• 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. Wednesday and Thursday

  • 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, Alberta Health Services Mental Health Help Line and Canada’s Suicide Crisis Helpline (988) offer 24/7 service.

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.​ 

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.

What We Offer

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.

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