Online Therapy in British Columbia

TEO Counselling Services provides online counselling and therapy to adults and couples anywhere in British Columbia. Three clinicians see BC clients: Mohamad Shabib, CCC; Alison Shaji, RCC; and Rola Shbib, RSW (Ontario). Sessions are $150 individual or $175 couples for 60 minutes, seven days a week, 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm Pacific; the first 15-minute consultation is free.

Online counselling is sometimes called virtual therapy, video therapy or telehealth counselling. At TEO, each session runs as a 60-minute video call.

Online counselling in British Columbia, at a glance. TEO Counselling is an online-only practice based in Nanaimo, providing online counselling and psychotherapy for trauma and PTSD (EMDR, IFS), anxiety, depression, grief and couples, to adults anywhere in British Columbia. BC is the one province where all three clinicians are available: Mohamad Shabib, MACP, a Canadian Certified Counsellor with the CCPA (CCC #11249205); Alison Shaji, MA Clinical Psychology, a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the BCACC (RCC #22608); and Rola Shbib, BSW (Hons), RSW (Ontario), OCSWSSW #866715. Couples counselling uses the Gottman Method: Mohamad and Alison both have completed Level 1 and Level 2 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy. Appointments run 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm Pacific, seven days a week, so evening and weekend sessions are routine. Individual sessions are $150 and couples sessions $175, each 60 minutes; MSP does not cover counselling in private practice, and direct billing is available with Mohamad and Alison for Pacific Blue Cross, CVAP and TELUS eClaims plans, with an insurance-ready receipt for every other plan. The first step is a free 15-minute consultation.

Online counselling in BC, in plain terms

TEO Counselling Services is a virtual counselling practice based in Nanaimo, British Columbia. The first conversation — a free 15-minute consultation — needs no referral, and who you would see is settled there.

BC is the home province of TEO Counselling — the only province where all three clinicians are available. Alison works with BC clients exclusively, which makes BC the one place TEO offers sessions in Hindi and Malayalam, and the one place Christian counselling is available.

Two more options are open anywhere in the province: a Muslim therapist, online, and an Arabic-speaking therapist, online.

Whatever you typed to get here — online counselling BC, online therapy BC, virtual counselling BC, virtual therapy BC, online counsellor BC, online therapist BC, BC counsellor, counselling services BC, or the longer online counselling British Columbia and online therapy British Columbia — it points at the same thing. On this page that means counselling and therapy, online, for adults and couples anywhere in the province, starting with a free 15-minute consultation and no referral.

Trauma therapy online across British Columbia

Trauma therapy is a central part of the work TEO Counselling does in British Columbia, and two clinicians deliver it online anywhere in the province: Mohamad Shabib and Alison Shaji are both EMDR-trained, and Mohamad also works with Internal Family Systems at Levels 1 and 2. Both approaches run online in the same structure they would in a room, and the consultation covers which one suits what you are bringing. The BC practicalities for trauma — who you would see, fees, MSP, direct billing and CVAP, and hours — are on trauma therapy online in British Columbia.

Mohamad's first responder work comes out of direct clinical experience with operational stress and concurrent addictions, which is why first responders — firefighters, paramedics, police and emergency dispatchers — are one of the groups this work is set up for.

Where the trauma is crime-related, British Columbia's Crime Victim Assistance Program may fund the sessions for eligible clients, and TEO is an approved CVAP provider — bring the claim number to the consultation and it is checked before anything is booked.

Otherwise the fee is the same as any other session: $150 per 60-minute individual session, $175 for couples, with direct billing available through Mohamad and Alison for Pacific Blue Cross, CVAP and plans on the TELUS eClaims network, and an insurance-ready receipt for every other plan — see direct billing for the detail.

Read the BC trauma therapy page

Opens our booking page. Choose "New Client Consultation (Telehealth) – 15 minutes", then pick a time. Jane will ask you to create a free account to confirm it. Nothing to pay for the consultation. The consultation is with Mohamad or Rola, who then books you with the clinician who fits.

Who you would be working with

BC is the only province where the whole practice is available, so you can be matched rather than simply assigned.

Mohamad Shabib, MACP, CCC, founded the practice and lives in Nanaimo. He is a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCPA). His training covers Advanced EMDR through an EMDRIA-approved program, Internal Family Systems Levels 1 and 2, CBT for Trauma Levels 1 and 2, DBT, and Indigenous Focused Oriented Therapy, and he has completed Level 1 and Level 2 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy. Sessions in English or Arabic.

Alison Shaji, MA Clinical Psychology, RCC, is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors and works with BC clients exclusively. She is trained in EMDR, EFFT, CBT and DBT, has completed Level 1 and Level 2 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy, and draws on psychoanalytic, inner-child and shadow work. Sessions in English, Hindi or Malayalam.

Rola Shbib, BSW (Hons), RSW, is a Registered Social Worker with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers, and works with clients in every province TEO serves, including BC. Her background spans crisis intervention, suicide-prevention work, addictions, and grief and loss — she holds an honours degree in thanatology. Sessions in English.

If a particular approach matters to you, name it at the consultation and ask who holds it.

Is counselling covered by MSP in BC?

No. BC's Medical Services Plan does not cover counselling or psychotherapy in private practice — a session with a Registered Clinical Counsellor, a Canadian Certified Counsellor or a Registered Social Worker is paid for by you or by an extended health plan, not by MSP. No provincial health plan in Canada covers private-practice counselling; BC is not unusual in this.

What MSP does pay for is care from physicians — your family doctor, and a psychiatrist on referral — and the counselling that runs inside public services: health-authority mental health teams, hospital programs, and youth services such as Foundry. Those are free at the point of use, and they come with waits and eligibility rules. The free options in BC, including the ones that are online, are listed further down this page.

For private-practice counselling the route is an extended health plan through work or school, or an employee assistance program. Coverage depends on the credentials your plan recognizes — check for CCC, RCC or RSW; every designation held at TEO sits in that set. Read your booklet for the exact wording and the annual maximum. Direct billing is available with Mohamad and Alison for Pacific Blue Cross, CVAP and plans on the TELUS eClaims network; otherwise you receive an insurance-ready receipt after every session and submit it yourself. If the therapy relates to a crime, BC's Crime Victim Assistance Program may fund the sessions for eligible clients (eligibility is decided by the program), and TEO Counselling is an approved CVAP provider.

Counselling is not regulated in BC — read the letters, not the label

Counselling is not a regulated profession in British Columbia: no provincial college for counsellors, and no law reserving the words "counsellor" or "therapist", so anyone in BC may advertise under them. One narrow change is scheduled — from 29 November 2027, "psychotherapist" becomes a protected title under BC's new health-professions framework. Until then, and for the word "counsellor" even after, the label alone tells you nothing.

What stands in for regulation is registration you can check. The Registered Clinical Counsellor designation (BC Association of Clinical Counsellors) and the Canadian Certified Counsellor designation (Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association) are voluntary rather than required by BC law — which is exactly why checking them means something. Every clinician here holds one you can look up: Alison as an RCC, Mohamad as a CCC, Rola as an RSW. The province-by-province picture is on our regulation reference.

What the first few sessions look like

The free consultation is a conversation, not an assessment. You describe what is going on in whatever order it comes out, and you get a straight answer about whether this is the right kind of help — including when someone else would be a better fit.

The first full session is mostly history and direction: what brought you here, what has already been tried, what you want to be different. Nothing is dug into before you are ready, and structured trauma work in particular does not begin until there is enough stability and enough trust to make it worth doing. From there the pace is yours — there is no package to sign and no minimum number of sessions.

What you say in session is confidential, within four limits: if a child needs protection; if a regulated health professional has sexually abused a patient, which must by law be reported; if there is a serious and imminent risk of harm; and if a court orders the file or issues a subpoena. Those limits are explained in full in the first session, before anything sensitive is discussed.

Where can I find free online counselling in BC?

Free online counselling in BC exists, and it is worth knowing about before you pay for anything. Start with HelpStartsHere, the BC government's finder for mental health and substance use services, which you can search by community and by the kind of help you need.

• · BounceBack — free CBT-based skill-building run by the Canadian Mental Health Association for people 13 and older living in BC, for low mood, mild to moderate depression, anxiety or stress. Its online and video platforms are open as soon as you sign up. Only the phone coaching needs a referral form, which you can complete yourself if you have a regular primary care provider — CMHA BC counts a nurse practitioner, psychiatrist, psychologist, registered clinical counsellor, registered social worker or school counsellor as well as a family physician.
• · CMHA BC — lists its other free programs, and the BC Mental Health Support Line is 310-6789, no area code needed, any hour.
• · Foundry — free, confidential counselling and health services for young people aged 12 to 24 and their families, at centres around the province and online through Foundry Virtual BC. No referral needed.
• · 9-8-8 — call or text 9-8-8 (Canada, 24/7), if it cannot wait for an appointment.

The honest limits: free services are short-term, have eligibility rules and waits, and are not designed for longer structured work such as EMDR. Some workplaces also offer a few free sessions through an employee assistance program, which is worth checking before you assume you have to pay. Sessions at TEO Counselling are private-pay — $150 per 60-minute session — but the first 15-minute consultation is free, and our free printable workbooks and handouts are open to anyone, no email address asked for.

Common questions

Do you have an office in British Columbia?

No. TEO Counselling is based in Nanaimo but online only — every session is online, and the Nanaimo address is a mailing address for the corporation, not a place you visit. Someone in Fort St. John or Prince Rupert gets the same access as someone in Vancouver.

Is counselling covered by MSP in BC?

No — MSP does not cover counselling in private practice in BC; coverage comes from extended-health plans that reimburse a CCC, RCC or RSW. Coverage tends to come through an extended health plan from work or school. Coverage depends on the credentials your plan recognizes — check for Registered Clinical Counsellor, Canadian Certified Counsellor or Registered Social Worker, all three of which are represented at TEO.

Where can I find free online counselling in BC?

Start with HelpStartsHere, the BC government's finder for mental health and substance use services. BounceBack, run by the Canadian Mental Health Association, is free CBT-based skill-building for people 13 and older living in BC. Its online and video platforms are open as soon as you sign up; only the phone coaching needs a referral form, and you can complete that form yourself if you have a regular primary care provider — CMHA BC counts a nurse practitioner, psychiatrist, psychologist, registered clinical counsellor, registered social worker or school counsellor as well as a family physician. There are further eligibility criteria for the coaching part. CMHA BC lists its other free programs, and the BC Mental Health Support Line is 310-6789, no area code, any hour. Foundry offers free counselling for young people aged 12 to 24, including Foundry Virtual BC. If it cannot wait, call or text 9-8-8 (Canada, 24/7). Sessions at TEO Counselling are private-pay, but the first 15-minute consultation is free.

Who would I see?

BC is the only province where all three TEO clinicians are available: Mohamad Shabib, a Canadian Certified Counsellor trained in EMDR and in IFS Levels 1 and 2, who has completed Level 1 and Level 2 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy; Alison Shaji, a Registered Clinical Counsellor who works with BC clients exclusively; and Rola Shbib, a Registered Social Worker (Ontario) whose background is crisis work, grief and addictions. Who fits what you are bringing gets settled on the free consultation call.

What does it cost?

Individual therapy is $150 per 60-minute session and couples counselling is $175. The first conversation — a free 15-minute consultation — costs nothing and needs no referral. You receive an insurance-ready receipt after every session, and a small number of reduced-fee spots exist — ask at the consultation.

Can I book a single session?

Yes. One 60-minute session is $150 ($175 for couples). There is no package and no minimum number of sessions; the free 15-minute consultation comes first. Text two times that suit you and it is booked.

How do sessions work?

Sessions run as video calls through Jane, with Zoom or Google Meet as backup. You pay per session through Jane by Interac e-Transfer or credit card. Appointments run seven days a week from 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm Pacific — BC's own clock, so no time conversion. Cancellation is free with 24 hours' notice; inside 24 hours, or a missed session, the full fee is charged.

Can I have sessions in a language other than English?

Yes. Mohamad offers sessions in Arabic, and Alison offers sessions in Hindi and Malayalam. Because Alison works with BC clients exclusively, Hindi and Malayalam sessions are available in BC only.