuality, gender and sexual diversity and sexual health. 
  • Youth who are 13 and under require parental consent to access our services. Youth who could be considered a mature minor can access our services without parental consent. 

If you are looking for emotional support, please see our Supportive Counselling services.

Your session will be led by one of our sexual health educators. The content for the sessions is based off our Healthy Relationship and Sexual Health Curriculum that we use in our school and community settings. You can choose one topic or multiple topics to learn about.  

Here are some common topics we can discuss, along with what you can expect to learn:​

Pregnancy​

  • How pregnancy happens 
  • The process of fertilization​ 
  • Types of sexual activity that can cause a pregnancy​ 
  • Pregnancy testing

Birth Control​ 

  • Types of birth control​ 
  • Barriers and STI prevention​

Sexually Transmitted Infections​ 

  • Types of STIs​ 
  • Testing​ 
  • Treatment​ 
  • Prevention​ 
  • Stigma and shame ​ 

Your Body​ 

  • Changes to the body during puberty​
  • Sexual and reproductive anatomy 

Healthy Relationships​ 

  • Healthy, unhealthy and abusive relationship behaviours​ 
  • Defining, identifying and maintaining boundaries 
  • Healthy decision-making 
  • Consent, including consent law in Canada and how to have conversations about consent 

Gender and Sexual Diversity​ 

  • Terms like sex, gender identity, gender expression, orientation​ 
  • Review possible ways someone may transition 
  • Medical, legal and social​ aspects of gender and sexual diversity 

Types of Sex​ 

  • Review the different types of sex​ and their possible outcomes 

To book a one-on-one education session, fill out our intake form.

Just have a couple of quick questions? You can call our front desk at 403-283-5580 to speak to our Information Specialist. 

Relationship and Sexual Health Education for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

We provide education to people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. A support worker or natural support, such as a parent, may also attend these sessions.

On average, a minimum of four sessions are required.

Topics include:

  • Masturbation
  • Bodies: Sexual and reproductive anatomy
  • Appropriate Touch
  • Private vs Public Places
  • Healthy relationships
    • Boundaries
    • What is abuse
    • Decision making
    • Healthy vs unhealthy relationships
  • Wanting to find a partner
    • boundaries and consent
    • healthy vs unhealthy relationship
    • online safety
  • Questions on sexuality or gender
    • what is sexuality
    • gender identity and expression
    • attraction
  • Online relationships and catfishing
    • boundaries and consent
    • healthy vs unhealthy relationship
    • online safety
  • Abusive relationships
    • boundaries
    • what is abuse
    • decision making
    • healthy vs unhealthy relationships
  • Job related issues
    • boundaries
    • consent
    • healthy decision making
    • public vs private
    • healthy communication
  • Hygiene
    • penis bodies
    • vulva bodies
    • boundaries
    • public vs private
  • Guardianship issues
  • Pornography

To book education services for a person with an intellectual or developmental disability, complete our intake form.

Questions?

We’re here to help direct you to the services and supports most useful to you. If you’d like to talk to someone about your options, contact our Information Specialist: intake@centreforsexuality.ca